Greg,
First off I would recommend that you stay with just one brand, in this case both manufacturers offer a complete line of products so you're lucky.
I can only speak about the BAT gear so hear goes. To get the most out of their preamps that have the supertube, you should have a 20 amp dedicated circuit just for the preamp and no line conditioner, etc. Their supertube products are like nitro fueled cars you need the nitro fuel to get their full potential. So if you are sharing components on one line and using a line conditioner, etc., their 6922 versions are better suited for you.
I would only recommend buying their used gear if you are capable of repairing and upgrading the parts of the unit you are buying. For me the best preamp they made for the money is either the 31SE and 51SE (the more power hungry unit- 8 supertubes). By changing out and upgrading all the caps both units can almost rival a stock Rex preamp.
As for your 31, it's one hell of a great unit if you change out and upgrade all the caps and beef up selective ones.
First off I would recommend that you stay with just one brand, in this case both manufacturers offer a complete line of products so you're lucky.
I can only speak about the BAT gear so hear goes. To get the most out of their preamps that have the supertube, you should have a 20 amp dedicated circuit just for the preamp and no line conditioner, etc. Their supertube products are like nitro fueled cars you need the nitro fuel to get their full potential. So if you are sharing components on one line and using a line conditioner, etc., their 6922 versions are better suited for you.
I would only recommend buying their used gear if you are capable of repairing and upgrading the parts of the unit you are buying. For me the best preamp they made for the money is either the 31SE and 51SE (the more power hungry unit- 8 supertubes). By changing out and upgrading all the caps both units can almost rival a stock Rex preamp.
As for your 31, it's one hell of a great unit if you change out and upgrade all the caps and beef up selective ones.