BAT Vk-51se

M

Mechnutt

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 18, 2013
Messages
1,431
Location
Minnesota
I just bought and received a BAT VK-51se preamp to replace my Pass Labs X1 preamp. It is paired with my Pass X250 amp and Magnepain 1.6's. The BAT sounds awesome. My 22 y/o budding audiophile son stated that the BAT truly sounds Hi End compared to the X1. I have to agree. The BAT is more musical and has more detail, resolution, depth and texture. Bass is not quite as deep and the X1 has more air and a slightly wider SS. But the bass is tighter with the BAT. I fixed the air and bass by swapping tubes in my DAC.

I had to buy new tubes as it did not come with tubes. I am using the Electro-Harmonix gold pin 6H30's and they need to break in. I have about 6 hours on them now. I expect the sound to improve in the next 25 hours.

I am putting my X1 preamp up for sale. Any one interested, PM me.
 
Congrats!! Like Cary, BAT is really underrated. Tubes in the chain never hurt!

Can we have some pictures?
 
awesome congrats great preamp!!!!! i owned a vk50se and im sure i mentioned that to you already, ive heard the one you bought too and it sounds great!!!! there are upgrades as well, im not 100% sure but in the future i think you can get the super pak upgrade ,which is off the hook good but pricey. best of luck with it.
 
I've had a number of BAT pieces in my system…amps, preamps and their integrated. I enjoyed them all, but my favorite was the VK75SE.

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Thanks guys! I will post some pic's later this weekend. The BAT is breaking in nicely. The BAT overall sounds better than my Pass X1 preamp but it lacks some of the transparency and air that the X1 has. The X1 also sounds better at low volumes, I am not sure, but it may have something to do with the 6dB drop in gain that I am experiencing because my DAC is single ended and I am having to use an RCA to XLR adapter. The X1 had better low freq detail and bass slam but the BAT has a better midrange and HF detail. Hopefully things will improve when I have a few more hours on the tubes.
 
Some final thoughts on the BAT.

The BAT has taken my listening experience to new heights and enjoyment. I spend 2-4 hours a day listening to music. The Pass X1 preamp surely improved the sound of my system but not to the extent of the BAT. The music is more palpable, textured and real sounding, especially vocals. I find myself smiling when listening. I am no longer sitting there and critiquing the sound any more. The pairing of the BAT and the Pass X250 amp is a good one and seems like they were made for each other.

I have been tube rolling my DAC and what I have found is that all the tubes sound good, just some are better than others. This was not the case with my Van Alstine preamp and the X1. I am amazed at how the BAT can take a source signal and make it sound so good.

Another thing that I have noticed and am grateful for is that the BAT makes all my recordings sound good, even the poorly recorded ones which is the complete opposite of what some people have said about their high end gear. Most people say that their high end gear exposes the weaknesses of poorly recorded music. This is not so with the BAT. Yes, you will still be able to tell that it is a poor recording but because the BAT adds depth, detail and spacing between instruments, things just sound better. The hint of tube warmth and darkness helps as well. The Pass X1 did this to some extent but I find I am able to listen to some recordings that I did not want to listen to before with the X1 as they were fatiguing.

I am as close to Audio Nirvana as I can get right now. Adding a better DAC (possibly a Bel Canto 3.5 or a PS Audio MKii) and a pair of Magnepan 1.7's or 3.7i's would push me over the edge I think (of course the new BAT VK-53se and a Pass X250.5 would help too
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).
 
Great post. That's what it's all about. Enjoying the music on our systems. I've given up a little resolution for a ton more musicality. I am so glad you are enjoying your music. We'll done.
 
Mechnutt said:
Some final thoughts on the BAT.

The BAT has taken my listening experience to new heights and enjoyment. I spend 2-4 hours a day listening to music. The Pass X1 preamp surely improved the sound of my system but not to the extent of the BAT. The music is more palpable, textured and real sounding, especially vocals. I find myself smiling when listening. I am no longer sitting there and critiquing the sound any more. The pairing of the BAT and the Pass X250 amp is a good one and seems like they were made for each other.

I have been tube rolling my DAC and what I have found is that all the tubes sound good, just some are better than others. This was not the case with my Van Alstine preamp and the X1. I am amazed at how the BAT can take a source signal and make it sound so good.

Another thing that I have noticed and am grateful for is that the BAT makes all my recordings sound good, even the poorly recorded ones which is the complete opposite of what some people have said about their high end gear. Most people say that their high end gear exposes the weaknesses of poorly recorded music. This is not so with the BAT. Yes, you will still be able to tell that it is a poor recording but because the BAT adds depth, detail and spacing between instruments, things just sound better. The hint of tube warmth and darkness helps as well. The Pass X1 did this to some extent but I find I am able to listen to some recordings that I did not want to listen to before with the X1 as they were fatiguing.

I am as close to Audio Nirvana as I can get right now. Adding a better DAC (possibly a Bel Canto 3.5 or a PS Audio MKii) and a pair of Magnepan 1.7's or 3.7i's would push me over the edge I think (of course the new BAT VK-53se and a Pass X250.5 would help too
14.gif
).
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wow good write up for sure, adding a tube pre to the mix is always a good thing.
 
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