Joule Electra VZN100 with Merlin VSM-MX.

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

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

thanks for the input. there is no doubt that the ma1 sould always be mentioned in the absolute of the absolute. certainly very even handed. but i still find the joule to have less sonic complication. the berning is also fabulous but just a bit shy imo. the emphasis is more on a complete quality where ambient energy is at an all time high. certainly the ma1 and berning may even sound a little more extended in the bottom octave but imho not so in the treble. but you know, it really depends on the wire association as i think the berning sounds better with the audience and the joule with the cardas and one's opinion could change to a degree depending on the interface. in the end i do agree with your statement about the joule mid bass fullness but always found it to be a positive thing rather than something off neutral. as i said, in conjunction with the au24 this might be too much of a good thing but with the cardas it seems right on to me.
the ma1 and berning may indeed play better tone from top to bottom but the joule imho sounds less like an amp and lets you actually walk into the music as it is being performed. it sounds slightly more centered and because of this produces a holographic quality that is really quite remarkable.
just my take on things.
isn't it nice to know that we have so many great amps to consider these days?
you can also throw in the jl2 and jl3s from convergent into the discussion. totally relaxed huge dynamics and resolution out the ying yang.
thanks again.
b

good post and you see that the elrods are a little lighter in the midbass than the cardas and certainly more so than the audience. this is why it might be a cable issue.
so if you don't mind rushton, what cables were used way back when you auditioned the joules and was it on the merlins? oh yes, was it in the basic vzn chasis or the music wood model because that has a bearing too. glad i remembered that! the basic one sounds somewhat thuddy or slightly one note-ish in comaprison to the music wood ones. imho, speaker feet are also an issue here and these amps sound best on my z feet due to the much improved dynamic coupling.
b
b

believe me jsl, i am not saying anything negative about the elrods, i think they are super. but this type of cable has a very different type of push in this frequency than a litz or certain cryoed cables would and that is my point. elrods are very good at harmonics but "on my speakers" they are a little lighter (and i say, a little) than the cardas and audience in midbass heft. i have known david for many years and we are very good pals. god, he'ed shoot me if i messed with him. ;-P
b

hi rushton,
nothing contentious coming from me. just trying to get info.
the chasis have a large part to do with how the latter generations of vzns sound. the originals were particle board with a leatherette glued on the extremities with really spongey feet as decouplers. i recommended the use of such woods years ago to judd and clark and they made up a sample that i used at a ces show and fell in love with. we experimented with the stock feet and my z feet at that show and it was clear to me and rich that the amps needed a coupler like my z feet to really make them disappear and open up.
i think if you heard them now you would be impressed.
by the way, this is really good info for the man who started the string.
b

i saw your website and it looks interesting.
we need to discuss the possibility of getting something to listen to at some point.
are you suggesting that this item will preclude the need for specialized feet on the bottom of the amp? aren't you concerned that the amp is still storing energy within its own chasis to a degree? the more this energy is expended the more your device can convert it to heat energy.
b

a factor?
to me the heat is not a factor in whether i like or use this amp or not. it may be for others but for me its sound is just too dam good to be without it.
does it heat up the room, a little but nothing to worry about. just open a window.
;-P
b