Review: Merrill Audio Taranis Amplifier

Category: Amplifiers

Listening Impressions Taranis Class D amplifier from Merrill Audio

[url=http://www.merrillaudio.net/taranis.html]Teranis amp on Merrill site[/url]

This is a summary of listening impressions gained over the last few days during an in-home audition of Merrill Audio’s Taranis power amp. Some comments are in comparison to Cyber 800SE (tube monoblocks) and Hegel H200 (solid state integrated) gear listed below. Comparisons to these other amps were made on the basis of past listening experience with them, the Cybers being last used just before the Taranis was installed.

When reading reviews, I like to understand what equipment the reviewer has been listening to previously, as well as the supporting equipment used, room details, music played, listening habits etc.. Some of that info has been provided here too. Please pardon the resulting (lengthy) pre-amble.

Thanks to Guido Corona for suggesting the Taranis.

For professional reviews of the Taranis see:
Part Time Audiophile
[url=http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2015/06/17/review-merrill-audio-taranis-stereo-amplifier/]Part time Audiophile Review[/url]

Enjoy the Music
[url=http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0715/Merrill_Audio_Taranis_Stereo_Power_Amplifier_Review.htm]Enjoy the Music[/url]

Taranis amp – key features:
• 400 wpc into 8 ohms; 600 wpc into 4 ohms
• Custom designed input stage
• 100k input impedance
• Hypex Ncore NC500 module output stage
• Maximum Output: +/- 80 Volts, 26A (as reported by Tom Lyle, Enjoy the Music review)
• No caps in signal path
• Stainless steel case with mirror-finish front panel
• Dimensions: ~17”W x ~14 3/4”D x ~3 3/4”H
• Weight: less than 30 lbs.
• No conventional on/off switch
• Amp is powered up so long as power cord is attached
• Mute switch located right front underside of case
• LED based power meters on front panel
• On/off switch and brighness control for meters located left front underside of case

Room:
• ~20’ W x 21' L to 30’ L ; 8’ ceiling
(Length 21’-30’ due to right half of rear wall at 21’ dropping back to 30' on left)
• Speaker placement 37” from front wall and 6-7’ from side walls
• Typical listening volumes 80-87 db
(Radio Shack meter settings: C weighting, Slow response)
• SPLs measured at listening position ~8-9' from center of speakers
• Engineered hardwood floors with large padded area rugs
• GIK acoustic panels over drywall; 2 corner bass traps behind speakers

Music supporting observations reported here:
(titles in quotes are specific tracks used)
• Bozzio, Levin, Stevens - Black Light Syndrome “Duende”; “Book of Hours"
• Daniel Lanois - Belladonna “Sketches"
• Fabiano Araujo - Rheomusi “Negro"
• Peter Gabriel – So “Mercy Street”; “Excellent Birds"
• Rory Gallagher - S/T 1st solo "Gypsy Woman”

Listening impressions:
(as of writing, ~40 hrs. logged “burning in” w/XLO Test CD Track 9 and music)
1. Out of the box, sound is heavy in upper bass/lower mid-range. Treble rolled-off.
(newly re-installed cabling for use with Taranis possibly contributory)
2. After ~20hrs., things opened up considerably.
3. After ~24hrs., the music is very clear with good treble extension and improved tone balance.
4. After 40 hrs., noticeably more “air” + subtle improvements to treble, and tone bal.
5. Midrange is well represented. Sound is not lean.
6. No hint of thin or shrill at any point.
7. Not harsh or fatiguing even at volume.
8. No trace of any distortion or “muddiness”.
9. Instrument separation remains good even when things get busy (and loud).
10. Good definition at leading edges of notes. Clean attack.
11. Excellent resolution yet very easy on the ears. Not edgy or harsh.
12. Detail preserved even at lower volumes..
13. Good high frequency extension tho’ not “sparkly”; but treble is natural sounding.
14. Listening to XLO CD (Track 7 Demagnetizing Sweep) SPLs across frequency range feel largely constant - more so than with Cybers. During sweep, can feel increased SPL at higher freq. w/Cybers.
15. Tone balance falls between Hegel and Cybers…brighter than Hegel but not as bright as Cybers. (Yup, tubes brighter than ss in my system/room, to my ears)
16. Images are very solid and stable.
17. Center fill between speakers is the best ever.
18. Along with remarkable clarity, strong image support is key a attribute of this amp.
19. Bass seems slightly deeper than w/Hegel or Cybers (e.g., Gypsy Woman) and is well controlled.
20. Bass is nicely “nuanced” (texture, timbre, tone, etc.); e.g., Book of Hours.
21. Sound stage is wide (wider?) and high (higher?). Extends well outside speakers.
22. Front of sound stage possibly slightly more forward than with Hegel or Cybers.
23. Stage depth, ambient detail, air - a little reduced compared to Cybers.
24. Merrill suggests reduced “airiness” due to less “out of phase” artifacts than with tubes. I think difference in treble balance contributes. BUT Taranis’ sound definitely gained airiness with time in use.
25. Compared to Hegel or Cybers, Taranis seems to support slightly greater separation of layered/multi-tracked vocals; e.g., PG on Mercy Street; PG&LA on Excellent Birds.
26. Layering of instruments (especially percussion effects) on Sketches is striking.
27. Decays last a long time (e.g., Sketches)
28. Very low noise floor. On a couple of occasions, startled by silence between tracks; thought CD player had stopped. Don’t understand this “effect”.
29. After 8+ hrs. continuous playing, amp case is comfortably warm, not at all hot.
30. Light weight is a boon for relocating equipment and for lower shipping costs.

Merrill has been great to deal with - responsive and gracious; a good person to do business with. Will purchase this amp. No consideration given for the write up. A write up was not discussed during our “negotiations” or at any other time.

Associated gear
• Consonance Ref 50 MkI preamp (2 6H30s; 1 EZ80) w/Pangea 14SE power cord
• Totem Forest speakers
• TEAC Distnction Series CD3000 w/Shunyata Venom S power cord
• Cardas Parsec IC (unbalanced) from TEAC to preamp (1M)
• Cabledyne XLR ICs from preamp to Taranis (1M) w/XLR to RCA male/male adapters at preamp (preamp is not balanced)
• Shunyata Venom power cord on Taranis
• Morrow Audio SP4 speaker cable (2M)