BAT VK P5 VS P10

Jfrech is exactly right in everything he says. I have a P10SE with Superpak. It sounds better without using the transformers. The XLR input will provide the extra gain as mentioned and will have a lower noise floor also.
FYI - I recently sent my unit in to get the auto DC balance mod rather than adjusting the DC balance manually which I had been doing since I purchased the unit. Several months ago, Victor changed to an AC balance circuit which he feels works better than the DC balance circuit. That is the latest mod for the P10SE.

I really appreciate all the input given and will now patiencely wait til a P10 SE with a Superpak is offered. At this point reading all the reports and reading what is being mentioned here it makes only logical sense to search in that direction.

Again thank you for all the support on the matter.

Enjoy music!

I absolutely love my VK-P10SE Superpak (which I purchased from Jfrech!). I sent it to BAT last May for the AC balance and new-style superpak upgrade. It is serial number 027, and has been incrementally upgraded over the past several years first by John and now by me. Unfortunately, due to the age of the circuit board, they did not feel comfortable changing the transformers to the Lundahl units (which is a non-issue for me, as I do not use the transformer). Whatever you do, get the serial number of the unit you are considering and check with Victor or Vladimir at BAT to determine the history of the unit and the potential for future upgrades (such as the AC autobalance circuit). I highly recommend the VK-P10SE superpak!!

That is correct, Victor has explain to me that the revision# on the PC board is important to note. BAT will only do the latest version.

I will have to request for the revision# prior purchasing.

John as you have quoted:

"I suspect the XLR input on the p10 might be the help you need. It add's 6db of gain (plus being balanced which rejects more noise)"

Should I use low or high gain. I assume that there might be some degradation, when switched to high gain output.

Thank you for your support.

Audiogalore - With my P10SE, I use high gain and direct(without transformers) for a variety of MC cartridges. I don't hear any degradation from low to high gain but I do with the transformers.