Bhoage, the Merlins get a lot of use with OTLs- and I think its safe to say that the Merlins were designed with that sort of amplifier in mind. |
You might want to consider a pair of Butler Audio TDB-2250s running mono for your amps. They will output 800 watts/ch. in this configuration. Whoa!
Check 'em out here:
http://butleraudio.com/tdb2250.php
-RW- |
I would recommend Atma-Sphere M-60s and MP-3. A friend and long time contributor to this forum, pubul57 (RIP), ran this combo with his Merlin's and praised the sound. You may want to search the archives for some of his posts. This combo might push your budget a little north if buying new, especially if you get the full function version of the MP-3, but you should easily come under your budget buying used. |
Butler Audio's Monad A100 mono blocks forsale here on Audio. 100wpc pure class A. One of the BEST |
Use Atma-Sphere MA-1 monoblocks. A superb match to the Merlins. Also, one will have difficulty doing better than the Atma-Sphere MP-1 full function preamp.
. |
Google the Monad's. Read the 6-Moons review |
Check out the Quicksilver site. |
Canary Audio - Usually a steal at used pricing, very well made too.
Good Listening
Peter |
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Whoah, Clio09, what happened to pubul57? He was a great contributor to this forum and I once had the pleasure of a phone conversation with him when I purchased his Joule preamp.
(sorry to derail thread but you can't contact members direct anymore) |
See if you can find one of the later editions of the CAT pre-amp and run it into a pair of Manley Neo-Classic 250's...Soundstage, depth, imaging, body, texture...you name it. Magical EL-34 midrange and tremendous, effortless power...
Your jazz will love both the natural sense of space, air and presence as well as all the dynamics you could imagine.
Just my two cents.
BTW: I've been running tubed monos for years (CJ Premier 12's). In a dark room...there's NOTHING like tube glowing monoblocs. Good luck |
Madfloyd, I was sorry to hear that he passed away suddenly a few months back. I always appreciated his level headed comments. |
Recently traded up my tube system to an all Manley set up: Chinook, Jumbo Shrimp and Snappers. Clearly there is synergy among these components; they are well matched and, once warmed up, provide a very warm and detailed three dimensional sonic view into the recording with exceptional dynamic punch. Well exceeding my expectations, plus they are beautiful looking (my wife loves the way they look).
Highly recommended.
Steve |
A nice preamp to look into is the McIntosh C2300. It includes a MM/MC phono section with adjustable parameters - adjustable from the remote, on the fly, even. List is below your target, IIRC, ~$6500. |
In my opinion if you own Merlins you really should pair them with Joule Electronics. That's what you will find being displayed at EVERY show and the sound is simply outstanding. |
Thanks for the responses so far guys. I'm pretty well down to Atma M60's or Joules I think. With the Joules the heat and need for that variac thing are a bit of a concern as I'm trying to keep the setup as clean as possible in my living room and I don't see me needing 100 watts of power but I need mono-blocks. Which I think rules the Joule's out. So I think the M60's might be the best option for me? |
I think you'd be extremely happy with Atma M60's and either an MP-1 or MP-3. I own the MA-1's and while they were very good with a CAT Ultimate, an MP-1 took everything to a much higher level. |
I have the Atma Sphere and Quicksilver amplifiers and Merlin VSM loudspeakers. Both amplifiers surely work well, and which you would prefer depends on your own tastes. In a 15 X 25 room, the M60s do have enough power, but folks often go for more with the MA-1.
Anyway, a bit of a contrarian suggestion, but I'd keep your ARS Sonum. Though the other amplifiers make me happy, the ARS is a terrific amplifier in its own right, and outside of power, you really don't wrest improvement. |
My only real concern is with running 25 foot or so speaker cables. I though that was something of a no-no but I'm certainly open to opinions on that. I'm not looking to spend money if I don't have to or for only marginal improvement? Thanks very much. |
