Whats the FATTEST sounding Tube amp to warm up Lean speakers?

Aries Cerat Genus integrated better than many tube separates.

A Octave with the 6550 tube might do the job.
Although not sure how warm a sound you want.
All the best.
Cheers

For the money you cant beat a Bob Latino VTA ST-70 with a set of Genalex KT-66's. I run this exact amp with a stacked Advent setup I get that big fat sound you are looking for.

Friends that hear cant believe it is a 35 watt per channel amp. Its really a site watching peoples jaws drop when they hear it.

You don't need spend a ton a money to get a great sound. 

4425- The Merlins are a marvelous example of detail and space. a little warming up in the low mids is all i need. Otherwise perfect for my listening levels and listening position. I don't want to start a goose chase. IM happy with 80% off what this speaker can do...

just an opinion but i’d personally move into a more neutral loudspeaker opening up countless electronic choices. i don’t think trying to fatten up a 6.5” driver is a great idea but we’re all different. fwiw

Agree with several responders. Old McIntosh or Conrad Johnson tube amps with English nos tubes. Good luck . 

Cary SLM-100 amps are very warm and fat sounding.  Conrad Johnson MV-45 and MV-50 have a similar sound but half the power.

Hello Mr. Atmasphere (what is your name?). Glad you jumped in!

I did all the things you mentioned. Well, i need to clarify.
The VSM don’t really lack that much in the low end. They are quite surprising down below 50hz for a 6.5" driver.

Where they do lack, in my personal opinion, is the low mids. Anywhere between probably 400 or 350 down to around 60.
From many years working at the recording studio i have quite some experience with different reference monitors, all claim to be flat and non hyped. They all have a lot more information in that area. is it "True"? i don’t know what truth is, i just want to sit back and have some chesty warm honey in addition to the great high freq detail and wonderful space and field that the VSM do provide, Thats why i insist on finding a solution with them and not without them. I want to tailor them to my liking.
To me their balance right out of the box is bright and lean. I don’t have to mix on them so i allow myself to alter their "Truthfulness" and make them my own.

That is the reason i am looking for other parts in the chain to bring me closer. That’s part of the fun in loving to listen to music. We have different listening tastes just as much as we have any other taste i suppose.

I heard amazing things about your Amps and i am close to trying your s30. However you say its not going to alter the freq balance of the speaker itself. But i still want to try it. Most of my peers in the recording and mixing world are completely unaware of the Audiophile world and so was I until recently, so i came here to learn.

I have 35 years of obsessing over Studio gear and obtaining it, but The audiophile world is new for me. As they say, "the cobbler walks barefoot". I made many records and invested in the recording aspect but never in the "listening for fun" aspect,

So here I am, trying to tailor for myself the perfect listening situation with less consideration to "Correctness" as it were.

A word about Bobby RIP. I think he was a total genius, and i admire his speakers. I Just allow myself to "Bend" the method, just like I abuse gear at the recording studio to suit my taste, no 2 people hear the same...

Thanks again and i would very much like to hear your input, as, again, Im new here,

Thanks!
Rea

Any of the CJ Premier series... 8 or 12 mono, the 11 Stereo.... I miss my 8A's, although my back feels otherwise. If it were me, I'd go with the one that will drive your speaker. A bit off subject, but the Premier 16 is also a little honey. 

Sure- the Jouls is known to be a favorite match by the designer, however, im trying to counter the speaker's philosophy here, so it is my thought that the Jouls is actually going to emphasize the leanness of the speaker, not counter it. Or Bobby P wouldn't have used it.

I don't agree with this statement at all!
Bobby was not going for a lean sound, and I've not had anyone report that to me when using Merlins.
How do you have the Merlins set up? Are they firing into the long dimension of your room or the short dimension? Normally to get the best bass, the speakers will be firing into the long dimension.

Are you using the BAM? If no, it will sound lean.
Did you check to make sure the phase is correct? If one speaker is out of phase with the other, the bass will be gone. Try reversing the phase after playing a track with good deep bass and see which way has the best bass.
Often you can move the speaker back, closer to the rear wall and get bass reinforcement. You may lose some dimensionality though.  Similarly, the listening chair can be moved back to a room boundary to reinforce bass.

Some amps just don't play bass all that well and I can't speak for what you have right now. But as you know, Bobby designed the speakers to be easy on tubes and he really liked OTLs- on the right speaker they can play bass better than most tube amps!
Finally, long speaker cables and tube amps don't tend to play bass as well. Keep your speaker cables short- 8' might be the longest you can run and 3' would be better. Make sure your connections are tight too.

Sure- mentioned earlier that im trying it tomorrow

Maybe just introduce an equalizer in the chain?

Curious which Conrad Johnson amps in particular have that "Syrupy" sound

Getting tomorrow an eq i ordered, see what that does in small touches, a db here and there can maybe fix it.

The Atma-Sphere OTLs and the Music Reference RM series of amplifiers are not going to "fatten" the sound, they are very flat and just get out of the way. As I mentioned on your other thread old Cary amps and as also recommended here old Conrad Johnson amps will be more suitable, but I also think you're not making the most of your VAC Avatar. Sure it's not  syrupy like some classic tube amps, but it is real. I can't see an amp speaker mismatch because Merlin speakers play well with lots of amps, but I'm not your ears either.

The most popular speaker for many years with our M-60 amplifier was the VSM. Very nice match and we showed with Merlin at several CE Shows.

But I would not call the amplifier fat sounding (which usually describes an excess of 2nd harmonic distortion which our amps tend to lack). It just sounds natural. 

Try a McIntosh tube amp.  Very warm sounding. 

I for one would not characterize the Quicksilver midmonos as "fat" by any definition of the word but it very well may flesh out the lean character of the mid/upper bass of these speakers which is where the issue lies IME.

Agree, that many stock vintage tube amplifiers could be characterized as "fat" particularly in the area of bass. vintage McIntosh and Conrad Johnson certainly come to mind. I also concur with Rodman999999 regarding those vintage British tubes to help fatten up the presentation. I know a LONG time Merlin owner that went from Joule 100 watt monos to a Roger Modesky Music Reference RM9 after the demise of Joule-Electra. Last time I communicated with him he was quite happy, something to consider as well. 

Sure- the Jouls is known to be a favorite match by the designer, however, im trying to counter the speaker's philosophy here, so it is my thought that the Jouls is actually going to emphasize the leanness of the speaker, not counter it. Or Bobby P wouldn't have used it.

The late designer of Merlin almost exclusively used Joule-Electra OTL amps at trade shows. You might want to contact Rich Brkich of Signature Sound, as he knows Merlin speakers as he worked closely with the designer.

Agreed on the NOS Mullard EL34's. They are what I have in my Shindo Montrachet and I couldn't be happier.

I'll go as far to say it's not the tube amp but rather your choice of tubes. Vintage little Mullards are extremely warm sounding. Vintage Tung Sol 6550's solid plates are warm like Mullards but with the EL34's glorious mids that are known for but with a lot more low end and power. I was never a fan of current production tubes. I had the Octave V70SE and later the V110 with a black box. I even had the V40SE for a short while. All were good but as you move up the line you gained more 'control' of the music.

Whatever tubed amp you choose, load it with NOS British valves(Mullard/Brimar/Ediswan/Genelex/etc).  If those don't warm/sweeten/fatten things up enough, swap it's resistors out for carbon compositions, and/or- it's coupling capacitors, for oil in paper types.

Any older Conrad Johnson tube amplifier within your budget will give you what you're looking for. Expect syruppy mids but less crisp highs and slightly bloated lower bass - depending on the matching with your speakers, if you're willing for the trade-off.

I have a pair of Mid Monos,  and they rock with KT88...   I have used them with several speakers ...  big and bold but still have great mid and highs.  

Quicksilver mid monos wit KT 88s will do the job 

Dynaco ST70 with KT66's!