Getting into tubes


I'm thinking about getting my first tube integrated amp and been reading all I can about them. I've narrowed my list of manufacturers down to four: Raven Audio (Blackhawk/Osprey), Primaluna (Dialogue Premium), Ars Sonum Filarmonia and Decware (Zen Mystery Amp). All have their pros and cons. First, a bit about my system:

Merlin TSM Black Magic Edition
Sunfire True Sub Mk2 (and oldie but still runs well)
MSB Analog Dac 
Macbook Air streaming Tidal through Audirvana
Spectral SDR-3000SL running into the MSB

Room is small, about 10 X 11. I listen to jazz ( mostly trio's and female vocals) and some classic rock. 

My laundry list for what I'm looking for in a tube amp is as follows:

1. Obviously they have to sound great. From what I've been reading, seems like all these amps all sound fantastic to various individuals that have used them. 
2. Ease of use: self biasing tubes. Don't want the fuss of having to bias the tubes myself. I know that with the Decware ZMA, you have to bias yourself but it appears to be a simple process.
3. Overall build of the unit. Each of the manufacturers all look to have excellent build qualities. I've seen pictures of the insides of all units. Looks like the Primaluna is built like a beast on the inside. Also the ZMA is all point to point, no circuit boards of any type. That's a big plus.
4. Remote control: now this is a semi big one for me. I do a lot of late night listening and am constantly changing the volume. Raven Audio and Primaluna checks this box off but the Filharmonia and ZMA doesn't. However I have a DAC (MSB Analog) that has a volume control built in that I believe may work?
5. Subwoofer output. It would be nice to have a dedicated sub out for ease of connecting the sub. I know that there is the option to connect the sub through the speaker level inputs, but I have read its difficult to do that with the Filarmonia and ZMA if the spades are too thick. 
6. Reliability and after care service.

For those that have experience with any of these amps, any advice would be greatly appreciated! I've been going back and forth trying to decide. Thanks!
jzzmn88
We just helped a customer retube a Cary SLI-80, so we have to dig deep into the amp's design. Most of our experience with Cary before this amp was preamps. Mark at tech support was super insightful. The amp is amazingly well designed and versatile - excellent audio path 6922/6SN7/KT-88s but Cary overdesigned the power supply (a very good thing) so it can accept KT-120s and 5AR4s. Only 1 cap in the audio path! It acts as an integrated and even comes with a remote! Highly recommended,
If you have never considered headphones, it might be time to buy a Bottleneck Crack w/Speedball upgrade or a Darkvoice 336. Both are available for under $500 and sound great with a pair of AKG K7xx (still available for $199 on Massdrop) or a good used pair of Sennheiser HD600, HD650 or HD700s for under $500. I believe you will be surprised what you are not hearing and you can easily roll the tubes until your ears are content.

PS - I own a top-end Meridian system with an Oppo 205 that I seldom listen to anymore in favor of the headphones.

Best, JS
If you want the BEST, why don't you give Berning a call and order his one-off push-pull 6B4G, pure class A.  This is the amp he uses in his rig with the Merlins.  If you want more power, he'll build the same amp but with 300Bs.  You can order it as a "control" amplifier with a 47 step attenuator for the ultimate performance (eliminate a preamp) if you only have a single source.  He builds these himself in a prototype chassis - an upgraded anodized aluminum chassis is optional.  
Well, I’m going to go against the majority here and say that for smaller speakers with under 90 dB sensitivity, I personally prefer solid-state amps... especially those that are biased heavily into Class A. Great results have been reported for your Merlins with both tube and solid state amps, but if it were me, a Pass Labs or Sugden integrated would be at the top of my list. The Positive Feedback review of your speakers mention that they achieved the best results with Pass Labs mono-blocks, which does not surprise me. Good luck and let us know what you decide.
I use a Cary SLI 80 F1 with Merlin TSM speakers in a secondary system and the combination works very well. With the choice of triode or ultralinear at the flip of a switch, plus a tube rollers dream, you can tailor the sound to your specific preference. It is also bullet proof with point to point wiring.