Tenor Hybrid v. VTL MB-450 Sig.

Zaikesman & Samuel,
Thank you for the thoughtful recommendations. I was referred to a very nice guy in Ohio who inivited me over to listen to his Tenors. However, he does have new Meitner gear and Kharmas. So, I may end up with quite unrealistic expectations. I think the suggestion of a return policy with a restocking fee is great idea. I am very comfortable with that. I have bought many pieces of equipment with that possibility. I kept all of them. I am surprised that I had not thought to make that request. Thank you for the idea, Zaikesman. Samuel, you are right. I really do need to hear the amp in my room with my stuff. It was very kind of you guys to take the time to help. Thank you.

This thread is a great example of how well these forums can work. Every one of you has given me a little different perspective, related experience that would be impractical/near impossible for me to get on my own, and offered me excellent advice. It is very cool that a common interest can get a bunch of kind, intelligent people to help an unknown guy, across the county, make a difficult decision. Here it is: Even though my VTLs are crated in CA. ready to go to a dealer as a trade, I am going to have them shipped to my house. I will fire them up for a few months while I listen to the Merlins with all of the amps suggested - The Hybrid, the OTL, the Joules, and I will listen to the Berning. I still cannot believe that a 10lb shoe box sized amp can be in the same league. With that reputation, I want to hear it. Then, if I choose the hybrid (assuming a weaker dollar), I will just have to suck up the price increase. Such is the opportunity cost of a molases moving audiophile. However, when the decision is made, I will definately know which amp is the right one and not be thinking about what the other ones might have been like. This really minimizes the risk of another sale at a loss. Thank you all for your help.

Hello guys. This thread has certainly taken some unexpected turns. Jim, thanks for trying to keep the focus of the thread on amplifier ideas. Bob, thank you for injecting a possibility that I had not considered.

It has never occurred to me that the size of my room could be an issue. However, just in case it could be a problem - my room is a basement shaped like a "U." The left side is the listening area which is 18x26x7. The empty area in the center of the "U" is the staircase (it is walled off toward the listening area). The speakers are at the top left of the letter firing toward the bottom. There are French doors w/glass panes at the top left of the letter and there are no other doors or partitions.

One of the other reasons that I am considering replacing the VTLs is that I cannot turn my preamp up past 9:00 (in triode) without it becoming too loud. That is three or four, 2 decibel clicks on my volume control. I would like the ability to fine tune the volume better. This would automatically make one consider a different preamp. However, after hearing many other preamps, I really like my First Sound. Even the Placette RVC with its 98 steps, was not better in this respect because it ramps up quickly.

Have any of you had your Merlins updated to the MX version? Is that even a possibility?