Good match for Merlin?


Looking to see what the feedback is for matching my system with the VSM Merlin 2-ways (MM). Currently running Ayre CX7e - BAT 51SE - Ayre V1-Xe - Hydra 8. Tara labs IC and speaker cables. Room size is 16X26. Listen to mostly jazz and female vocals at med volume. Would appreciate any feedback from individuals who have a similiar set-up as myself.
Cheers
efficacy

Showing 1 response by audiokinesis

I don't own Merlins, but respect them a lot and have a couple of friends with Merlins.

My suggestion would be that you look for an amplifier with a fairly high output impedance, as at least to my ears the Merlins are overdamped in the bass region. A high output impedance means the same thing as a low damping factor. Single-ended triode amps and OTL tube amps are good candidates. Such amps will "warm up" the bass a bit, improving the overall tonal balance. As a welcome side effect, such amps also tend to sound very good, especially when they employ little or no negative feedback. I have heard the Merlins sound very good on OTL amps with a 4 ohm output impedance (corresponding to an 8-ohm damping factor of only 2).

Duke