Pubul57,
The Belles was an old recommendation from Bobby years ago, but I have definitely tried a slew of amps over the years with my various Merlin speakers, even after acquiring the Belles. For me, tubes are a must in the preamp, more so than the amp. I tried the Ayre AX-7, YBA Passion Integre, Accuphase 306, and recently the new Wyred 4 Sound Sti-500 integrated amp (surprisingly I much preferred the W4S integrated to the other more expensive amps). However, none of them locked in on the VSM-MXe's tonal capabilities like my current Bel Canto/Belles setup. I also tried the Cary SLP03 tube preamp, but did not like it with the Merlins. Also had a few BAT-300x-SE amps and was very fond of them, but with the Merlins they seemed to push the mids causing the bass to be slightly subdued - and the BAT does not have a tape loop, which is my preference for setup with the BAM.
When I owned the TSM-M monitors I tried a Rogue all tube setup, and loved the mids but the bass was just too slow for me. The Belles never sounds harsh, has all the power I'll ever need, and has been very reliable (a must since I have my system on most of the evening and use it for general TV viewing in addition to music).
Denvelle