former BAT vk200 owners-what did you move up to?


Greetings,
Any former owners of the BAT VK-200 amp that have moved UP to other amplifiers.....what did it take to get "better" than the vk-200? Anybody had one and ended up coming back to it? Your comments on your experiences are appreciated.
Happy Listening!
soundsgr8tome
I went to the VK60. Midrange was incredibly better. Vk200 was a little quieter. Bass a little tighter. Typical solid state vs tube stuff. I'd like to try 2 vk-60s or a vk75se.
If your speakers allow for biamping, you might want to consider adding BAT tubes to the VK-200. Heard this combination (tubes on top/VK-200 on bottom) at a BAT seminar and it yielded the best of both products. All BAT amps have the same gain so no external crossover was required.
I found the Plinius SA 100 mk II/III significantly more detailed, with deeper soundstage, and more air around the instruments. I owned both the BAT and the Plinius at the same time, and compared them often.
The price you pay is somewhat less bass slam with the Plinius (the BAT, in my system, had OUTSTANDING bass extension and slam).
The Plinius might not be your cup of tea, however, unless you're looking for a somewhat brighter amp, though the Plinius is more neutral than bright. I found the BAT to be the warmest solid state amp I've tried, so if you're not looking to go any brighter, you should consider tubes.
The BAT also softened sibilance problems in various recordings, but a the expense of detail.
Note that I was using Pro Ac Response 3.5 speakers with a Meridian digital front end going directly into the amp.
Good luck!
Steve
I used the BAT in my home for almost a month. It had already been broken in by the dealer, and I liked it. I was driving my Talon Peregrines with it.
However, I heard an Electrocompaniet AW 250DMB at another dealer, and he was driving a pair of Peregrines with it. I couldn't get over it, or the price! $6000.00!!!! That's a lot of cash.......
I saw one on E-Bay a month later and didn't hesitate. It has been great to come home and listen to music ever since. Right now, there are two AW 250DMB's on the classified block here on A-Gon. My advice is buy one of them. You will not be disappointed.
I must tell you though, that the advice given above for bi-amping with the BAT's is extremely intriuging. I never thought of bi-amping with the BAT's, and it would have to work really, really well. You wouldn't need a crossover, and the gain would have to be damn near identical. It's ashame that the Peregrine's are not bi-ampable, cause that is an experiment worth trying!

Good luck.............
Here's what my listening experiences were.....let me know if you agree. I had a Mark Levinson 23.5. Then a Coda 11.5 which sounded better then the ML. Then Clayton M100 monoblocks which were better then the Coda. Then a Plinius 100 MkIII which sounded not near as good as the Clayton monos. Then a Clayton s40 which was almost as good (96%) as the M100 monoblocks (more bass with the monos), and definitly better than the Plinius, Coda, and ML. Anyone heard both the Clayton S40 AND the BAT vk200 and compared them?