Help me get the most out of my Merlin TSM MX

Brianmgrarcom

I wouldn't say the Cayin amp sucks but rather it sounds more like soggy pizza. Is that amplifier hand crafted in Germany, I can't remember?

I second and third Swampwalker's and Sounds real audio's suggestions to go for the Jadis. I have owned 2 Jadis amps and cant say enough good things about their magical qualities.

bob, if you want to experience some of what will happen with the full lead free mod, get a pair of the lead free cardas jumpers and see what happens.
best,
b

I have had a pair of Cardas Golden Reference IC's between my DAC and integrated for three days now. My initial impressions are that I have added low level detail from the Harmonic Technology Truthlink. The sound is a little more open. Vocals have more presence. I have also added the Anti cables speaker wire and they perform as expected from the reviews. Words that come to mind are fast,neutral,live,dynamic,detailed. The combination of the Golden Ref and the Anti cables may be too much of a good thing for my tastes. I swapped the Golden Ref. for the Truthlink which brought better balance to the treble ( not as crisp ). My wife and I listened for 4 hours. Her comment was "I am there"( as if at a live performance) which we have seen over 200 live performances. I was impressed with the Anti cables although they may be a bit hot in the treble for a relaxing listening session. The mids didn't have that body that I am looking for but with the right IC up front I can probably find a balance. I have a pair of Anti cables IC's on the way. We'll see if there is synergy between them. I am also interested in the Acoustic Zen Satori speaker cables.
I am tempted by the Jadis. Are there any other recommendations in the under $2000 (used) tube integrated market? With that being said, this Cayin is a real winner for the price. My only point of reference in my system was the Cary SLI 80 that I owned previously. The Cayin doesn't give up anything to the Cary.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Cheers,Bob

bob i will not go further in this but gr is anything but crisp. it is very neutral and with it being neutral, it is showing up something else in the system that is crisp. make no assumptions here. synergy, if that is what you are after is something very different from neutrality. and absolute neutrality will win over all when it comes to playing more of your music and pleasing/easy system changes. remember to let the anti's properly break in and that goes for all the cables as well. it is best to have a complete set of the necessary cables of each brand to know what is really going on. single run speaker with merlin jumpers will give correct spectral and tonal balance. internal bi-wires and shotguns will tend to open up the treble volume and make them bright and thin imho.
good luck.
best,
b