Amp suggestion for Merlin TSM speakers

For the past 12 years I’ve used a Manley Stingray II with my TSM MME. They mate beautifully.

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.

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.

Every time I heard the Merlins they were on Joule electronics and sounded amazing with them!

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.

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
 

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.

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.

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 ......

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.