Joule Electra VZN100 with Merlin VSM-MX.

You should try searching the archives. For example, There's a long thread that compares/contrasts the Kharma with the Merlins. Many, many opinions on this already stated.

Long story short, what's best will be based on your personal priorities, associated components and your room. All those mentioned above are among "the very few". IMHO, the Merlins give you an advantage in small to medium sized rooms, increasing the likelihood that you get "showroom sound" at home. Cheers, Spencer

The Merlin VSM and (Joule or Berning or Atma-Sphere or Viva) combination represent an incredible ratio of value-to-performance. I've listened extensively to Merlins with both Berning and Viva amplification (but not Joule), and I place the combination at the top of my candidate list for any combination under US$25,000 retail. I'm very familiar with the Atma-Spheres and do not hesitate to include them among amplifiers to include in this consideration.

For me, the Merlin VSM-MX is a "never-regret-it" choice in it's price range. Any material improvement requires a one to consider materially more expensive alternatives. In consideration of the "very best combos out there," yes there are better but the price doubles or more.

For amplification, the Joule has a very particular sonic signature. It matches well with the Merlin. But, also a great match are the Viva Auroras (much higher priced in the US, but perhaps more affordable in Europe), the Berning ZH-270, and the Atma-Sphere MA-1. The Berning is a very common match in the U.S. and works very very well with the Merlin; it gives a much more neutral tonal presentation than the Joule, but that becomes a question of one's listening priorities.
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hi rushton,
your post caught my attention.
you know that i am a big fan of all of the amps you mentioned, a really big fan.
but i am interested in what way you prefer the the tonal characteristics of the berning to the joule and what you find the joule's sonic signature to be?
thanks,
b

Hi Bobby,

And as I hope you gathered, I am a big fan of your VSM speakers. Ever since I first heard Lloyd Walker's tweaked out older pair, I have been impressed. Your new VSM-MX is, in my opinion, a superb speaker; I've really enjoyed listening to it in Sbank's system.

As to the amps, probably my preferred choice would be the Atma-Spheres. But as to the Joule, what I hear is a richness and bloom in the mid-bass (subtle) that adds a beautiful warmth and some seductive richness that, ultimately, I don't find as truthful as the Berning or the Atma-Sphere tonal balance. I also hear a complementary "sweetening" in the top end; not so much as to describe the amp as "polite" but still makes the amp more "pleasing" to my ear than neutral. I clearly don't want to overstate this, because compared to traditional transformer tube amps the Joule delivers so many of the benefits of an OTL design. This is why I suggested in my post that this may move closer to a matter of listening priorities. For me, I'd prefer the greater neutrality of the Atma-Sphere or the Berning. Also, I listen almost exclusively to vinyl with tube preamplifier so this may also sway my choices in finding the right synergy of equipment. And, I acknowledge not having heard the Joule recently so matters may have changed or my aural memory could be deficient. If you don't hear these same things (and they are subtle, not dramatic), I hope you'll balance my comments with your own so others are not mislead.

Regards,