solid state amp for merlin tsm's ?

I recently got the Merlin TSM-MMM. I am using H/K Citation 16 amp...thinking of going with Thor 30's. Very interested to hear difference in a-b comparison.

it will be profoundly different sounding.
dated ss verses the thor's omg.
bobby

I'm rekindling this discussion from a year ago because I thought it was a very helpful one, and to share my recent experience. I was lucky enough to get a like-new pair of VSM MMIs for a great price from a local owner. I'm driving them with the amps I already had, which are Bel Canto Ref500m monoblocks. I know that's far more power than these things need, but they sound fantastic so far. The improvement in the treble range over my previous speakers (KEF XQ40s) is incredible. And top to bottom, these have to be the most balanced, musical, full, and detailed speakers I've ever heard.

But of course, having read tons of posts about the magic pairing of tube amps with the Merlins, I'm wondering what I might be missing! I guess that's an example of why this is truly a life-long quest for all of us, though. For now I'm just going to try to enjoy the music and not start thinking about my next system move.

Anyway, as a new owner of Merlins and a very happy one at that, I wanted to share my experience with the SS amplification of the Bel Cantos.

Daz,

Speaking as a ref1000m owner using them to max out some fairly large and challenging speakers, you are probably at a very good place in regards to getting the max out of your speakers with that amp.

I consider the ref1000m amps to be absolutely rock solid in every area of performance compared to most anything else I have heard, including some very nice and pricey tube amps.

The overall flavor might be somewhat towards the "vanilla" side of things compared to some amps, but it is very smooth, rich and tasty indeed! They are capable of bringing out the best in most any speaker and recording I suspect.

With a tube amp, the specific choice of amp will likely result in different flavors of sound. WHat is preferred is largely a matter of personal preference at this point I suspect, as opposed to addressing any clear technical limitation.

So you might get a sweeter more "french vanilla" sound or some other more unique flavor that is your favorite out of any particular tube amp. But you know, vanilla is still the most popular flavor of ice cream overall last time I checked. There are lots of ways to dress up (tweak) vanilla ice cream to make for a even more tasty treat, especially compared to most other popular flavors.

I've run my VSMs with a class D Bel Canto integrated with great results. My amp is lower powered than yours, but I'm not surprised at the happy marriage. The VSM is a terrific speaker and I've run mine with a half dozen different SS amps (as well as a half dozen tube amps). They will sound somewhat different when the amps are changed out, but I've yet to hear my pair sound less than excellent, regardless of what's feeding them.