With the Soundlabs, I think I would go with the Bat, it has the dynamics that can really show off your speakers! I own a Herron matched to Merlins and McIntosh Mc2102 tube amp. It's a different set of goals than yours but I love those Soundlabs and If I owned them, I would go with #1,Ayre preamp or #2,Bat or #3,Placette. I would hate to water down the quickness of the Soundlabs with CJ or even my Herron. The Ayre does not have tubes of course but if you put one in your system, you will not care about the tubes! ARC is a possability but I have not heard them so...
BAT VK50SE vs CJ 16LS vs ARC 25mrk II/Ref2
I'm thinking to upgrade my pre-amp from ARC LS2 to a better remote control pre-amp. What is best driving a tube amp (Wolcott) and SoundLab speakers? Is there big difference between ARC ref2 and ARC ref2mrk2? Thanks for any input.