Merrill VERITAS monoblock amplifiers

All, fans of NCore-based amplifiers like Merrill Veritas, Theta Digital Prometheus, Audience WavePower, Rowland M825 / M925, and the Mola-Mola Kaluga, might enjoy this 48 minutes long technical talk by Bruno Putzeys, designer of the NCore technology inside all these amps...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vsOugSsANs

The presentation is mostly above my technical head... Never the less, I found his analysis of the problems of jarring sidebands caused by treble intermodulation particularly interesting, and congruent with my own observations of the incredible sweetness and harmonic richness of complex treble in all NCore amps that I have experienced.

The new power cord offered by Merrill are better. Voices have better focus & definition- before they were kinda vague & had a slight resonance to them. Not anymore & I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t hear the difference between the two pc’s. Soundstage is much cleaner more dimensional now. Upper bass pitch is also now more distinct & tighter(which I thought was a strong point of the TWL 10+). Dare I say, you haven’t heard the true potential of the VERITAS until you have tried his new pc’s. No Ultra SS footers will do this. Next weekend I want to try them on my subs(JL -F212) which I have TWL 7+’s on them now.

So Ptheo, would you be so kind as to share your findings? TIA!

I just did a shootout last Saturday with Merrill's new power cords vs the TWL 10+ pc's that came with the amps.

+1. On both the Veritas Amps and the Stillpoints Ultra SS footers. I agree that they make a worthwhile improvement. Not only to the Veritas vs the Ultra Minis but under anything.

I have a set on my B&W 802D speakers.

I also have tried Merrill ANAP Speaker and XLR Interconnect Cables.

They are so good I sold my High Fidelity Cables, CT-1E Speaker and Interconnect Cables and bought the ANAP Cables.
The ANAP were so close and so much cheaper.

Matt, what are your thoughts on the ANAP Cables by Merrill.

First off, the Ultra SS footers are an absolute must! They significantly improve an already SOTA amplifier!

Second, I'm in enough time now to have reconsidered, and the Veritas mono blocks are still in my system and will stay there long term. I upgraded my preamp to an absolute top tier unit, the Rowland Criterion (in fact, it was the very same Criterion that Guido Corona used to review the Veritas amps with). The amps absolutely sing with the combo!

I just borrowed 2 pair of Merril's interconnects (single ended and balanced) to compare with my balanced Shunyata ZiTron Anacondas. This will take a while to really compare, but I have high hopes for Merril's electron conduits.

I will keep you posted.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you are considering NCore amps and/or Merril's specifically, you are owe it to yourself to take the next step. I am SO glad I did!

old news.....do you really need to post this in three separate threads?

BREAKING NEWS..Just weeks ago, a new high end line of Class D amp modules were released by ANAVIEW, designed by Patrik Bostrom with ANAVIEW/ABLETEC. The ANAVIEW AMS SERIES. As some are aware, D-Sonic has been using the Abletec ALC-1000
amp, which recently went out of production and will be taken over by the new ANAVIEW AMS 1000-2600. THIS IS THE CLASS D AMP TO WATCH OUT FOR..WHY? "AMS", which means "Adaptive Modulation Servo", an advanced revolutionary loop linearization circuit technology that was exclusive too, and specifically designed for, the worlds finest Class D amp, the $45K a pair Marten M Amp from Sweden designed by Patrik Bostrom. For the first time, this AMS technology is now available in a budget priced Bostrom Amp. I assume Dennis at D-Sonic is on top of it and will have it as his replacement to the ALC-1000.

ANAVIEW AMS 1000-2600 SPECS

TWO CHANNEL STEREO MODE (PER CHANNEL)
170 Watts RMS @8 Ohms
300 Watts RMS @4 Ohms
500 Watts RMS @2 Ohms
________________________________________

BRIDGED MONO MODE
580 Watts RMS @8 Ohms
720 Watts RMS @6 Ohms
900 Watts RMS @4 Ohms

MES, Thank you very much for your nice comments and for visiting our room at Axpona.

We had a lot of great reviews and accolades from Stereophile, The Absolute Sound, ParttimeAudiophile and the gold award from AV Showrooms. We are proud and humbled at the same time. My favourite comment, if I may say so myself, is from Stereophile, "tube warmth in the best and most musical sense of the term" but they are Class D solid state.

You can see our website for all the collected reviews.
www.MerrillAudio.net

Heard this very combo at Axpona this past weekend. Was surprised to see not only SS driving horns, but, gads, class D?!? It sounded very, very good. One of my highlights of the show.

The Staccato Horns will be on display at Axpona 2014. Burton Room lower level. The VERITAS Monoblocks will be the driving the speakers in the large room, 26 x 18 x 9. Only high res, direct to tape recordings will be played.

There will also be listening sessions at 11am and 6pm using Master tapes from International Phonograph. These are direct to tape recordings and done superbly.

Veritas and Horn Speakers. A match made in Heaven.

Who said Class D Amps and Horn Speakers do not go together.

I have heard the Veritas with these Horn Speakers.

Sadurni Acoustics Staccato horn speakers

http://sadurniacoustics.com/product.html

I had a chance to hear the two together in a dedicated treated room a few times and was blown away by what I heard.

I was never a big Horn Speaker guy. As good as Horn Speakers can sound there was always that horn sound that ruined it for me.

But these horn speakers do not seem to have that problem.

Of course they are not cheap but if they are in your price range (and you have the room for them) you owe it to yourself to hear them.

With the Veritas Amps the sound they produced was breathtaking.

With really great tube amps the sound was very good but the Veritas Amps allowed every bit of detail to be heard but without being harsh or dry sounding. The sound was not bright or spotlighted. The leading and trailing edges are spot on. All the harmonics right on. It was just so right in all aspects of sound reproduction.

Run, no, take a jet plane and hear this combo. But be ready to buy, because your are going to want this setup.

I know I would if I could swing it. Well, at least I have the Veritas Amps.

Mattnshilp, several things.

1) If you have not done so already with the Ultra SS.
Make sure NOT to seat them against the bottom of the Veritas Amps. Leave a space the size of a playing card or so.
Make sure to unseat or crack the top hat of the Ultra SS about a half a turn or so.
If you do not do the above you will not get the best out of the Ultra SS.

2) Get better power cords if you have not done so. Ask Merrill about trying the new Waveform Power Cables. WOW for the money.

3) I owned the PS Audio PW/MKII at one time. Please let us know what you think of the new Direct Stream DAC.

Also I would love to hear your system some time and talk Audio if you are up to it. If so please PM.

I'm very happy with my system right now. I'm focusing on my DAC/Pre-amp combo. Deciding if I should run DAC straight into amps or keep the Rowland Pre-amp which I have fallen in love with.

I just traded in my PerfectWave 2 for the new PS Audio Hotness DirectStream DAC. It arrives in May. I want to also try the Rowland Aeris, Meitner and Esoteric DAC's, although my gut is telling me that for my tastes, it will be between the new DirectStream and the Rowland.

Once that's done I can decide direct or keep the pre.

Once I'm there, I'm happy.

I'm picking up the Ultra SS footers today to swap out my mini's. Looking forward to that. I'm lucky to live about 2 miles from Merrill, so maybe I can borrow a pair of twins when the opportunity arises. But I'm not interested right now as the music my system is currently making is beyond words!

Hey Al, I tried to find the technical specs of the Siamese on the Merrill site, but no cigar... Do you have a link to them?

G.

Hi Guido- thanks for chiming in again! Yes I would love to own the Siamese Twins. But being that Merrill was kind enough to sell the VERITAS amps to me as a demo pair, I was able to them at a reduced cost. Maybe someday(3-5 years) I will be able to afford that hot dish. Thanks Guido, now you have me wondering.... ; ) Any Siamese Twins owners out there?!

Hey Matt- thanks for the compliment & chiming in again! Looks like you have a killer system there. VA The Music speakers are awesome looking/sounding speakers & must very dynamic with the VERITAS driving them! Do you have any inclination to try the Twins someday?!

Hi Matt, I am not surprised you love Veritas... like the Mola-Mola Kaluga, the Rowland M825 stereo and M925 mono, the Merrill Veritas use the amazing Ncore NC1200 power conversion modules designed by Bruno Putzeys at Hypex.... These modules are incredibly high starting points for an amp.

Merril has then chosen the conservative approach on Veritas. From a pure active circuit design point of view, one might consider Veritas a basic NCore implementation... However, what Merrill has done is to surround the modules and matching NCore unregulated SMPS with high quality and carefully chosen parts that work in wonderful sinergy with the active components from Hypex to make real music without distortions and artifacts... Internal wiring and XLR connectors from Cardas, IEC from Furutech, StillPoint footers, largely non resonant milled chassis, and mechanical dampeners for internal components.

Could you do markedly better than Veritas? Sure, but more than likely you would need to be prepared for a significant investment up the NCore chain.... Like $18K for The Veritas Siamese Twin monos with two NCore NC1200 modules per side that I suspect might deliver even more authority than Veritas, or the over $32K Rowland M825 stereo, which pushes the NCore potential to its limits with a cost no object power supply, regulation, and I/O design.

There is also the very interesting $15K Mola-Mola Mono... A fine NCore implementation, which uses custom NC1200 modules I believe.... I did like it quite a bit at RMAF, but not having had Mola-Mola in my system yet, I cannot guess the audible difference with Veritas.

Guido

Thank you for the great review PTHEO!

My amps are now playing at around 1300 hours and have proven to me that I can settle in and enjoy the fact that I no longer need to think, ever again, about replacing my amps for better performance. The combo of Vienna Acoustics The Music with the Veritas amps has taken my system to a place it's never been before. I have to admit that I found the amps to sound even better with Shunyata ZiTron Cobra PC's.

I'm still playing around with the front end. My sources are set (Mac mini and turntable feeding my trusted (and simple) Electrocompaniet phono stage. I just compared using a Levinson 326s pre and a Rowland Capri S2 pre, and although the Levinson gave me more accuracy and resolution, the Capri S2 gave me music and emotion. It was as if the Capri S2 had been made for the Veritas amps (system synergy). I guess it sort of has been, considering that Rowland uses the same heart to power it's top end amps....

My next step will be to try the DAC straight to the amps vs through the pre. More and more seam to lean in this direction. A listening test will tell for me. Then I will try out the HiLo, and a few other DAC's.

I can honestly say that if I had to use my current system exactly as is, I would be ecstatically happy for the rest of my life! To know that it will only get even better from here is awe inspiring! These amps do exactly what amps are supposed to do - they make the signal louder to feed the speakers. Pick every audiophile quality that is of value to us (imaging, accuracy, dynamics, spacial depth, soundstage, emotion, involving, etc) and the Veritas just does it right.

Tune to your tastes with speakers, cables and front end gear; but the Veritas is a pure window, or should I say optically flawless magnifying glass. Merrill is an audio genius and I sincerely hope his masterpiece creation will give him the success and recognition he deserves!

For those of you on the fence, keep in mind that the raves for these amps seam to keep coming from seasoned audiophiles who have had a dozen or more amps in their system over the years. I have personally owned more solid state, tube and hybrid amps then I can even remember. All had their strong points. But the only amps I have ever owned that equalled this level of performance were my Tenor Audio HP 300 mono blocks, which retailed for $55K. Seriously.

PTheo, do you have any craving to try out the new Veritas Siamese Twins? I have not quite found their detailed technical specs yet, but my understanding is that they utilize a pair of NCore NC1200 per channel in a bridged configuration... Their drive and authority should be quite delicious. G.

Now that I have owned the Merrill VERITAS amps for close to six months now, I would like to elaborate my findings & system changes/upgrades I have done. All upgrades were purchased(except for new source) thru Merrill Audio. BTW- Any owner of the VERITAS get’s an automatic discount! First, the system:

1. Changed all my(6) receptacles to Furutech GTX-D which match the TWL 10+ power cords that came with the amps & match my Harmonic Technology Magic Reference II special edition power cords that I use on my pre/pro & source. Both products utilize Furutech plugs.
2. Changed the VERITAS feet from Stillpoints Ultra Mini’s to Ultra SS. Made everything more precise plus bass & treble is cleaner. Soundstage is even wider & deeper on my Apogee speakers now. Just amazing.
3. Changed all my interconnects(two 3.5ft pairs, 10ft pair) & speaker cables(two 4ft pairs) to Merrill’s ANAP cables. I thought my Tara Labs The One & RSC Sub I/C’s & AudioQuest Caldrea S/C’s were my final stop. Boy was I wrong once I heard/compared Merrill’s ANAP cables. Much more clean/musical, fullrange & dynamic as ever. My JL F212 subs the bass is so deep & bass waves are cleaner with much more impact! Plus they are1/4 the price of the other cables I used! What a killer deal Merrill’s ANAP cables are. I’m finally off the crazy Audiogon buy/try/sell merry-go-round!
4. Changed my Oppo-95 to the new 105 which has variable volume control so I can go direct to the VERITAS amps. Nothing better than a direct connection. Period.

So now that I have made all those changes my system has never sounded better in my 29 years of audio. That is a BIG statement for me & I couldn’t be happier. Never did I expect when I was looking for a cooler running amp than my Coda 15.0 Class-A I would find my dream amp- much cooler, smaller & better amp. Not that my Coda was bad, it’s a great amp! But the VERITAS stole my heart. The cooool running really is the clinger. BUT, if they did ran hot like Class-A, forget about it- I would have returned them without a doubt no matter how great they sounded. Does it sound like a Class-A amp, no. I did notice the VERITAS have a little lighter/faster tone than my Coda. Or you can take it as my Coda was sluggish. All I know is I haven’t not stop listening nor shut off the amps since I bought them! I’ve almost have goin’ thru my 500+ CD collection & it’s like hearing them for the first time. Yes I said it. I’m listening my old Nazareth ‘From the Vaults’ CD right now & every tune never sounded better! Man I LOVE the way my system sounds now! I’m really looking forward to high definition DSD downloads. One of my audio/music friends did let me borrow three SACD’s: Stockfish Records Sara K- Made in the Shade, Capitol Records Nat ‘King’ Cole- After Midnight, Proprius Sound Cantate Domingo. All sound so real/lifelike with the Oppo-105 to Merrill VERITAS amps with the direct connection via Merrill’s ANAP cables. It’s like Nat is right in my livingroom playing in front of me. So cool! But my fav is the Cantate Domingo, what an incredible voice & recording.

If you still think I’m crazy, check out the latest online stereomojo review. The reviewer echo’s a lot of my original thoughts I wrote about when I first bought them. Quiet, dynamic, lifelike, cool, small & Merrill’s incredible built quality, Too funny! It even won the MAXIMUM MOJO award! I every review I have read has been nothing but positive, bigtime. I look forward to reading about them in the Absolute Sound or Sterophile someday, I hope. BTW- Merrill is a first class guy all the way- nice as came be to talk too & a very sincere honest person. He could charge ALOT more for his ANAP cables, but he doesn’t & I respect that very much.

So as you can see yes, I’m totally smitten with my VERITAS amps in the six months of use & don’t plan on changing anything in my system for years to come. Great feeling content wise & money($$$$$) wise. Many thanks & great job Merrill!

Later guys!

Another great review on the VERITAS:

http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2014/01/12/merrill-audio-veritas-monoblock-amplifiers

Source is a PS Audio Perfectwave 2 DAC being fed by a Core Audio modified Mac Mini running iTunes and Amarra via a Wireworld Platinum Starlight USB cable.

Matt - you will have to try the Lynx Hilo. I am sure a few people can attest to the qualities of it as a pure DAC. Your system will appear nice and clean. Finally if you want to, you can eliminate the preamp altogether.

You should inform Audiogon about the fraud on the Futura so they will remove the user. He is up selling the same speakers again.

Matt

Looks like you going to have great time with your system.
I just don't understand that general warning not to do business with Europeans as if all US audiophiles worked for mother Teresa. A thief is a thief no matter where he lives and everyone needs to take every measure of caution when spending big $$ on equipment.

Hi Matt, the Rowland PC-1 will be converting 120V AC into high voltage DC, clean up any mains grundge, and will feed that into the Capri autoranging SMPS. At least in theory, this should reduce Capri S2 sensitivity to power cords. As Capri and PC-1 will both undergo significant break-in for the first 700 hours, it is not possible to determine during the first couple weeks what the effect will be with any aftermarket PCs on them. Once they are stabilized, you might try the new Shunyata Z-tron Alpha, which was designed specificclly for devices with SMPS... Place it on PC-1 and let it break-in.... Then exclude PC-1 and use it directly on Capri S2.... Assess the difference.... Only then you will be able to determine what solution is preferable.

Just warning to anyone getting too audacious and groovey... PC-1 is not a general-purpose conditioner.... Unless you apply it to a component set for 230V or equipped with an autoranging power supply, you are likely to blow the component all together, with much pops, scented fumes of fried plastics, and sudden knashing of teeth... Your theeth that is!

See the following section of the Rowland Knowledge base for 24 article on operational and compatibility information on PC-1:

http://jeffrowlandgroup.com/kb/categories.php?categoryid=23

Saluti, G.

I'm 42 and have been an enthusiast since my first system when I was 14; Kef C-80's, Carver 900 Receiver and Carver CD player with Sonic Hologram technology.

Years ago (about 10, pre-kids) I had a killer top tier system. Talon Firebirds, Tenor Audio 150hp amps, Vac Ren Sig mk II with phono, MF Trivista CD, Teres Table with Graham arm, Ricks Rack Rack. I listened almost every day and it made my soul happy and content. Then I had kids, moved, and my practice got crazy busy and I lost my free time and sold my entire system except for my table/arm combo.

It's been way too long now and I am finally building a whole new system. I have been speaking with Guido and several other great guy/audio resources to help me re-start my search. I started doing a lot of listening.

I purchased the Veritas amps and 2 pre-amps to compare; a Levinson 326s (with phono stage) and a Rowland Capri S2 with PL1 external power supply. The amps and pre-amps are sitting on my floor and on amp stands. Lonely. Not connected. Sigh.

I auditioned a number of speakers (TAD Evo 1/Ref 1, Kef 207/2, Revel Salon 2, Vienna The Muzik, Sonus Faber Ellipsa SE) and decided on The Muzik's. Guido was rather happy with that choice. Happy to add thoughts on the other speakers if anyone asks. The Muzik's are arriving Friday. Yay!!!

FYI - Stay away from European sellers. I got snubbed and lost a boatload of money on an attempted purchase of Faber Amati Futura's. Buy from Europe only through PayPal. NO wires!!! He had good feedback and solid references.

I also just purchased an Adona SR4 (4 shelf) rack with oversized top shelf for my turntable, a Teres Audio with Graham 2.2 arm and Denon MC cartridge. Currently using an Electrocompaniet ECP1 phono stage. Rack will be here in 2 weeks. Yay again!! Great people at Adona by-the-way.

Source is a PS Audio Perfectwave 2 DAC being fed by a Core Audio modified Mac Mini running iTunes and Amarra via a Wireworld Platinum Starlight USB cable.

Cables are Shunyata Z-tron Anaconda XLR from DAC to pre and pre to amps, Audience AU-24SE bi-wire 1.5m speaker cables and a Shunyata Z-tron Alpha digital power cord for the DAC and the high level stock PC's that came with the Veritas amps.

Still need a better PC for the pre-amp, and deciding on power conditioning. Currently running an old PS Audio Duet with the pre, DAC, phono and table power. It's actually a great conditioner performer for what it is.

And with ALL of that, I haven't heard it all together! Sigh. But in 2 weeks, music will flow.... Then I can start rejoicing and commenting on the gear and what, if anything, needs to be changed. But I needed to start somewhere and I think I'm starting off pretty darn nicely. :)

Just took a stab at a pair of Merrills after a few email exchanges with Srajan at 6moons and some great long discussions with the gentleman I bought them from. Over the years I have found Srajan very consistent in his approach to products and what they bring to the table. He also values certain things sonically that I value. He had never heard the Merrills. I bought them unheard, something I have never done and at some risk I felt given my past exposures to SMPS. I suppose I could have demo'd them first but a good opportunity to buy a used pair came up and I took it. Very glad I did. I can't comment on the the other NC1200 based amps but I am sure they are all similar sonically, with a few twists I am sure..

Some have commented on the cost, I agree it seems a shame that a product that at every level should be cheaper is not. Owning these right now may in fact be the equivalent to owning a $700 calculator in 1975 as this will eventually trickle down. I would hope that is how it plays out. Right now I'm content knowing confidently I would have to be multiples of $$ to get similar quality sound with power, and that I still would be missing some of the extraordinary things these bring to table.

I am solely focusing on the sonics BTW, the other advantages are obvious and real.

Petland, can you share which NC1200 Amps you have heard?

Thank you in advance.

Im going to chime in here as a new owner. Now that I have lived with them for a while its a little surprising to me these new modules from Hypex are not getting a little more attention.

My opinion is that these amps are more than just the continued evolution of class D, I think they have crossed over into something possibly sonically unique. I have not been following class D very closely. I have checked in now and again over the past 6-7 years. My initial impression came from a demo of Rowlands 500 watt ICE based amps on Harbeth 40.1 in my home for a few weeks. These were not good sounding amps IMO

Most recently I took a spin with a local ICE amp New Clear NC1000L, a transformer coupled ICE amp. This was huge step forward over my recollection of the Rowlands, a very very good amp but still lacking the absolute refinement in the midrange and treble that the best A A/B has been capable of for the past 10-15 years in particular. Still the overall performance of the NC would make it extremely competitive at the 3k price point with traditional A A/B designs if all things sonically are considered.

The Ncore 1200 modules IMO are something downright different entirely than anything I have owned or heard all the way from high powered SE valve amps to brute SS class A designs. Describing the "sound" of electronics is not usually that valuable. What I will say is that most of the attributes most critical listeners tend to seek in world class sound, these amps have in spades. All wrapped up in a noise floor that goes into uncharted territory and you have sonics that I suspect but cannot prove, no traditional SS or tube design regardless of price could exactly duplicate.

The real debate, and the one I am surprised is not going on as we speak, is whether the combination of sonic traits the Ncore 1200 is producing is closer to the ideal amplifier sonically if such a thing is possible. I happen to think it is and I say that with ease having lived with them now for a while. I just simply cannot find a single fault with them sonically.

Would love to hear from other owners, there have to be more out there that can share their impressions. I find it a little interesting that most of the detractors are supply side peeps that have a lot to lose with the way class D has been brought to production heavily direct to consumer in many instances.

Looks like I'm not the only one you thinks Merrill's amps are incredible! The reviewer echo's my thoughts on how real sounding they are. Good to know I am right. Great review!

FYI there is a new review on Enjoy the Music for the Veritas.

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/1213/merrill_audio_veritas_monoblock.htm

Bill-k- Yes, $499 up to 3 meters(!) interconnect or speaker cable is VERY resonable in today's insanely priced cable market.

Please ignore my previous question, I found that they retail for $499 per pair up to 3 meters.

Ptheo, very interesting... What's the price of Merrill's cables?

Hey Seadogs1!

Now that I have had Merrill Audio ANAP cables(1M & 1.5M) in my system break in for a week, I sat down today to compare to my reference Tara labs the ‘TWO’. I have had the ‘ONE’ in 1/2M in my system as my reference, but since I have installed VERITAS monoblocks which are further away, all I have in 1M is the ‘TWO’.

So, to tell the truth I really love Tara Labs cables & expected it to be better. The ‘ONE’s’ have beaten every other cables I have tried. Until now.

I used my Burmester CD-03 as my reference cd for my comparison as it has a little bit of everything & is one of my better if not the best sounding cd’s I have(better be for $45 bucks!). I played it over & over enjoying it immensely with the ANAP cables thinking the difference won’t be very much & I wanted to be sure to hear the Tara Labs is better once I place it in the system. I was really being biased towards the Tara Labs & was not looking forward to telling Merrill I like the them cables better than his! Boy was I wrong.

Once I place the ‘TWO’ in my system, it was like a blanket over the music. So I wanted to be fair & let them ‘break in’ for a while playing. So I came back 4 hours later, no better/same thing. Not even close as clear/real sounding. I couldn’t believe it, my patent ‘rectangular’ copper Tara Labs where being smoked, no way. I could hear the midrange/treble was better on the ANAP cables, but I was starting to believe the ‘TWO’ bass was better. So I put the ANAP cables back in, not even close. Pitch, punch, decay, was better with the ANAP cables. So from the bass to the treble everything was better! Bravo Merrill!

I will be placing my two pairs of Tara Labs the ‘TWO’ 1M XLR I/C’s on Audiogon for sale.

Review of Merrill’s ANAP speaker cables will be coming soon!

Ptheo, have you had a chance to try the merrill interconnects and speaker cable yet?

You bet Seadogs1! They will be here Monday.

Ptheo, please post your thoughts on Merrill's interconnects and speaker cable after you get a chance to try them.

SO now after a month of listening(600+hrs), the VERITAS continue to sound better & better. They never fail to amaze me. The way they control my Apogee ribbon panel is incredible! Transients are so lighting fast to where I find myself jumping out of my seat! My Apogee's never sounded better, by a wide margin. The VERITAS also make it seem like I'm bi-amping. My Mark & Daniel Apollo speakers had the same effect. So much power on tap that is so clear & quiet, very additive!

The other day on background music(directv#855&856) there was a upright xylophone being played that stopped me in my tracks! So real sounding it was scary! Every tone coming out of complete blackness & moving perfectly left to right with every strike of the mallet. Un-frickin-real! I-LOVE-IT! Also New-Age music benefits so much from the quietness of the VERITAS! You have to hear it to understand what I mean. If anyone of you cool audionuts in Nor-Cal, stop by for a listen!

BTW- Merrill is sending me some of his cables(interconnects & speaker) to try out.

Much more later guys!

I am using an Esoteric C-03 preamp and MBL 101E mk2 speakers.

Mattnship. I can give you several layouts with the Veritas for you.

Mine) Speakers: B&W 802D
Preamp: None- exaSound e20 MK III with .082 clock DAC.

One friend) Speakers: Magnepan 20.1
Preamp: ARC Ref 3

Second Friend) Speakers: Sanders Sound model 10
Preamp: Miracle Audio Devinitive linestage but also at times a Lynx Hilo Dac with out the preamp.

Hope this helps.

For the Veritas review project on PFO, I fed Veritas through a Rowland Criterion linestage. Veritas drove Vienna Die Muzik speakers.

G.

Hi all,

For those with the Veritas amps, can you please provide what pre-amp and speakers you are using with the amps?

Thanks!!

May I ask what the current thoughts are amongst Veritas owners as to what pre-amps work well with your mono-blocks, and what speakers are being drive ?

You got it 4orreal!

Ptheo,
Your review on the Veritas has really piqued my interest in the amps. I don't think Hifial has read it yet. Please post feedback as you put on more hours on them.

Cool- Thanks for the info Snopro!

Interconnect cables- I thought I had to downgrade cables when I received the VERITAS since they are now further away from my pre/pro. I went from 1/2M(Tara Labs The One) to 2M(Tara labs The Two) & thought my system would take a small step back. Boy was I wrong! The VERITAS showed me cables don't matter as much as I thought! My point- Don't waste your money on $,$$$+ cables, spend it on the equipment. No matter what the cost, if the equipment doesn't have the resolution, the cables won't matter no matter what the cost/design. Period! Thanks Merill for saving me big bucks on cables.

Just get them straight from TWL (Pete). He's a great guy to deal with. Get the 7ga.+ cords. They work real good with amps.

I tried different power cords(Shunyata,AQ,Cardas) & returned to the pc that came with the amps- Triode Wire Company. I think they are great pc's! Bass is tighter & sound stage is more clear/precise with better depth. I will look into getting more pc's from Merrill!

Congratulations!

The Veritas' have ended my amp search for sure. I have 81dB efficient speakers and have never heard such control and ease.

I’ve now owned the VERIRAS for two week, so after 250-300 hrs I’m ready to spill my guts!

The Merrill VERITAS is incredible amplifiers I have ever owned, period-and not by a small margin. I’ll be bold and say someday Class A/AB & tube amps will be dinosaurs. Yes I said it! I feel these are the future of amplifiers. The way they are so clear distinct .3Dish .free from the speakers quiet ..dynamic ...fast, you feel like you can reach out & touch them. I was & still am saying HOLY %#$@ with my mouth ajar. I think Merrill should call them ‘Holographic Virtual Reality 3D Machines’!


My review/writing skills are terrible, so today I told myself to write down 10 great things about the amps. It grew to over 40! So I’ll start my review tonight & finish it later. Below remarks are (truly) how I felt when listening, and how I feel now. The speakers used were my Apogee Studio Grands, and later the Mark & Daniel Apollo II’s. No particular order:

1. The first night I didn’t want to do any critical listening, but could help myself! So late(12AM), as I mentioned before listening to Muddy Waters MFSL was incredible- presence, speed, detail, depth, live, I could go on. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was spooky! On track# 6-‘Cold Weather Blues’ I felt like he was right in front of me. The way he was plucking/sliding his fingers on the strings, hitting the guitar, his voice from quiet to loud quick as a whip, making me jump everytime! So spooky it was putting a knot in my stomach & I couldn’t breath/sleep & had a smile on my face. I’ve owned this disk, 20-25 years & have never heard it like that, EVER on ANY system.

2. The next day the more I though about it the more I felt like Muddy himself came down from Heaven! So spooky I tell you, I still felt that knot in my stomach. So I pulled out the sample of heavy hitters: Jennfer Warnes, Mary Stallings, Katie Melva, Babatunde Olatunji Circle of Drums, Sheffield Labs drum tracks, Burmester CD-03, Telarc Great Fantasy Adventure, Telarc Thriller, Telarc Sampler V, Dorian Pictures At The Exhibition, Eric Johnson, Nirvana Bleach, Steve Va Passion & Warfare Pink Floyd SACD. The more I listened the bigger my smile got & said Holy %$#@ over & over the more I felt like: I’m going to crap in my pants, then the whole top of my head started to tingle like crazy & then my smile grew ear to ear. Like hearing them all for the first time playing in front of me. Kati Melva’s voice on Deep Purple brought me to my knees like never before & Eric Johnson’s/Steve Vai’s guitar riffs had me doing perfect pushups! Yes, serious boggie factor.

3. I love drums. I played as a teenager & lived across the street from a band member that had a wild Yamaha double bass system. Everyday he would practice I would go over a play around & listen to him play in his garage, for hours/days/weeks/months/years. I even was a ‘roadie’ for his band a number of years. Setup/tune/mic/demic/breadown. My point is I know the sound of drums pretty good. The VERITAS amps reproduce them better than I have ever heard before in my house. The Sheffield Drum track(s) were so real, precise, dynamic, perfect placement of the drum set, striking of the drum heads(make me jump!), cymbals so real, hi hat opening & closing so real(tingling of the head). I also have a Neil Peart drum solo track that hit so hard(poop in pants) not only did it feel like it could bust my jaw, it could tear a wall down! I’m not kidding, ironfisted, rockhard turn it up louder and getter harder/better BASS! Usually amps lose it when turned up, not the VERITAS! The Kodo drums on the Berm-030 cd had such unbelievable speed and impact, it reminded me of the real thing attending local Japanese Church back in my Karate days! The circle of drums SACD #1 track gets me in a trance with it rhythm I even bought an African drum. With the VERITAS, I felt like I was in Africa playing along! There drum(s) sounded just like mine! My head was spinning in delight!

4. How can a 35AMP per channel(VERITAS) sound more powerful than a greater than 100AMP per channel(Coda 15.0) amplifier? Efficiency?

5. I feel like I can’t go back to SS amps. It’s like going from HD to SD video. To me the VERITAS are HR(high resolution) & SS amps are SR(standard resolution). Just like HD(video) I can’t go back to SR(audio). Big difference. No comparison. Those apposed not sure what you are hearing,

MUCH MORE later guys, if you want to hear it all(35 points/questions/remarks left)!
Yes, I’m one happy camper!!!!!!!!