New High End Amplifier Monoblocks from Merrill Audio - ELEMENT 118

I am showing these are Munich for the first time. It is a Class D based, open loop - no feedback, design that transcends other sounds. A few have had the pleasure of early listening so I have put them here as references. Will be happy to answer questions on the Amplifiers. Hope you can see/hear them at Munich. Reviews are in progress from all the majors.

This is the press release. I will post the Technical Marketing doc next.

For Immediate Release:
7th May 2018

Merrill Audio Advanced Technology Labs, LLC

Bernardsville, New Jersey, USA.

Connecting you to your Music so deeply they will touch your soul, that is the new line of the most advanced Power Amplifiers from Merrill Audio. This Crowning achievement took over 4 years of research, the use of the very latest technology, meticulous engineering and finest materials available. Using Merrill Audio’s proprietary ZXOL design, the new ELEMENT series of Power Amplifiers are an order of Magnitude better in every sonic character than their previous amplifiers and simply like no other.

A great many new technologies are used in the new ELEMENT series, code name Project Oganesson. This is named after the Oganesson element – the latest Atomic element added to the periodic table, OG with atomic number 118. The ELEMENT series of Amplifiers will start with the ELEMENT 118, as with Og 118, and continue with ELEMENT 116, ELEMENT 114 which will inherit this technology and advances in audio reproduction.

Using a zero feedback, open loop proprietary design, code named ZXOL from Merrill Audio, the Power amplifiers get the most details available and the fastest response. The open loop design takes advantage of the very latest exotic transistor technology using Gallium Nitride. Extracting and keep this accurate speed and huge amount of detail in the musical reproduction required a circuit board that has almost all its parasitic inductance and capacitance reduced to near zero. Using expertise developed over a decade the extra special Circuit boards were designed and a unique pure copper onboard heat sink for very fast thermal transfer and stability. The pure copper heatsink the power supply and amplifier weighs a hefty 16 pounds. Only the finest 0.1% tolerance components were used. Even the wire was specially selected silver plated OFC Teflon sleeved wire.
Live Music has both immediacy and power. Both require the power supply of a power amplifier to appear as an unlimited, immediate resource. Merrill Audio uses an LLC design for its power supply where a custom built transformer is designed as a precision inductor. With this design the power supply can instantaneously supply almost any current.

The combination is the most revealing, fast, and exciting music reproduction you will hear, and will simply draw you emotionally into the music with its realism, clean, ultra-quiet background.

All this is packaged in the ELEMENT 118 Power Amplifier Monoblocks. Beautifully engineered chassis that is accented with Rose Gold Acoustical Dampers and faceplate. A touch screen for ease of use and information is provided on the front. For your ears and your eyes.

The ELEMENT 118 Power Amplifier Monoblocks, has a huge reserve of power for extended transients, delivers very musical 400 watts into 8 ohms, 800 watts into 4 ohms and 1,600 watts into 2 ohms. Dual pure copper WBT speaker binding posts provide easy bi-wiring. 20A IEC AC inlet is used for a tight, excellent connection with heavy power cords. The ELEMENT 118 Power Amplifier Monoblocks are Acoustically isolated on Stainless Steel Outriggers on GAIA footers from Isoacoustics.

See the World premiere of the ELEMENT 118 Power Amplifier Monoblocks, priced at $36,000 from Merrill Audio at the Munich High End Show Atrium 4.2 E226 Room. Feel the emotion so deep it will touch your soul.


About Merrill Audio Advanced Technology Labs, LLC
Merrill Audio Advanced Technology Labs, LLC designs ultra-high end equipment that has been the forefront of technology since its inception in 2011. Merrill Audio based in New Jersey, USA, is known for their excellence in Audio reproduction, using advanced techniques and technologies.

To Learn more please contact: Merrill Wettasinghe.

415.562.4434


ELEMENT118@MerrillAudio.netwww.MerrillAudio.net
Facebook: merrillaudio
Twitter @Merrill_Audio

This is the technical marketing document.
Introducing the most emotionally connecting amplifier to date
Element 118 • Monoblock Power Amplifiers, from Merrill Audio.

Element 118 • Monoblock Power Amplifiers. – Technical.
Introducing the Element 118 • Power Amplifer Monoblocks, the new high end of power amplifiers from Merrill Audio, following a string of awarding winning successful products like the VERITAS Monoblocks, the Jens Reference Phono stage, the Christine Reference Preampflier.

Emotionally connect to your music with the top of the line Merrill Audio Element 118 •Monoblocks that uses our proprietary ZXOL design, using most advanced transistor technology, our advanced power supply technology and a burning passion for excellence. That is the essence of the Merrill Audio Element 118 • Monoblock Power Amplifier design.

Gallium Nitride Transistors are one of the cleanest, fastest recovering transistors available today, first commercially available in 2004 for the Radio Frequency market. With its power capability and speed, it was destined to replace the power MOSFET. The Gallium Nitride Transistors are more efficient, reliable and don’t have the slow recovery characteristics of the MOSFET with its large gate capacitance. The Gallium Nitride Transistors can operate in the Gigahertz range. Gallium Nitride Transistors offer a fast, clean, low distortion power capability, and yet is natural and smooth in its musical capability.

Merrill Audio’s proprietary design in the Element 118 • Monoblocks uses a zero crossing open loop design capitalizing on the Gallium Nitride Transistors speed and low gate capacitance. The open loop design in the Element 118 • Monoblock design gives music reproduction that sense of ease in reproduction by removing delays in the feedback loop. There simply is no feedback loop. The fast and clean switching at almost zero-time lag means a clean, crystal clear signal reproduction, without the need for feedback to correct any misfiring of the transistors. Gallium Nitride Transistors don’t have the traditional overshoot and ring commonly seen on MOSFETS, due to the capacitance on the MOSFET. The Merrill Audio Element 118 • Monoblock power amplifiers have a special 6-layer Printed Circuit Board reduces, to near zero, all parasitic capacitance and inductance. Music is brought to you in a very emotional and natural way.

For the ultimate in musical immediacy, a proprietary multi stage power supply using an LLC Resonant power supply with custom built transformers are implemented. The amplifier now has a fathomless, instantaneous power supply and the ability to keep sustained peaks for longer periods of time. You can feel this power in the lower, deeper bass, that is beautifully clean and tight and in the immediacy of the strings, horns and percussion.

The burning Passion for excellence in Music Reproduction has always been Merrill Audio’s mission. With the Element 118 • Monoblock power amplifiers, every detail has been carefully examined and improved upon, from the Chassis by using softer vibration absorbent materials to the thick copper plates for the Amplifier and Power supply PCB mounting plates. The more expensive PVD plating is used instead of anodizing, to have a more natural sound. All wire is heavy gauge silver plated OFC, in Teflon sleeving and is hand soldered for the best connections. Every component utilized is hand selected, with the tightest tolerance for the finest performance.


Incorporating years of research, development and experience, the Element 118 • Power Amplifier Monoblocks are designed for sonic excellence – accurate, natural, emotionally connecting musical reproduction.

Element 118 is named after the newest element in the periodic table called Oganesson, which completes the 7th row of the periodic table. The name Element 118 reflects the newest in technologies in the Element 118 • Monoblock Power Amplifiers.









Specifications of Element 118 • Monoblocks:

S/N: 110dB
Gain: 26db
Power rating: 400watts into 8ohms
800 watts into 4 ohms
1600 watts into 2 ohms

Speaker Terminals: Dual pairs of posts for bi-wiring
WBT - 0702.12 Platinum Plated
Accepts Bananas, spades or wire.

Input: XLR Balanced input, Cardas XLR
Power AC: 20A AC inlet, Furutech Rodhium Plated inlet
Remote: 12V trigger, 3.5m, 20mA
Footers: Stainless Steel Outrigger
GAiA III from Isoacoustics
Size: 350mm (13.7”) W x 220mm (8.7”) H x 495 (20.4”) D without outriggers
460mm (18.1”) W x 275mm (10.8”) H x 495mm (20.4”) D with outriggers
Shipping size: 610mm (24”) W x 355mm (14”) H x 610mm (24”) D
Weight: 25kg (60lbs)

Yes, the ELEMENT Power Amp is low pass filtered. This is required as part of the Class D design that requires an integration of the sound delta's.

However, that is an interesting point you would focus on. All equipment analog and digital has an intentional or unintentional low pass as unlimited bandwidth has many strange effects, and all not to nice on sonics. It is better to have the intentional low pass so performance is predicted and limited.

Here is the set up in Munich from zero - see first picture to the setup room.
The room from the Atrium
The Empty Room

Merrill Audio Equipment and the ELEMENT 118 Power amplifier Monoblocks Ready to go.

The Room setup.

Air core is used and wound for the lowest parasitic. Have not used ribbon as it has other issues like quality, consistency of the thickness of the ribbon etc. Much harder to get it consistent across all production with the same parasites.




Please excuse my brevity......using smartphone with sprained thumb.

Empirical Audio said:

Merrill - very exciting for you. I hope to hear these in the future.

Question: I used to mod Class-D amps for customers, particularly the Carver and Panasonic. Have you ever tried using air-core copper ribbon inductors for the output filters?

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Click to expand...

Here is the room in Munich with the ELEMENT 116 Power Amplifiers Monoblocks - not announced yet!

300/600/1200 watts into 8/4/2 ohms. $22k.