Tube or Solid State Preamp- BAT or AR


Dear Audiogon Friends;

I am in the process of putting together a two channel audio system and I want to get a good preamp either solid state or tube to go with the system.
I don't need it to have a phono stage. I am looking to spend in the range of $1000 to $1500 for a used but in excellent condition Preamp and I have narrowed it down to these two preamps, either a Balanced Audio Technology VK20 or VK-3i or an Audio Research LS2BMKII or MKIII(hybrid),SP-9,LS15 or any other in the AR price range. Is the Sp line better than the LS line?

My two channel stereo amplifier is going to be a Parasound Halo A21.

I will greatly appreciate your opinions in choosing which one of these two great companie's preamps will be a better choice.

Regards,

Carlos.
nypr2003
Why not a tube unit from Cayin. Sweet sound, great value and if you are not pleased, great resale value. Forget the Parasound for now
If you read through a lot of the posts, etc., I think you'll find listeners generally describing ARC tube gear as more "neutral" (i.e., less warm and "tubey") and the BAT gear to be somewhat darker. For me, a warm sound with lots of lower mids and bottom is the way to go. I tried an LS15 and found it entirely unsatisfactory. It lasted in my system for about 2 days, then I had it modified by Great Northern Sound. That was a signficant improvement, but then I got a BAT VK31 (not the SE), and found it to be more pleasant. But that's in accord with my own biases.

(When I hear someone describe some piece of gear as "neutral," now days the words "intolerably bright" jump into my head...though it's not always that way.)
I've owned eqipment from all makers you mention.
Sonically, I find them all worthy.
Only advice is to learn about impedance matching and go with the best fit. The rest is up to your ears...