WC and All,
My unique Bryston 2.5B SST2 and Mytek Brooklyn Amp are more focused, crisper, and cooler in tonality than the Merrill 114 I had at home. Other Brystons (I heard at home the 3B SST, 4B SST2) are dogs by comparison to my little Bryston and the medium power Mytek. The Merrill is more full and dynamic sounding, not because it has higher power capability, but because of its tonal balance, weighted towards bass. The Merrill has this character at all volume levels. Most people here would prefer the tonal balance of the Merrill to either of my amps. In your video, I slightly preferred the Merrill to the Dag. I agree with kren0006 that they are fairly close in sound character. To me, the Merrill 118 is more focused, tighter and less boomy than the Dag. But they are close enough so I say that the Merrill is another example of the sweet camp. My overall summation is that the Merrill has the sweet midrange of a great tube amp, with much more control and extension of bass and greater HF extension. For a tube lover, it gives the best of tubes and solid state. I agree with ricevs' point that the 114 and 118 are different, but my assessment of the 114 is consistent with many reviews of the 116 and 118. An interesting review of the 116 by Dr. Michael Bump, a professor and professional percussionist, who also owned the Merrill Veritas, said that the 116 was more full in the bass than the Veritas, so he didn't need his subwoofer with the 116, unlike when he needed it with the Veritas. I had the Veritas home, which Merrill knew I would like better than the 114, and I confirmed that. The Veritas had overall character similar to my Mytek.
I am looking forward to hearing the ARC Ref 6se with the Merrill. Even in the early days about 1982 when I heard the ARC SP6B preamp, I admired its midrange neutrality and overall control, not at all like a classic tube sound. Based on your descriptions, I would prefer the Ref 6 se to the Ref 10, due to the relatively greater focus and precision of the Ref 6 se.
Lastly, I congratulate you on the best sound I have heard from your Wilson, which I think is due to the better microphone you are now using. Please continue to use that mike in your recordings. Maybe I have opened a can of slithery worms for you to try more expensive and top shelf mikes, HAHA. I had a negative opinion on 2 Wilson models I heard years ago at a well known dealer. But your setup is far superior, so now I enjoy your sound. In acknowledgment of kren's belief that the clarity of your DAW is better than the 3.7i, I would say no, the 3.7i to me has better clarity because of its greater HF content and superior low mass driver technology vs the DAW. But I didn't like the tonal balance of the 20 compared to the 3 I heard 25 years ago. It is even possible that I would prefer the tonal balance of the DAW and its clarity compared to the 20.7, since the 20.7 might be too bass heavy for my tastes. I don't like huge bloated images, which detract from detail and clarity. Even Magnepan admits this weakness of Maggies--less focus. The right moderate size of any speaker is critical. The 3.7i and DAW are ideal size for your room, but in a huge room the 20.7 would be better and the 3.7i might seem like looking down at an insect from the 86th floor observation deck of the Empire State Building in NY.
My unique Bryston 2.5B SST2 and Mytek Brooklyn Amp are more focused, crisper, and cooler in tonality than the Merrill 114 I had at home. Other Brystons (I heard at home the 3B SST, 4B SST2) are dogs by comparison to my little Bryston and the medium power Mytek. The Merrill is more full and dynamic sounding, not because it has higher power capability, but because of its tonal balance, weighted towards bass. The Merrill has this character at all volume levels. Most people here would prefer the tonal balance of the Merrill to either of my amps. In your video, I slightly preferred the Merrill to the Dag. I agree with kren0006 that they are fairly close in sound character. To me, the Merrill 118 is more focused, tighter and less boomy than the Dag. But they are close enough so I say that the Merrill is another example of the sweet camp. My overall summation is that the Merrill has the sweet midrange of a great tube amp, with much more control and extension of bass and greater HF extension. For a tube lover, it gives the best of tubes and solid state. I agree with ricevs' point that the 114 and 118 are different, but my assessment of the 114 is consistent with many reviews of the 116 and 118. An interesting review of the 116 by Dr. Michael Bump, a professor and professional percussionist, who also owned the Merrill Veritas, said that the 116 was more full in the bass than the Veritas, so he didn't need his subwoofer with the 116, unlike when he needed it with the Veritas. I had the Veritas home, which Merrill knew I would like better than the 114, and I confirmed that. The Veritas had overall character similar to my Mytek.
I am looking forward to hearing the ARC Ref 6se with the Merrill. Even in the early days about 1982 when I heard the ARC SP6B preamp, I admired its midrange neutrality and overall control, not at all like a classic tube sound. Based on your descriptions, I would prefer the Ref 6 se to the Ref 10, due to the relatively greater focus and precision of the Ref 6 se.
Lastly, I congratulate you on the best sound I have heard from your Wilson, which I think is due to the better microphone you are now using. Please continue to use that mike in your recordings. Maybe I have opened a can of slithery worms for you to try more expensive and top shelf mikes, HAHA. I had a negative opinion on 2 Wilson models I heard years ago at a well known dealer. But your setup is far superior, so now I enjoy your sound. In acknowledgment of kren's belief that the clarity of your DAW is better than the 3.7i, I would say no, the 3.7i to me has better clarity because of its greater HF content and superior low mass driver technology vs the DAW. But I didn't like the tonal balance of the 20 compared to the 3 I heard 25 years ago. It is even possible that I would prefer the tonal balance of the DAW and its clarity compared to the 20.7, since the 20.7 might be too bass heavy for my tastes. I don't like huge bloated images, which detract from detail and clarity. Even Magnepan admits this weakness of Maggies--less focus. The right moderate size of any speaker is critical. The 3.7i and DAW are ideal size for your room, but in a huge room the 20.7 would be better and the 3.7i might seem like looking down at an insect from the 86th floor observation deck of the Empire State Building in NY.