Joule Electra VZN100 with Merlin VSM-MX.

Artg- You are correct, of course. In terms of price/performance ratio the Berning walks all over the Joule at retail, but the price of a used Joule gets it quite a bit closer to the price of a Berning. And I will comment that while I have not heard the MA-1s, I have a pair of Atma M-60s (2.2 upgraded to include most of the 2.3 mods but not auto-bias or a/b switch). I think that they are a real contender with my Merlin-MMs and I am beginning to agree that at this point, cabling becomes very important. My Berning does not have the silver/cryou wire mod, but does have ERS and cryo output tubes. Any on these amps sounds great with the Merlins, right now I like the Atmas or the Joule (VZN-80 MkIV), but I can see that with a different set of cables/ics and a wire upgrade, I might hear things differently. Unfortunately, the Stereovox cables are $$$$.

Artg- I bought a used VZN-80, for about the same price as a used ZH-270. Seemed like a good deal, but since it only worked for about a week before buying the farm, maybe not. Jud won't have time to fix it til next month. If the Sonus Fabers (or your font end equipment) is a little warmer, and since they were voiced with the Berning, that seems to be a good choice. The monoblock and unusual layout of the Atmas IS an issue. I do not have a child, so exposed tubes is not a problem. Of course, Joule also has heat and tube exposure issues. The 8 6SN7s needed for the Atmas is also an issue in terms of cost of good NOS tubes. The 6c33cs in the Joule are pretty reasonable; I got a new set of 8 for $100.00. 12 individual bias pots on the Joule; 2 for the Atmas (1 per block); none for the Berning. IN terms of ergonomics, ease of use,etc., the Berning is a no brainer. In terms of ultimate sound quality, IMO, its a personal choice issue. NO right answer. As for me, I like chocolate and vanilla ;~)

Just a quick update; my Joule has been back and running for about a month; Jud got it fixed in less than 2 weeks. It sounds great. I have not yet swapped it out for the Berning; personal matters have intervened. It is an excellent combination and with a Joule pre-amp in the mix, the imaging and bass are VERY impressive.