They sound like great speakers.
It seems there was a discussion about solid state and this amp in 2011: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/solid-state-amp-for-merlin-tsm-s?sort_order=asc
As for power, if this review is correct, they should be easy to drive with a range of amplifiers:
Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 6.5 ohms minimum, 14 ohms at crossover point
Sensitivity: 87 dB, 1W/1m (2.83V)
Power handling: 80 watts (program)
https://www.tnt-audio.com/casse/merlin_tsm_e.html
The review makes a mistake, though. It says, "The manufacturer claims these are a "friendly" load for the amplifier. I’m not 100% sure. First of all the 87 dB sensitivity requires quite powerful amplifiers, unless you listen at moderate levels and/or in a small room."
My sense is that with a 6.5 ohm minimum impedance, they should NOT be hard for a wide variety of amps to drive. But the phase angles of the impedance changes are important, too, and I don't know what they are.
All that said, I think with a small, sealed, bookshelf, some power might really open up their soundstage and dynamics. A tube amp with really good transformers is important. In that regard, I’m a Quicksilver fan which has amazing transformers.
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found this at bottom of a review
"Manufacturer’s Comment:
Dear Editor,
I have re-read the review about a half dozen times and think it a very thoughtful and accurate description of the tsm mme’s performance, sound and construction. That being the said, I have only a few things to mention. The tsm mme is a de-tuned version of the mxe which offers slightly wider bandwidth, is a bit more continuous sounding and resolved in character. The mme was designed around leaner sounding tubes and ss so I wanted it to be a little more forgiving yet still be a thoroughbred in what it could present in a musical manner.
Newer production offers a re-milled tweeter face plate that reduces diffraction while increasing the size of the dome’s opening to make the device sound more open and extended. The body of the tweeter is no longer a Morel mdt 30 but a hand made version made by Renaissance Audio. It is now called the Rennaissance mst 30.5.
It is my feeling that use of a copper litz speaker cable would improve the hf extension and micro definition. This is the type of cable I used in the development of the tsm.
My special thanks,
Bobby A Palkovich
President of Merlin Music Systems, Inc."
//////////////////////////
IF 87 sensitivity is correct, I would move to more efficient speakers, and I prefer 3 way to 2 way,
I also prefer tubes (see makers SS comment), but if you keep them, then I would go for SS for enough power, say 120 wpc at 8 ohms, I never want to try for that much power from tubes, too much heat and too many tubes that start out matched, but ......
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Honestly, I have no idea what Bobby said. I've already decided to keep the speakers, at least for awhile. Fritz at Fritz speakers told me that the improvement I would get with his speakers (similar price range for Merlins new) may not be a very discernible difference. Also, almost everything I've read seems to suggest Merlin TSMs perform at their best with tubes. Not poo booing your suggestion, just telling you what I have read. I've nothing against solid state at all. Any response to this? Thanks.
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I have not heard Merlin's recently, but was very impressed and enjoyed them when I did. They were powered by tubes and sounded fantastic.
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OP, the key (if I may) is in what I said:
Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 6.5 ohms minimum, 14 ohms at crossover point
Sensitivity: 87 dB, 1W/1m (2.83V)
Again: with a 6.5 ohm minimum impedance, they should NOT be hard for a wide variety of amps to drive.
This is the same with Fritz's speakers, and so you can stick with tubes. Just get an amp with good transformers.
Here's a brief explanation: https://youtu.be/tvTLYqB4Zfk?si=h3wM3Xwehi4SmCrX
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Bobby P and I listened to a lot of his early Merlins together, typically on tubes. I’m still a big fan of the midrange/treble clarity and presence I get from good tube amps. There are a lot of good choices. Having a bit more power never hurts, but IMO it’s more important that it sounds right to you.
VTA from tubes4hifi still offers some good American iron at reasonable prices. Kit or finished. Bobby’s old audio pal, Ken Stevens (CAT), still makes some of the best tube amps going, and are priced accordingly. I’d also consider a tube preamp.
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Every time I heard the Merlins they were on Joule electronics and sounded amazing with them!
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I ran Merlin VSM for years, tubes all the way. Push pulls really liked them with EL34, also ran them with 845SET even better. Always great with the Joule amplification as well, I ran Joule LA100 MkIII pre with all the amps. Not difficult impedance curve with these,don't need much tube power.
Depending on voicing you're after you should consider changing out the pre rather than amp. The Joule pre's always good match and Bobby's usual pairing. Joule LA100 series nice, 150 and 300 better, Joule has meat on the bones sound quality.
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Signature Sound services Merlin speakers and imports Ars Sonum tube integrateds which I think Bobby was originally importing and using with his speakers.
https://sigsound.com/product-lines/ars-sonum/
That said any good pushpull amp in the 15-25 watt range should do just fine with those plenty of choices out there. Synthesis from Italy is another brand worth checking out.
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For the past 12 years I’ve used a Manley Stingray II with my TSM MME. They mate beautifully.
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A buddy of mine recently passed away and we are liquidating his audio system. Bobby’s last Black magic VSM MXM with master Bam and an Ars Sonum Filarmonia integrated as recommended by Bobby.
For a medium sized room this is a great combo. Liquidating for the family and the combo will be very reasonable.
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I heard them a few years back being driven by a Rogue tube integrated. The sound was beautiful.
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I second the VTA/Tubes4hifi amps. Currently running twin M-125 monoblocks and their SP-14 preamp. I built the amp kits and had them build the preamp while I was in the process. Very rewarding listening to something you had a hand in bringing to life, but don't kid yourself, these are solid, powerful and musical regardless of who built them. I'm extremely satisfied with the investment, getting ~125 watts of tube power from each of these is awesome.
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Good move hanging on to those speakers. You’ll have to spend a lot more to do better. I had two pairs of TSM’s, sold one, and had to replace them with $7k monitors for a marked improvement. But still have my Black Magic version, so I’ve tried several different types of electronics. First, they sound best with tubes. Not sure what version you have but the recent versions will sound better than the older versions with Solid State. But again, best to stick with tubes. Depending on room size and how loud you listen, you can get by with 20-25 tube watts. I like them best with my Atma-Sphere S-30 OTL tube amp (30 watts) but the rooms I used them in were small to medium sized. Even in a larger room though 50-60 tube watts should be plenty of power. As already mentioned they sound very nice with EL34 tubes in triode. They did very nice with my Conrad Johnson mono blocks (60 watts of EL34 triode power) in a 16x24 room. Whatever electronics you decide on the Merlin’s will continue to scale up with better electronics. I also found that they sound best with Cardas or Audience cables and again, they will continue to scale up with good cables.
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@ht_fan "Every time I heard the Merlins they were on Joule electronics and sounded amazing with them!"
Yes, that is what I heard them with as well and with the same result.
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Joule-Electra is amazing with Merlin’s. I only heard the combo once but it was memorable. Unfortunately they are no longer manufactured and very difficult to come by should you be interested in trying one out. Rich Brkich of Signature Sound (info1@sigsound.com) in Liverpool NY is the self proclaimed Joule as well as Merlin expert. He is great to speak with regarding all things Joule or Merlin. Get in touch with Rich. He can give you good recommendations too. There is also a Merlin Facebook group that Rich sponsors. Another good place to get recommendations. Joule were OTL amps so Atma-Sphere that I mention above is a very good alternative if you’re interested in pursuing OTL. Rich also represents Atma-Sphere. IMO it’s tough to do better than Merlin speakers with an OTL amp. Again, it’s the best combo I’ve tried in 20+ years of owning Merlin’s.
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I had a pair of TSM yeas ago with pass labs aleph series amps. Thought they sounded fantastic
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Scon.....what did you move on to after Merlins, and why if they sounded fantastic? Serious question. Really curious as to your response. Thanks
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They were in a second system at the time. I ended up selling the system when I regained some sanity.
The main system was Avalon Radian and audio research reference stuff. This was almost 20 years ago though. All different now. But for a stand mount speaker I was really impressed with the Merlins.
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I currently run Altec 14’s modified wit ha DBX PA2 for cross over, line level adjustments and room eq. El 34 amp for the 12" woofers , 300b for the horns.
The systems sound very nice
However, I’m moving in a few months and my listening area will be smaller. So the search for a bookshelf or small floor stander started late last year.
Local dealer sells Sonus faber , started with the Sonetto line, bookshelf and the smaller floor standers. were definitely a step backwards.. listened to the Olympica bookshelf and certainly an improvement but not quite there.. then listened to the Heritage line and the Electra Amator nailed it, a better presentation than the old altecs minus bass but a a $ 10K price tag , probably not for me - I’m cheap.
I found a pair of the TSM’s MMM locally for a fair price , took them home and yup they check all the boxes. I’ve tried them with a 30 watt Pass Aleph,. my 35 watt EL34 amp and even the 300b amp( yes I know but I was bored).
The Aleph sounded nice but the El 34 really made the TSM’s sing.
I know this wordy but the recommendations for tubes with the TSM’s is accurate and 35-40 watts is adequate in my experience.
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Thanks for all the kind words/mentions guys. 
I won't bother to repeat what other have said about tubes and Merlin being a great combo (esp. Joule and Ars Sonum, though I may be a bit biased when it comes to that gear ).
Surprised no one has mentioned Dave Belles's (Power Modules) Aria Integrated amp... for someone who wants solid state on their TSMs this is a great combo. If on a tight budget, a used Rega Brio (one of the later versions) would make a really nice match for a older/early pair of TSMs.
I just had the latest Ars Sonum (Universum series XP version) Filarmonia playing on my BM TSM's a few days ago. Right now the same amp is finishing its break in on a pair of Black Magic VSM with the same amp. Amazing what a really good 30W of tube power will/can do!
Cheers! - Rich
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Owned/own Merlin TSM MME and TSM Black Magic with Master Zoebel. Ran them well with Manley Jumbo Shrimp pre and Mahi Mahi mono blocks. Also, Sugden A21SE integrated. Speaker cables were Decware Silver Stix. All of this sounded quite good.
Don't think it is SS or tube dependent, just the quality of pieces. Merlins do like quality massed stands. Merlins are more forgiving than many monitors. Best of luck in your search.
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Audio Mirror SET45 monoblocks with 45w/channel from the 6c33c tube sounded great with my TSM BME. That extra bit of power compared to the Filarmonia is put to very good use on the TSM.
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Rich.....how do I find out which version IO have of the Merlins?
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everything I've read seems to suggest Merlin TSMs perform at their best with tubes. Not poo booing your suggestion, just telling you what I have read. I've nothing against solid state at all. Any response to this? Thanks.
@troutbum The Merlins were literally designed for OTLs. Bobby had a very good relationship with Jud Barber of Joule Electra. We sold many of our M-60 OTLs to Merlin VSM owners and showed with the speakers at CES.
You need about 30 Watts to make the TSM sing. There are no SETs that can that speaker justice on account of the speaker being 87dB. That's just no sensitive enough for an SET, which typically has only about 25% usable power. Most push-pull tube amps have more like 95% usable power.
Since 30 Watts is good in most rooms you have a wide range of amplifiers that will work on it.
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Atmosphere.... most of the amps suggested in this thread are a bit out of my league. I'm thinking no more than $2k (new or used). Are any of the "wide range" above included in my price range? Preferably tubes, but still open to SS. Thanks
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@troutbum If you're on a budget, you might want to look into something like a refurbished or new Dynaco ST70. You can easily find one for well within your price range and its a very competent amplifier in its stock form.
If you get a used one make sure its fairly new or has been recently refurbished so it will be reliable. The biggest weakness of this amp is the power rectifier which is at its limit when the amp is at full power. But if you are not pushing the amp hard its very reliable and will give you a good idea of what tubes can do.
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