Installation
Contents
The Merrill Audio Cara preamplifier has – as said – no buttons on the front, so everything is done via the remote control. A voluminous manual will guide you through all the settings but still it is not obvious to get the Cara working and the help of a dealer will come in handy.
The separate Kratos power supply (the same as the more expensive Christine!) is connected to the preamp via a special cable with professional Neutrik connections. A rotary system, which we discover after some searching, keeps the cable stuck.
Once the power supply is connected, the display shows “OFF” to indicate connection. This is followed by a rather complicated start-up procedure in which we have to press two buttons of the remote control (menu and right) at the same time and then perform a fixed sequence of operations with the Apple remote. It’s a bit of a hassle, but after that everything runs smoothly. And you only have to do that once.
You can make a lot of adjustments on the Cara such as adjusting the balance, dimming the screen, adjusting gain and so on. Once you get into the menu, everything is clear. Favorite feature is the ability to equalize the volume of each input. In this way analog and digital sources play equally loud. Remembering the last chosen volume is also a nice trick. That volume goes smoothly from 0 to 99 in steps of 0.5 so we can easily find a suitable sound level. The bandwidth from 8Hz to 200kHz is impressive and you immediately notice it when you listen.
Balanced
The Merrill Audio Cara preamp we connect balanced to a Benchmark AHB2 power amplifier. A Metrum Acoustics Onyx goes in turn balanced to the Merrill Audio Cara. The signal from the Nad M50 enters the Metrum Acoustics Onyx via the aes/ebu connection. A fully balanced set-up! Speakers are our loyal Audio vector Qr1 monitors and our brand new Atc Scm19 V2 monitors.
