Joule Electra VZN100 with Merlin VSM-MX.

I'm sorry for being contentious as well.

Hi Bobby,

Afer hearing your show set up with VZN 100, and driving my VSM M with a Berning ZH270, (thanks Tubegroover!) I've been enjoying immensley my new VZN 100 Music woods.

I totally agree with JSL comments. The "harmonic envelope" is as complete as any I've heard in my 35+ years in the hobby. There is a tonal "rightness" to this amp that is difficult to describe. Perhaps your comments about it sounding less like electronics and more like the real thing is what I am trying to say but I'm not sure that describes it accurately. I'll just settle for "killer amp made better in music wood" to steal your expression from CES a few years ago.

The VZN 100 high frequencies on the Merlins are portrayed in the most open, relaxed, and detailed manner with absolutely no ring, tizziness or etching. Brushed snares, cymbals, bells take on a realistic clarity and beleiveable decay. The VZN slam dunks the Berning in this area and the ZH270 is no slouch on the Merlins.

The other area most noteable is the holographic layering of the VZN 100 compared to the Berning. The Joule is much better. I cannot imagine going in in other direction after having this combo the past couple of months.

While I could have easily lived with the LA150/Berning combo, (or the Music Reference RM-9 prior to the ZH270) I have no buyers remorse or regret in moving to the VZN camp. I look forward to my MX speaker upgrade when my order is built.

I will be adding the Critical Mass amp stands (that Jud likes so much) to this mix in the next week and hope to report back yet another "notching up" in resolution.

you should hear those amps on the z feet man.
simpler and maybe more right in the end because what you want to do is couple them, not decouple them.
JMHO.
b

Bobby, Tubegroover, Jsl, Joneill....

Are your listening impressions between the Berning ZH270 and the VZN-100 based on hearing a fully tweaked Berning (i.e. silver wire, ERS, upgraded caps, NOS cryo'ed output tubes, and NOS input tubes)?

The fully tweaked ZH270 is what I'm running now, so I'm very curious about this comparison more than a plain vanilla ZH270.

Thanks!

Fully tweaked Zh270 that was in my rig. Cryo Briamar drivers, cryo outputs, ERS kit, new cryo foil caps and all wire upgrades.

I did not intend to make it appear that the ZH270 is a slouch. It is not in any respect. Just very, very, different sounding then the VZN 100. I could have lived with the ZH270 (espically after the mods) but choose another path and am very pleased.

It will be hard to part with & sell but the economic realites do not allow me to hang on to two amps.

Jim