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Merrill Audio VERITAS Amps: Any other experiances?

Despite the Sandy Hurricane interruptions, Merrill was kind enough to provide me the opportunity to audition his Merrill Audio Veritas Mono-block amps with my system. He delivered the amps and I listened for approx 48 hours over a period of three days. It should be noted that never once in this time frame did I or anyone else listening experience listening fatigue.

The Veritas units were temporary replacements for my ARC VTM200 MONO-blocks and other than a short experience with my neighbors ARC 610 Mono-Blocks which really brought my Maggies to life, it was a reawakening as to what my Maggies can do given sufficient power. It's not that the VTM200 don't do a good job, its that financially, moving up with more powerful tube amps is out of the question.

Basically , I was overjoyed with what I was listening to. With the Veritas supplying 700 watts per channel vs the 200 tube watts, which is fundamentally 3 and one half times the power I had been feeding them, it was the first time I heard the Maggies with the power they were recommended to be supplied with other than the 610 experience. It should be noted that every piece of electronic audio equipment I have is TUBE centered. The presentation of the Veritas into the system was the first time a pure solid state unit had been introduced to the system and the lasting impression was WOW...just like the web site stated!

We listened to vinyl as well as CDs...Jazz and full orchestration as well as solo piano, cello and violin. Beside myself and occasionally my wife, the listening panel included Blaine Handzus of the NJAS as well as an interested neighbor along with Merrill.

If and when I replace the ARC VTM200s, the Veritas would be at the top of the list.

Having heard Class D amps at other systems, I had never been totally satisfied with what they delivered but the Veritas units presented a completely satisfying and different audio presentation. In short, the 'you are there' effect the Maggies are famous for with the proper watts was stunning.

Simply put, the Veritas are an audio achievement, with extremely accurate front to back definition as well as a superbly accurate soundstage presentation. The holographic effect of instrument position within the orchestra was excellent.

But more to the point, the sounds of the instruments themselves were very accurate. My wife, who listens to live music on a daily basis, both strings, keyboard and horns made the comment that she "could hear the cellos and violas breath".

It was a sad hour when Merrill came back to take his amps away!
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guidocorona
4,298 posts
 
Audiozen, I have had the opportunity of listening to ARC D450M mono amps at RMAF for a few hours, and I found them to be wonderfully sounding amps indeed, so much so that I visited their suite thrice during the show. Unfortunately, I have not had the chance yet to listen to them in my own system, nor to compare their musical performance directly against any other amps, so while I would concur that D450M probably occupy a position somewhere near the current class-D pinnacle, I am not yet in a position of grading their performance relative to other new entries in the general top of the category. Have you listened to MB450M in your system, and have you had the opportunity to contrast their sound with Merrill Veritas, or other NCore NC1200 implementations? Please do share your findings.

On your assertion that Hypex may be owned by Philips, I have searched on the internet, but have not been able to confirm your statement. Could you point me to the source?

Regards, G.
hifial's avatar
hifial
332 posts
 
Several points Audiozen.

1) Bruno at one time worked for Philips and was one of the driving forces behind their class D. Hypex is not owned by Philips. Hypex is one of the largest suppliers of Class D OEM amps to the world market.

2) All you ever do is Praise the "tech" without ever hearing it or the other equipment that you put down, for whatever agenda you have. It seems that for you it must always fit what YOU THINK it should be built and what it should have to be considered WORTHY of consideration.

3) Again, have you ever heard the Veritas? No, then why do you have an opinion. Because you "think" you know what the Tech in it is and from that you "Know how it will sound".

4) Have you heard the ARC D450M? Why is it I think I know that answer.
Well I have. I like ARC equipment very much but when I heard the D450M at my dealer (on my model speakers) I was disappointed in the sound. I went in expecting to walk out with them. Now it is possible that since then ARC made some adjustments so I may have to take another listen.

5)Why is it that you could not give the Veritas amps and Hypex some consideration from the above comparisons to the ARC Tube amps and the Sanders Sound Magtech amps (that you praised so much in one of your posts).

By the way, after my post I said to a friend that I expected you to be on here dumping on Hypex and the Veritas.

PS The Veritas and Ncore NC1200, with the lack of what you consider the need of power reserves has is one of the most dynamic sounding amps and with speed that not only that I have heard but also the others who HAVE HEARD it. You know there is more then one way to get to the moon. All are high tech but the old way is not necessarily the best.
audiozen
831 posts
 
Hifial..the article I read out of Europe was inaccurate portraying Hypex/Ncore being owned by Philips.
Upon further investigation, heres the accurate truth. When Bruno worked for Philips before working for Hypex in 1996, he designed for Philips the Ncore UcD power modules, in which the patents and the Ncore trademark are owned by Philips outright which they have on file in Geneva which covers all the European countries. Bruno today pays Philips an annual licensing rights fee to use the design and the Ncore name in Europe which he originally developed. Bruno beat Philips filing the Ncore patents in the patent office in Washington, D.C. to corner the U.S. market. Bruno's designs are still pulse width modulation. Hypex/Ncore uses a feedback application that Bruno took from John Ulrick of Spectron that was used in the first Spectron amp back in 1974. What Ulrick designed that Bruno utilize's, is an application putting the feedback in the circuit after the output filter rather than before, which eliminates phase shifting in the upper frequencies. Patrik Bostrom, currently the most advanced Class D engineer in Europe and CTO Of Abletec, went beyond Bruno's capability with further advanced Class D engineering and developed recently, a linear loop technology known as AMS, (Adaptive modulation Servo), which is phase shift modulation, eliminating all feedback in the circuits, rather than pulse width modulation, which has been around for forty years. D-Sonic uses power modules from Abletec. The new in house switching module designed by Audio Research, achieves the same results as Abletec.
guidocorona
4,298 posts
 
Well AudioZen, all of this is a little sterile to my taste.... Why don't you source some nice amps featuring Ncore NC1200, Abletech, Pasquale, the ARC D450 monos, the latest Spectrons... break them in for several weeks in your 15 some odd systems, and contrast them in your reference setup, and then let us know how they differ once the class D rubber finally meets the musical road *grins!* G.
audiozen
831 posts
 
A little sterile?..eat some chocolate. I'll wait fo the new Class D products to come out first this spring. Such as the new Bel Canto's with no switching module, the new Rowland's with the Pasquale amps, and the new M1's from Hypex, which I think will be a hard sell for $15K a pair given for whats on the Class D horizon in 2013. The one Class D amp I would like to hear over any other is the Marten M amp. Weigh 100 lbs each and cost $40K a pair with Patrik Bostrom's technology.
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