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

hey Mammouth, ever think about going to a Dragon cord? there is no end to this wonderful madness.

but you are so right about there being nothing weak about this preamp. there is not one sonic attribute that it seems lacking in.

OK, the Ref6 came out and the VK-80 went in tonight all other components left unchanged.  The soundstage and overall feel of the 80 is still “smaller” but it comes across more tonally accurate and micro details are more present. The imaging is more precise in that the images are more laid back and smaller but better defined in space with sharper edges. In comparison, the Ref6 may be a bit extra in its presentation, sometimes too much bass in my setup, it is more forward and sounds big but the 80 is more refined and engaging depending on the track. In summary, I like both and can’t sell them, Such is the insanity of this hobby. Thanks all for a good conversation. 

Hello, 

For me it was ditching my PS Audio 300 watt monoblocks.  They couldn't control my MARTIN LOGAN ESL woofers.  I thought the muddy bass was a room problem, them I switched to a D-Sonic amp and Voila!  Clean right bass.

Transformational.

This may be a sideways answer, but here it is: the biggest transformation I've had in audio came not from a single device, but from changing to a new class of devices. Specifically, when I stopped using various delta-sigma DACs and started using multibit or NOS DACs, everything changed.

Admittedly I never had the funds or the space to ride the delta-sigma elevator to penthouse level; allegedly some of the large, expensive d-s implementations rock one's world. But when I ditched midrange d-s for midrange mutibit or NOS DACs, my entire relationship with digital changed. I simply stopped wincing when I turned up the volume; stopped dreading that moments when the massed violins get their loudest; stopped accepting that dry, unreal tonality and timbre.

I now own 3 NOS DACs and have a 4th in house for review (a loaner). They don't sound identical; some of the differences are meaningful to me. But as a class, these four are far better than any delta-sigma DAC I ever heard, and far easier to live with.