ARC VSI 60 vs Cary SLI 80 or BAT 300xse


I currently own the Cary and BAT integrated amps, and am looking to an ARC VSI 60 to replace the BAT. The amps are used with Verity Parsifal Encores and maybe could use a bit more sparkle and detail. Cables are all Cardas Clear.

I like having 2 integrated amps to switch around for a change in scenery.

What do you think the ARC would bring to the table?
kettle7830
ARC has a new Integrated coming out the VSi-75 it is said to be based on the reference 75 power amp. It is listed on the ARCDB web-site.
I wouldn't trade a BAT 300 for an VSI 60. You won't get more detail. As far as sparkle goes, I have no idea how to define that. Can you be more specific? Also, what's your source and what preamp do you have in the 300x?
I am using the SE (6h30) version of the BAT. Both the Cary and BAT are great sounding in their own way but may lean to the dark and warmer side of the spectrum. Based on past experience with ARC gear (VT-50,LS-15) I was hoping that the VSI-60 would be more on the opposite side of the spectrum.

The VSI-75 sounds like a good solution, however the $8000 price tag is more then I care to spend on a 2nd integrated.
With ARC you have to be careful. Their sound, from piece to piece, is not that consistent. Overall, they do make some great equipment. For comparison, I put my VT100 next to 2 other amps I had at the time; a Rowland 112 and a VAC 30/30. Both had a sound that was noticeably on the darker side compared with the VT100. While that's just a matter of personal taste, something else I can tell you about the 2 is that they were both cleaner and more pure sounding. In the high frequencies, the ARC had a bit of noise or electronic haze to it. To be fair, it wasn't too prevalent unless compared directly to the other 2 amps.

All this is leading up to 1 thing. You really have to find a way to listen to any new gear with what you already have. Its possible that ARC may work very well for you. If I'm not mistaken, your speakers have soft tweeters. Mine don't, and I'm very sensitive to high frequencies. The Verity may be forgiving just in the right place that an ARC piece will benefit from.

Another thing you will probably need to consider is feedback. Your BAT doesn't use any global neg fb. That's part of the reason why it has that dark, pure sound. I know you are looking to get away from that, but if you choose something that uses feedback, I would recommend a really thorough demo, because there will most likely be some trade offs.

Personally, I think your BAT is an excellent piece. If I needed an integrated amp, I wouldn't hesitate to by one myself. Thats why I asked about your source. Both your amp and speakers have enough resolution to easily pick up on any changes you make to your source. That might be something worth looking into. Also, I don't know if you would ever consider separates, but my current system consists of an Aesthetix preamp and a pair of Ayre V-5's. Given your descriptions, you would probably like the combination very much. For your speakers, just 1 amp would probably be more than enough. The combo is much more neutral sounding while still using 0 feedback.
For what it's worth, I owned the Verity Parisfal Encores for 8 years and for most of that time, the amp was the Audio Research Vs55, which was a terrific combination. I've not heard the other amps you list.