What new amp for my Merlins

Jay,
I had a stereo Berning that I used with 3 different preamps. First, I had a Cary SLP-2002(very flawed). Then I used a Joule LA-150(paired w/Pentagon PS3 phono stage), CAT SL1 Mk III w/internal phono, finally a Joule LA 100 mk III(& OPS1 phono). Others have reported First Sound preamps as a good match, too.
The LA150 had the best line stage, but phono performance drove my changes. Severe unusual RFI issues in my new room led me in another direction(i.e. all balanced gear), but that shouldn't affect your thinking.
Feel free to contact me offline if you'd like to discuss by phone. Cheers,
Spencer

I called Bobby and gave him four choices that I had, not including Joule-Electra, and hands down it was the Cary V12R. He recommended the Six Pacs as well, but I wanted the 100 watt UL option. I drive mine with Raytheon 5751s instead of the 12BZ7 (black plate, windmill getters) and a First Sound Presence Deluxe Mk II ... a killer combination for my TSM-MMs.

Manley Stingray,in 25w Triode mode.Siemens ECC 81 tubes.No complaints from my side... !! Its a great combo,but thats already very well established.

A great amp for the asking price.

I have the Ars Sonum and a Joule LA150MKII/CAT JL2. So you might think I have some pretty good amplification for the Merlins, and of course your right. I love both combinations and that is saying something for the Ars given the separates it is "competing" with - the Ars is simply great value and just plain great with the Merlins regardless of cost. My question is have any of you had good experiences with SS and the Merlins. I'm going to use the Joule with the SS, which may limit some choices. Bobby has mentioned the BEL 1001, Ayre, McIntosh with the autotranformers, and in the past he mentioned Belles (may SIM was on that list as well). I have always liked the Pass Aleph series so I might consider the Pass XA30.5, although its 15kohm input impedance is a slight concern for the Joule (and the fact the XA series know to be warm for SS and with the Joule that may too much of a good thing), altough I am told it should work fine. Obviously the Merlin has specs that make it an ideal match for tubes and I think I'm covered on that front. What experiences do any of you have with the Merlin and SS, and have any of you prefered an SS amp to a tube amp with the speaker? I pretty much think a tube preamp is mandatory. Thank you.

I had a chance to hear the Merlins (partially completed X upgrade) with the ARS and found it really nice. I then had the chance this past weekend to hear the fully X upgraded (same friend) with his VAC Phi 110 and Joule LA-150 pre(current make) and it was absolutely stunning, much richer mids, more lifelike low end, beautiful highs with a nice deep and wide stage and image, vocals were chillingly realistic...two cents based on a few hours of listening, not an a/b session...but there was some real magic to what I heard this past weekend...