Berning EA-230 vs RM-10mkII with Merlin VSM

I used the Joule LA150 Signature Edition with the RM9 and RM10 with my VSMs - excellent combination. However, as Clio9 has mentioned I prefered the Lightspeed Attenuator ($450) - but it is much less flexible and convenient since it only has one input/output and requires short ICs. That being said, give Roger a call and ask him what he thinks of passive preamps with his amps - the LSA is even better than his Pot-in-a-Box. As far as the RM10MKII it drives my Merlins with no problem, same wattage or a bit more than the Ars Sonum that Bobby recommends - in fact I use the 4ohm tap ("light loading") that takes the power down to 27 watts, but lowers noise, reduces distortion, is easier on the tubes, increeases damping and provides more peak current when needed. The amp is not warm in a euphonic sense, but with your Joule, you don't want or need that from the amp (in fact a warm amp would be the last thing I would used with the Joule preamp).

Joule/Manley/Merlin is certainly a great combination too. As is the Ars Sonum if you want to make your life simpler and not miss a beat. Seems to be a few folks that want from a Joule/Joule combo to Ars Sonum without looking back. As you know, the amp/speaker interface is the most important, and in the case of the Ars, you practically have an amp specifically tweaked to work with the Merlins - and yes, those 30 watts are more than enough.