Merlin vsm with BAM between pre and power

any solid state power amp suggestion.....

does MMe work better with SS than tubes

belles 150hr is a very musical ss amp that is pretty much perfect in every meaningful way with the merlins i've owned, and could very easily end your search, if that's what you're looking for. its very close to the magical flow of a nice tubed amp.

but, if you're looking to be swapping gear alot maybe stay away from the belles, because you'll have to spend alot more monies to get any marginal improvement.

tubed ive found even more satisfaction with atma's otls, the m60 are wonderful, and the ma-1 magical with my vsm.

i believe you will have a hard time finding an amp that will not work well with your spkrs. also loads of info has been shared on the various online forums to help point you in the right direction.

have fun!

m, the mme is fantastic with ss and even better sounding with good tube gear.
a preamp will make the use of the sbam and its sound even better.
all combinations will offer great sound with some being better in certain ways.
the mme is a very versatile design that sounds good with both. do you know of the master bam and master rc's?
best, bobby

Oakleys, I have used many tube amps (CAT JL2,QSV4, Music Reference RM9SE and 10s and Ars Sonum, etc) and several First Watt and Pass XA.5 SS amps with the Merlins, I too have found no better amp than the Atma-sphere M60s, I suppose the Joules would be right up there too with a bit of a different flavor. All personal preference, but OTLs and Merlins are about as good as it gets, but as Bobby says, and I'm sure you know, the Merlins are great speakers with any high quality amp.