ARC LS 25 MK II vs. BAT VK30SE

Having done head to head listening comparison in my system of ARC Ref 1 and BAT VK50SE the 50SE was the clear winner. ARC makes a good product, don't get me wrong, however I find their "house sound" a little much. To me the ARC's have a bump in the upper mids that is annoying and a sheen or sibilance that is just not present in the BAT product. BTW, I was a happy owner of an ARC SP-11 for many years, UNTIL I demo'd BAT preamp in my home. After that.......

Sold my LS15 to upgrade, thought I would get LS25 or Ref 1 or 2. I bought a Sonic Frontier Line 3 without audition to it, but what a surprise! Much more open and transparent, more neutral as well. ARC always tries to retain that little bit of "warmth", so music can be colored.

I used several ARC preamps over the years and have always thought very highly of them. The LS2b, SP14 were superior to many others at similar price points. I switched to Modulus 3a and also found it to be very good, however, my last change, about 18 months ago was to the CARY SLP-98 with Tungsols and KenRad VT231 tubes. WOW, what a differenc a great preamp with superior tubes can make. I auditioned the BAT 60 and 30SE preamp last weekend at a dealer with my wife, and we were very impressed with the soundstage depth, presence and liquid presentation on female vocals. Our next move will probally be to the BAT amps, but my CARY stays! Highly recommend you put it in the 3K price point search for musical satisfaction. Hope the helps.

I have replaced, recently, the stock 6922s in my LS25 with the 6H23s from Upscale. The improvement in the performance of the preamp is unbeleivable. Improvements include: dynamics, bass authority and focus, increased robustness and sweetness in the midrange, more extended highs and greater overall coherence and musicality. I have heard all the above preamps including the LS25 MKII, and I would not trade my LS25 with the new tubes for any of them.

I'm using a ref 1 now. Has anyone had good experiences with nos tube swaps with these ? Recommendations ? (please try to keep the tube cost under $25 ea). The ref 1 take eight of them! How much are the 6H23s from Upscale ?