GaN-based Class D power amps

Ric, Ralph, anybody: can you explain the difference between Ice and Ice Edge modules?

The Van Alstine mono blocks are pure balanced bridged amps.  They have xlr inputs.  There is an option to have rca jacks as well, but then it has a single ended to balanced circuit inside to then run balanced to the amps.  The amps are fully balanced.  As far as junk output jacks.....so what?  What matters, is the sound.  Now, if I tweaked the Van Alstine amps I would use my binding post bypass system and other tweaks for even better sound.  Are we so cynical that we think the reviewer was paid to say this and actually prefers his Merrill?  How does he get clout when reviewing a no name amp that looks like a black box?   Looks pretty genuine to me.  Buy, you never know.  But two reviewers in the same magazine using different systems are saying the same thing.  Pretty convincing.

Most reviews are worthless, unless they have mucho comparisons of the latest same money gear and show the gear being used. We are all in the dark. We are kept ignorant unless we A/B in our homes. Let’s say you wanted to spend $20,000 on an amp. So you read online for 2 weeks straight on every site and decide the 10 best possibilities. So, you arrange with dealers and manufacturers to buy all these amps with 30 day money back guarantee. So, you put out $200,000 of your own money. Of course, this all depends on them arriving at the same time and every dealer and manufacturer being OK. Of course, you do not tell the manufacturers or dealers what you are doing....or very few would go along with this. You listen every weekend with your buddies to all the amps and then keep the best sounding one for your system and send back the rest to get your money back. Once you have received all your money back you go onto a forum like this one and tell everyone what you discovered. Now, everyone who reads this will have an idea of what all those amps sound like and at least not be in the dark. Of course, once you posted your results then you would be person non gatis to some of those dealers and manufacturers. Of course, this is why this would never happen in a magazine. If they did this the losers would never advertise again and the magazine would go under.

You must realize that most reviewers do not get paid and their only perk is to get gear at 50% off. They don’t want to bad mouth an older product or they could cut off that manufacturer from every sending them another product. Check out this review of the Merrill 118: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/1018/Merrill_Audio_Element_118_Monoblock_Amplif...

He never mentions his "reference amps" and at the bottom he only give is 4 notes on several catagories (so he knows there is more to be gotten there).....but he does not tell us what amps do those qualities better. So, we can gleam that it is a great amp....but how good. There are no comparisons at all that have any meaning. Typical review......we are left in the dark, once again.

These reviewers are not bad people....they are not on a mission to get all your money and send you to hell. They are just people, like you and me.....but, because there is money and survival that goes along with this, they withhold information.

If you want to buy a $30,000 car you read online for a few weeks and then go test drive all the cars you want and then buy the one you want. Don’t you think it should be the same with audio? Where can you test drive audio gear.................................only in your home. And it is not easy, unfortunately.

By the way, have you ever noticed that car and camera gear, etc. reviews do not hold back any info. They tell you which ones they like and exactly the differences (measured and subjectively). It’s only subjective audio reviews that tend to be secretive. There are no measurements to tell you how they perform, so we must keep it all secret so you keep buying our magazines......not exactly evil....but sad. The original Audio Critic magazine bought all the audiophile preamps they could and did a complete review of all of them at the same time. Of course, back in 1979 or whenever that was, there were not that many products. What is really interesting is not just that no one ever did anything like that again, but that the owner of the magazine started to push his own speaker and then started to screw his readers. Then he became an "objective" audiophile and went 180 degrees......just a little old drama for you.

Anthony Cordesman and myself share the same birthday, 20 years apart. Anthony is a classy audio gentleman unless a drastic change has happened over the years. Over the years he has added a sense of style to our hobby and in my book is one cool dude.

Hi Anthony, hope you are doing well!

Michael Green

blindjim2,801 posts
  I heard the Merrill Element 116s recently. albeit all too briefly. I've been around long enough to know when I'm listening to something special though and quite immediately.
I found his setup overall to be spooky good