ARC LS 25 MK II vs. BAT VK30SE

I was extremely impressed with the vk30Se. I heard it put into my system replacing a pass labs aleph P. Lost a tiny bit of resolution (what wouldn't!), but immediately, and amazingly changed the sonic picture from 2 to 3D. Great piece. That was with a vt100 tube amp. It didn't seem to have anything on the pass labs preamp when used with pass labs amps. I would characterize it as being very transparent for a tube amp, having great low level detail and wonderful imaging. Has the tube magic in spades.

I have the LS 25MKII. I did not do a direct comp with the BAT, but I can tell you that the LS25 is a class A+ preamp. It will not be the weak link in any system at any price in my opinion. The new J-fet input is very quiet and makes the LS25 one of the quietest tube preamps made. I particularly like the selectable gain settings on this unit. The new 6h30 tubes do their job well and are powerful as well.

I have the BAT VK-30SE and ARC Ref 2. Although the Ref 2 is a good preamp, I prefer the BAT. I can't imagine that the LS-25 would be superior to the Ref 2. If it is I would like to know about it. One complaint that I have had with ARC is that they seem to have an upgrade a month. Please get it right the first time. I believe that BAT has in the VK-30SE.

I am considering these two preamps as well. While I have auditioned the LS25 in my system I have not been able to audition the BAT VK30SE. The nearest BAT dealer to me is a 3hr drive. What are the sonic characteristics that folks who prefer the BAT feel are superior to the LS25MkII, or the latest ARC preamps in general?

I believe the 3 hours drive would be worth it. ARC's largest undoings is their design indecision and their insistance on using large amounts of feed-back. The BAT is better.