Review: The Merrill Audio Veritas Monoblocks

The Goal
For decades I have been trying to assemble a sound system that would begin to approximate real music. Starting in the 1990s with Audio Research tube gear, by 2010 I had moved to an all solid state configuration. I made that change because I thought that I would find it easier to achieve a "neutral" sound by avoiding the colorations of tubes. However, once I had my solid state system together, I found it didn't sound like real music. So the changes continue and the latest iteration of my system is now built around a tubed preamp and the Merrill Audio Veritas Monoblocks. Yes, Class D amps.

Associated Equipment
The Veritas monoblocks replaced my Pass X600 monoblocks. To provide some context, the rest of my system is composed of the Revel Ultima Salon2 speakers, Nordost Tyr interconnects, and Mojo powercords on everything but the amps where Kimber PK10 Palladians are used. Sources are CD/SACD, computer/DAC, and vinyl. My Music collection is still predominantly vinyl, but I am listening with increasing frequency to high-definition downloads.

The Merrill Audio Veritas Monoblocks
I have now been using the Veritas Monoblocks for 2 months. Before purchasing , I took advantage of Merrill Audio's trial program to evaluate them. Using the Hypex Ncore NC1200 module, and crafted from a 66 pound block of solid aluminum, they are an understated but elegant design that demonstrates careful attention to every detail. The result is an amplifier that not only sounds good but emanates quality. Included with each amp is a set of Stillpoints Ultra-Mini footers and a good quality power cable. The icing on the cake is their eco-friendly nature: unlike large and heavy class A and A/B amplifier designs, the Veritas monoblocks produce their power (400w @ 8 ohms/700w @ 4 ohms) from a device that weighs 35 pounds and runs cool, using relatively little energy when they are not playing music. In North Carolina, where the summers seem to be getting hotter each year, not to have to worry about using two space heaters to play music is no small thing.

How Do They Sound
Together with my Cary SLP-05 preamp, the Veritas amps produce a sound that is, to my ears, a huge step toward achieving that ineffable goal of the "absolute sound." They are neutral, open, quiet, fast, and immediate. They throw a soundstage more immersive than any amp I've ever heard before. They are also very revealing: they make good recordings sound wonderful and poor recordings sound just that. Their neutrality and openness will reveal the deficiencies of any upstream sources.

Sound Examples
The Ravel String Quartet (192k/24bit download)
I have never heard an amplifier that can so beautifully situate the members of a string quartet, including the viola which so often in my experience gets lost in the mix of strings.

Antonio Lysy at the Broad: Music from Argentina (vinyl - A Latin Grammy Award Winner)
The second cut on side 2: Piazzolla The Grand Tango is a congested soundstage occupied by a piano, violin, bass, and cello. This could lead to confusion among the stringed instruments, but the Veritas monoblocks clearly separate them spatially. That distinction is aided by a beautifully colored and rich tone from each instrument.

Pink Floyd 2011 Wish You Were Here (180gm vinyl re-master)
Welcome to the Machine is a cut I've listened to more times than I can count since its release in 1975. The Veritas amps throw a surreal soundstage that is downright scary, putting you in the very heart of the machine. The dynamic soundstage is beautifully presented and punctuated by a well-defined, throbbing, and ominous bass line.

Miles Davis Kind of Blue (180gm vinyl reissue from Legacy)
Throughout So What there are several times when Davis, Coltrane, and Adderley punctuate the music with simultaneous short phrases. The delicately distinct timbre of each of their horns is clearly heard. The pace and the rhythm of the piece are presented with a natural grace that demonstrates why it's a classic recording.

Soundstages: From the mundane to the sublime
The cd of Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto on DG with Lang Lang and Valery Gergiev has a disappointingly small and shallow soundstage. Anyone who has ever heard this piece live knows how the soaring motifs can fill a concert hall. The recording is honestly portrayed for what it is via the Veritas monoblocks. Put on a great recording, though, and you get it all with these amps. The 1959 recording of Stravinsky's Firebird is available as a 192k/24 bit download (from a DSD transfer from tape). Played through the Veritas amps, the walls of the listening room just go away. They are replaced by the sound of the Watford Town Hall. It's all one could expect from a reproduction, and a thrill to experience.

Do You Want to Hear the Truth
I had no idea what to expect from these amps when I decided to try them. Given what I'd heard about Class D, I was curious if not skeptical. Let the Class D critics take note, these amps give up very little if anything to their Class A and A/B counterparts. Their honest and neutral sound will not satisfy those looking for a euphonious coloring to make poor recordings sound good. Provide them recordings with merit and surround them with commensurately fine equipment, though, and they will be all the amp you need.