Joule Electra VZN100 with Merlin VSM-MX.

Hi Bobby,

Afer hearing your show set up with VZN 100, and driving my VSM M with a Berning ZH270, (thanks Tubegroover!) I've been enjoying immensley my new VZN 100 Music woods.

I totally agree with JSL comments. The "harmonic envelope" is as complete as any I've heard in my 35+ years in the hobby. There is a tonal "rightness" to this amp that is difficult to describe. Perhaps your comments about it sounding less like electronics and more like the real thing is what I am trying to say but I'm not sure that describes it accurately. I'll just settle for "killer amp made better in music wood" to steal your expression from CES a few years ago.

The VZN 100 high frequencies on the Merlins are portrayed in the most open, relaxed, and detailed manner with absolutely no ring, tizziness or etching. Brushed snares, cymbals, bells take on a realistic clarity and beleiveable decay. The VZN slam dunks the Berning in this area and the ZH270 is no slouch on the Merlins.

The other area most noteable is the holographic layering of the VZN 100 compared to the Berning. The Joule is much better. I cannot imagine going in in other direction after having this combo the past couple of months.

While I could have easily lived with the LA150/Berning combo, (or the Music Reference RM-9 prior to the ZH270) I have no buyers remorse or regret in moving to the VZN camp. I look forward to my MX speaker upgrade when my order is built.

I will be adding the Critical Mass amp stands (that Jud likes so much) to this mix in the next week and hope to report back yet another "notching up" in resolution.

you should hear those amps on the z feet man.
simpler and maybe more right in the end because what you want to do is couple them, not decouple them.
JMHO.
b

Bobby, Tubegroover, Jsl, Joneill....

Are your listening impressions between the Berning ZH270 and the VZN-100 based on hearing a fully tweaked Berning (i.e. silver wire, ERS, upgraded caps, NOS cryo'ed output tubes, and NOS input tubes)?

The fully tweaked ZH270 is what I'm running now, so I'm very curious about this comparison more than a plain vanilla ZH270.

Thanks!

Fully tweaked Zh270 that was in my rig. Cryo Briamar drivers, cryo outputs, ERS kit, new cryo foil caps and all wire upgrades.

I did not intend to make it appear that the ZH270 is a slouch. It is not in any respect. Just very, very, different sounding then the VZN 100. I could have lived with the ZH270 (espically after the mods) but choose another path and am very pleased.

It will be hard to part with & sell but the economic realites do not allow me to hang on to two amps.

Jim

Hi 1markr

Yes, I also have a fully modded Berning with all you mention and have tried numerous combinations of input/drivers. The Berning is improved greatly with these mods and the cryoed hybrid wire is probably the most significant in my estimation. It gave the amp a more relaxed presentation and improved the highs significantly. That is to say more effortless across the board.

In truth I agree with much of Rushton's impressions as they mirror my own except for the high frequency presentation of the Joule, it really must be heard with the Merlins to appreciate all the accolades this combo has received. There is a true sense of air above and around instruments and vocalists that capture the reality of a live performance. When I first heard it I couldn't believe it improved so much over the Berning although this was before I did the wire upgrade which markedly improved the situation. What is quite different is the harmonic richness, not an exaggerated fullness as I have heard with many tube amps but a rare combination of harmonic reality plus transparency of the highest order at least the equal of any amp I have heard. The Berning and Atmas-phere excel in the transparency but are harmonically a bit leaner. I have communicated with several Merlin owner's that have heard both and there is no concensus which is better as they each offer a different palatte of musical reality. I would offer this hopefully without it coming across as contradictory, the Berning is more neutral to the recording while the Joule can sound closer to real. As Jim notes the Joule offers greater dimension of the space. I recently heard that gap close quite a bit after auditioning a few pair of Stereovox Sei 600 cables which to date are the only silver cables that I heard truly work with the Merlins. The cables opened up the soundstage and dilineated the instrument lines to a degree of a major component change. The bass was the best I have ever heard the Merlins, taunt defined in space and deep, no bass, no way man! An audio buddy who has watched my Merlin system evolve over the past 4+ years was completely taken back by the addition of these cables and remarked that maybe it was closer to the Joule/Merlin combo in certain areas of spacial resolution and venue reality.

The bottom line is that the Joule/Merlin combo is world class, truly among the best I have heard. The Berning/Merlin/Stereovox system won't make you second guess a thing it is so wonderful. Each offer two different presentations with a differing set of appeals, as Jim notes, it would be hard to part with an amp as special as the Berning especially if you explore deeply and discover what it is truly capable of with the Merlins.