2. amps-preamps
  3. 1075666919

Battle of the BAT's, VK-60 vs. VK-220

My dealer has recomended BAT for my next amp. I am trying to figure out which is my best BAT, uhm bet (pun intended) He has helped me narrow it down to these two amps, a VK-60 or VK-200. I only want to purchase from him based on my past expereinces so these are the only two I will consider. Who has put the VK-60 head to head with the VK-200? I have a new pair of Von Schweikert VR4 jr's, Audible Illusions L1, Parasound transport with a Benchmark DAC & listen to rock & roll exclusively. I am replacing my McCormack DNA-1 with either amp. I tend to listen to my music at higher levels, about 90-100 db on average.

A nice tube amp intrigues me & later down the road I can purchase another one for a set of mono's. My worry is that the VK-60 will not have enough power & authority to drive the VR jr's to their potential.

I enjoy the bass slam a powerful solid state amp will give me. I have never heard a really good tube amp or any BAT product so I am a little aprehensive. He will allow me to return either so it won't be such a big risk, I'd only be out shipping. The solid state is apealing b/c of the extra power.

Tubes are romantic but will they cut the mustard with the kind of music I generally listen to driving a pair of 89db speakers? The VK-220 certainly has enough power but will I miss the "magic" of tubes? There are enough devotees to both sides so please let the battle begin!
fishwater

Showing 2 responses by gunbei

gunbei
2,327 posts
 
Cdma,

I had an Aleph 3 in my home for a month and was able to compare it at length to my VK200. It's interesting, because in my many ways especially tonally I thought they were quite similar.

The VK200 presents a noticeably wider soundstage than the Aleph 3, but I feel the Aleph 3 does a better job of layering front to back. So with the Aleph I got a better sense of the musician's placement albeit on a narrower soundstage.

The Aleph 3 had a more delicate nature, while the VK200 was far more dynamic. I think much of this had to do with the low 23Kohm input imedance of the Aleph, which my Blue Circle BC21 apparently had a tough time driving.

If it weren't for the impedance issues and to a lesser degree the narrower soundstage, I would have kept the Aleph 3. But six months later, I am still quite happy with the VK200.

Good luck.
gunbei
2,327 posts
 
Fishwater, it's great to hear that you've spent a happy year with the VK60.

I noticed your virtual system hasn't been updated to reflect the addition of the BAT. Are any other components different in your set up?

Also, you list a McCormack DNA1 as part of your system. Do you still have this amp or was it replaced by the VK60? Were you able to draw a sonic comparison between the two? I've always wondered how the DNA1 would compare to my VK200.
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