In my opinion, the ARS Sonum provides as much musical pleasure as any of the separates I have owned (currently Joule pre and CAT amp). Much is said about the importance of the amp/speaker compatability; the quality must in good part be a perfect marriage of the Ars capabilities with the Merlin's needs; they are optimized for each other and it sure sounds like it. I'm sure the CAT would handle a much larger array of speakers with more difficult loads and demands, part of the genius of the CAT amp is ability to be a beast (100 Watt, Class A, triode)with purity and delicacy. Overall I imagine the CAT is a better amp, one of the very best -- but if you own Merlins or other speakers that have benign impedance, relatively efficient, and don't need much damping - the ARS are a must listen. They are stupidgood because you look at them, they are "only" $4,000 and you have doubts, it can't be that good -- well it is. You can't go wrong with the combination. You may have to wait a while to get one, but it is worth the wait.
