Quad 2 mono's and Pre 22 for $430-Good Buy ??

Hi Bluebull. Yes, I would say that is a good buy if they are operating close to spec. The amplifiers are very good. As Tripper correctly pointed out... the merlin's would sound far better with a preamp of higher order. The Quad 22 preamp is rather dated and was always really considered mediocre at best, however you could re-coup some of your investment by selling it on ebay. When buying classic tube amps from that era it's always prudent to see if it has been repaired,or modified from original. If so, you would want to know what has been done [modifications, rewiring, capacitor replacement etc] and inspect the work by removing the bottom plate. I have seen many that have been butchered with poor workmanship,bad soldering and the like. The topology of the quad 2's are really a simple straight forward layout inside so it's not difficult to spot poor workmanship. Many quad 2's have had their tubed rectifier circuits changed to a solid stade bridge rectifiers... avoid them at all cost as they remove the beautiful sonic signature of the amp.While I have never heard the Merlin TSM, I would hazard to guess the Quad 2 merlin combo would make for beautiful music. I have used a vintage pair of Rogers LS3/5a's as well as a pair of the original proac response 2's with my quad 2's[all stock]and various tubed preamps and honestly believe one would need to spend thousands of dollars more today to achieve the level of magic those systems achieved. You have probably guessed by know that I am a big fan of the Quad 2 monos... with good fresh nos tubes they are oustanding. I wish I still had mine. Hope this helps.

Hey Bluebull. I concurr with analysis of the pathos and the Italian hifi ideology, as they are very passionate about their music. You may be pleasantly suprised with the quads employed in your own system as they do possess that soul... in a subliminal sense.... of a real instrument or voice in space....something one can instantly identify with. I am rather surprised here, as the Apogee is certainly not the ideal load for the old Quad 2[or any tube amp for that matter]. A real world testament to the great transformers of the Quads. If your impressed with the quad 2/apogee combination,you should be mesmerized with the merlin pairing as the impedence is much closer to ideal. Best of luck on your endevour.