What to listen to. BAT, ARC, VTL


I'm in the process of upgrading. I bought a pair of Vandersteen 5's and am looking at Amplifiers. I have heard an ARC vt100 mkIII and liked it paired with my BAT VK5i upgraded to SE. Has anyone listened to VTL monos? I'm looking at the 450's so I can keep my current cables and perhaps save a few bucks replacing cable. The other thing I was considering was the BAT VK500 which, to my ears, sounds less like a solid state amp than anything I've ever heard. Any suggestions?
128x128jeffmazen
I second the suggestion for BAT VK150 SEs. They are great at everything. I would guess that they would mate especially well with the Vandersteen 5.
I have heard the 5's driven by all BAT electronics (VK-5i and VK-60 tube amp) at my dealer and it was a wonderful combination. I'd check out the new BAT tube amp (VK-75?), which uses the same remarkable tube as your upgraded VK-5i and the ARC VT100 Mk. III. YMMMV, but the Vandersteen 5's, with their built in powered sub, usually don't need a lot of power to drive the tops.
which is best for wadia 861 and pass x350. preamp iam thinking bat 50se 0r sonic frontier line 3. all connected with syn.des.ref active and speaker. well cables match up with either pre.