Balanced Pre for Bi Amping Recommendations Please

BAT pres are balanced and the 3 and the 5 would fall inyour budget. They have at l east one set of balanced outputs and multiple balanced inputs. Check their web site for details. Great sounding products from a company that provides excellent post-sales support, even of used products.

One thing to keep in mind: just because a unit has XLR outputs does not mean that the product itself is truly balanced.

If you need two sets of truly balanced outputs, the BAT 3 or VK3 series will not work as they only have one set of balanced outputs. The VK5 series has two sets and does fit into your price range. "Transparency" and "neutrality" are of course subjective in comparison to another product. The BAT line stages have incredible dynamics and bass but tend to be a wee bit soft on the top.

Another product in your price range is the ARC LS5. Like the VK5 series, the LS5 is a truly balanced product and it also has two sets of balanced outputs. The LS5 does not have the low-end extension but it does have a little more presence on the top.

Both the models above have NO single-ended inputs or outputs. And they are from the 1994-1997 time frame.
Do a search here for these two models to get an idea on the pros/cons of each.

John

Perhaps you already know, but if you are thinking that (for example) bi-amping with 2 amps at 200 wpc is like having 400 wpc, it's not. It doesn't work that way...

Audio Research LS-10 is solid state and it has two sets of balanced outputs. It fits your description for the desired sound and it sells for around $1,800-$2,000 used. They pop up here on the 'Gon periodically. It has been called the best SS offering from AR ever.

I sold mine 5 months ago. I just bought another one last week and I'm awaiting delivery.