Leben integrated amps and Merlin VSM


Has anyone tried either the Leben CS-300 or CS-600 integrated amps (or even the CS-660P amp) with the Merlin VSMs?

How do they compare with the Ars-Sonum Filarmonia integrated amp or the Berning ZH-270 (that is the ZH-270 connected to a preamp; not standalone). I have both the Ars and the Berning and before I sent my Merlins to Bobby for an upgrade, I found myself still partial to the Berning/Joule combination. I'm anxious to get my Merlins back so I can spend more time listening to the Filarmonia. Nevertheless I would be curious what others thought of the Leben integrated amps.

Thanks!
dpe
dpe
Post removed 
i bought the berning from enjoythemusic, who at the time used the leben, which was the reason he sold the berning, which shows:

at the time he preferred the leben.

at a later time he tried to buy back the berning.

fwiw ;-)
I love these Merlin posts.I'm getting a little,not much tired of my Mcintosh stuff with them.They are timeless those speakers..........Berning and Leben,where's the justice?Where's the cash?Who killed Cock Robin........MC,Bob
Egidius,
Seriously, the guy sold you his ZH-270 and then wanted to buy it back?! I wonder what flipped him. I would never sell my ZH-270 unless I was absolutely sure I preferred the new amp. I'm the one who generated this thread and I've since bought a sold two more amps, but I still have the ZH-270. I'm afraid my next move is to compare the ZH-270 to the new Berning ZH-230. And with regards to Leben CS-600, skip the integrated Lebens and listen to the CS-660P. I haven't heard the ZH-230 yet, but at this time I've narrowed my upgrade path to one of these two.

As for Usblues's comment, ones tastes can become more refine over time. I think it sort of depends on what you listen to and what you listen for. My musical tastes go in cycles depending on the season, but my love is mainly for acoustic guitar and jazz piano, and the piano is a difficult sound to reproduce very accurately IMO.