Focal Mini Utopia vs Merlin MXe

paul, i think that you have a speaker that allows you to hear what good tube electronics sound like. your speaker also does not need the damping that ss amps provide in the bass. they prefer the dimensionality and density in the mid range of a good tube system. yours is not the only speaker like it. so there are many individuals that like ss but prefer tubes and visa versa. i think clearly it is a matter of what you have at home and what interfaces best with it. and to a lesser degree, what is the best you have heard in your system. in this regards you are way more fortunate than most.
best, b

The ARC 100.2 sounds good with my TSM's. It is a great amp that can be found on the gon used for between 1500 and 1700. Years ago I had Pass ALeph and the 100.2 was more to my liking.

One of the reasons I think the Aleph J should in theory be a good match for the Merlins is that in many ways it performs like tubes in that it seems to not increase current (watts) with lower impedance, that is it performs more like tube amps in that regard. It also has a 260kohm input impedance which makes it very tube preamp friendly, which I think is best suited for the BAM, and with 30 watts of Class A power it should be enough to drive the Merlins about as loud as I could stand. This ofcourse is all theory, and does not mean it will work better than the BEL, Belles, or ARC 100.2

paul, audio aero made a 50w class a tube power amp. i heard it and it was superb. not made any longer. juicey and dynamic as could be. 30 to 50 watts of class a tranformer coupled or otl amps are as much as i would need for my home or even to do a show. 50 being better for more complex material or show conditions.
the bel is fantastic but i still prefer tubes and you probably would too.
best, b

Thank you Bobby. I do suspect you're right:)