Joule Electra VZN100 with Merlin VSM-MX.

good post and you see that the elrods are a little lighter in the midbass than the cardas and certainly more so than the audience. this is why it might be a cable issue.
so if you don't mind rushton, what cables were used way back when you auditioned the joules and was it on the merlins? oh yes, was it in the basic vzn chasis or the music wood model because that has a bearing too. glad i remembered that! the basic one sounds somewhat thuddy or slightly one note-ish in comaprison to the music wood ones. imho, speaker feet are also an issue here and these amps sound best on my z feet due to the much improved dynamic coupling.
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Bobby,

I just can't let you slide on Elrods being lighter in the midbass than Cardas. I've had both in my system. Elrods are harmonic firehoses. If it's in there, it'll come out, stand clear! And their ability to support coherence and musicality bring an emotional connection with recorded material I truly love.

But, I honor your expertise on all matters Merlin. I have not experienced the pleasure of Merlin in my system. You make a truly outstanding product and your tenacity and vision speak volumes in the design. You surely know what works best in the chain! I do not.

The writer also asks about other higher priced gear and it's all great stuff.

I'll close by suggesting that you could spend less on the Joule/Merlin combo than the other combos and be happy for a lifetime.

Many already have.

LOL and smiling... I surrender! Never intended this to become contentious folks, and I'm delighted to see so much energy in the conversation. :-)

Jsl - the word "bloat" is your word, btw. I never used it. Relax.

What all of you are describing are, to me, excellent examples of matching equipment to achieve great system synergy. My compliments. System synergy is absolutely the key to success in this pursuit of ours and many people pay too little attention to the fact that we all listen to complete SYSTEMS. And I agree wholeheartedly that choices in power cords, interconnects and speaker cables play a big role in achieving that synergy, provided we are not using the cables as equilizers to offset or compensate for issues elsewhere in the system. (Just a comment, not a suggestion that is the case with the experiences shared here.) Choice of tubes will do that as well, and can have a particularly great impact of the sense of treble extension and air that a given amplifier demonstrates, in my experience.

Bobby, my direct experience with the Joule was at least four years ago, in two different systems. I don't recall the cables in use, but I'm pretty sure it was the standard chassis. Neither system was with your speakers. I will certainly defer to you for what you believe makes a great match with your speakers. For the record, I use Omega Mikro Ebony inconnects and speaker cables in my system here.

And, now, I have an early EMI/Harvest pressing of Pink Floyd's "Ummagumma" ready to be queued up on the turntable...

BTW, is anyone else willing to actually respond to the original question posed by Felipe? That's what I was trying to do.
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believe me jsl, i am not saying anything negative about the elrods, i think they are super. but this type of cable has a very different type of push in this frequency than a litz or certain cryoed cables would and that is my point. elrods are very good at harmonics but "on my speakers" they are a little lighter (and i say, a little) than the cardas and audience in midbass heft. i have known david for many years and we are very good pals. god, he'ed shoot me if i messed with him. ;-P
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hi rushton,
nothing contentious coming from me. just trying to get info.
the chasis have a large part to do with how the latter generations of vzns sound. the originals were particle board with a leatherette glued on the extremities with really spongey feet as decouplers. i recommended the use of such woods years ago to judd and clark and they made up a sample that i used at a ces show and fell in love with. we experimented with the stock feet and my z feet at that show and it was clear to me and rich that the amps needed a coupler like my z feet to really make them disappear and open up.
i think if you heard them now you would be impressed.
by the way, this is really good info for the man who started the string.
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