PX-25 tube amp with Merlin VSM speakers?

Hello Dazzling MD,

Here is my two cents with respect to your question.

I have owned the exact speakers that you have currently and powered them with a variety of amps. I would offer the suggestion that you investigate the AUDIO MIRROR 45 watt SET amps. They most definitely would have enough juice to power the Merlins to whatever levels you might desire.

I have a room that is similar in size to yours at 14' x 20' and the AM's really made beautiful music with the Merlins.

They are basically bulletproof amps (mono blocks) as they are self biasing as well as they will shut themselves down if overdriven. I never got to that point with them but did with a pair of Harbeths that I owned which are less efficient than the Merlins.

The AM's use a pair of 6c33c power tubes (which is what BAT and Joule use) and a 6sl7 for an input tube and 6sn7 for a driver tube. The amps is very receptive to making a substantial improvement in sonics from stock with adding NOS 6sn7's and 6sl7"s. I would also recommend the VT99 as a driver tube which is even better IMO than the 6sn7 but it does require an adaptor.

These amps are hand made in Houston by a gentleman named Vlad Bazelkov. He was great to work with and made mine custom with balanced instead of single ended inputs as well as adding V caps instead his stock caps.

These amps really knocked it out of the park with a huge soundstage and excellent dimension and detail without a hint of harshness. You already have a great front end with the Allnic so the sonics should be spectacular.

I hope that this gives you something else to think about as an alternative to the 6 watt SET you had inquired about.

All the best,

Scifi

Thanks to everyone for all the helpful information and suggestions. I have a lot to ponder on this Christmas Eve as my journey for perfection continues.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all!

One more question, Rebbi. How did it work out with the Audio Note kit? Is it something that requires a lot of technical ability? And what is your impression of the sound?

Dazzlingmd-
First of all, great moniker! ;-)
Second, I'm in the process of building the kit right now. I wouldn't say
that it requires great technical ability, per se. Mostly it takes a few good
tools (needle-nose pliers, wire cutter, wire stripper and decent soldering
iron, plus a phillips head screwdriver). Manual dexterity is also a plus,
because you are handling some fairly small parts in some places.
Finally, I think that building a kit like this is like cooking from a recipe. If
you enjoy the process of cooking (laying out the ingredients, mixing
things together, etc.) then you'll be a good cook. Similar idea here. If you
like making things and take pleasure in the process of the build, you'll
take your time and do a great job. If you're in a hurry to get to the end
result, you won't have as much fun and you'd be more likely to make
mistakes that you'll have to troubleshoot and fix later on.
I, myself, enjoy working with my hands in this way and I'm having a blast
building this thing. To be honest, as much as I'm looking forward to
hearing what it sounds like, I know I'll have mixed feelings when the last
part is installed because the build process itself is so satisfying.
For more info, I am actually blogging the build process, with lots of
pictures.
See this.

Thanks, Rebbi. Very interesting and intriguing story and thanks for blogging it! I'm curious to hear your impressions of the sonics once it's all done.