My Refurbished Merrill Heirloom
Funny, I don’t even recall how this table came to be mine anymore. It was one of George’s later tables, featuring all of his finest and most refined modifications to improve it. George himself installed the Sumiko FT-4 tonearm with on-the-fly VTA raiser and PIB Box. I knew when I got it, it would be the last table I’d own. A lot of components have come and gone, but that table is still here.
HOWEVER, two years ago I consented to let Anthony Scillia of Merrill-Scillia Ltd completely refurbish it, using the latest refinements from M-S. The following pictures show the result…from the outside, but it’s so much of what’s NOT visible that makes it amazing: the new subchassis is made from the best co-polymer on the market and machined to much tighter tonerances; the bearing well is vastly improved; the spring system for the subchassis features the “machined springs” offered by no other turntable company; and the power supply has been completely re-designed. In typical Anthony fashion, he disassembled everything, and put it all back together with new hardware. For a tonearm, I went with the Ortofon RS-212D and the cartridge is the Benz Micro Ruby Wood 2.
It is very very cool to have the same table and yet a completely different table. Everyone knows that once you get to a certain level with your equipment, it’s hard to produce “night and day” differences. That was true in this case. Still, with every essential piece upgraded, the table reproduces music to a level I’ve not been privileged to hear. (Of course, that’s on my own handpicked system in my own audio room.)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pics. Sorry that certain things could use a little dusting/cleaning.
