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That Transformational piece of Gear We All Wish For

I suspect most of the music/audio lovers on this web site have wished for that piece of gear that literally transforms their system?  I know i have.  I have been going down this audio rabbit hole since the mid 70’s, and there have been a few pieces that made a really nice improvement to my system (the PS Audio P20 Power plant being one of them).  However (and this comment only applies to pre-amps and amps and no other category), nothing that I can ever recall has so energized and improved my system in so many ways as my new pre-amp.  I have owned some really fine brands in the past including Pass,  Coda, ARC, PS Audio,  Rowland, and more, but now I am a BAT Man for sure.   The new pre-amp is the BAT VK-80 and I love that beast.  I hope everyone reading this will get a chance someday to try one in their system.  I know he is a controversial figure,  but Kevin Deal's review of this piece is so right on.  He really loves it too and rightfully so.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv2swa55JXo

 

My system consists of:

Thiel 3.7 speakers

Coda 16 power amp

PS Audio DSD DAC MK II

PS Audio Perfect Wave transport

PS Audio P20 power plant

BAT VK 80 preamp

128x128ronkent
ronkent's avatar
ronkent OP
365 posts
 

Whenever i listen to music, i always throw a blanket over the TV set.  

rlb61
787 posts
 

I started out with a BAT VK-3i preamp and then went to a BAT VK-33 a couple of years ago. I pair the VK-33 with a BAT VK-225se power amp, and the sound is simply astonishing. Great air and detail to the music, and built like a tank as well.

wjcasey3rd
2 posts
 

Thanks all. Don’t mean to disrupt the intent of this thread. But I like your thoughts. I’ll tell her that since we live on a dirt road with horses up and down our streets that I’m just keeping the tv clean. And dust free. Cheers

immatthewj
1,864 posts
 

I like your thoughts. I’ll tell her that since we live on a dirt road with horses up and down our streets that I’m just keeping the tv clean. And dust free.

 

@wjcasey, I’ve never done that myself, as I didn’t think I needed to, as when my rig was in the living room the large TV was flush with a large cabinet and at the time I felt that made a wall in front of the real wall. I may have been wrong about that, but my standards were lower at the time.

But the beauty of the blanket over the TV trick, it seems to me, is how easy it should be to do and undo.

And since you cannot edit typos here for very long after you make them, I note that I typed anything bigger than a bread box between speakers is a "cardinal thread": I meant to type cardinal sin. (I am not a very good typist.)

ghdprentice
6,943 posts
 

Typically having no big objects between the speakers and having the rear wall dampened (not reflective… so just paint or a tv) is a bad thing. But like about all things in this pursuit, it depends. I had my audio racks in between my speakers and a reflective wall above that when I had planar speakers… it did not cause a problem. Although I had to treat (dampen) a one foot high three foot wide section at about five feet up behind the speakers. I switched to dynampic speakers and the audio rack destroyed the sound stage where it was and the reflections above interfered with the imaging. So, for my current system, only my amp in between the speakers and the whole wall heavily dampened does the job.. so, it depends. 

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