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BAT to BAT - What's Best?

In the wild and wooly world of subjective 'discernment' or taste with system synergies, and the uproarious and ridiculous costs of cables these days. I am at a loss in deciding upon the appropriate IC between a BAT VK5i and VK500.

I suppose what I am trying to figure out here is how to narrow the "must try" IC's for the BAT gear.

Any experiences from previous BAT owners that have had tube preamps, and solid state amps, would be more than appreciated.. . for there are far too many to go through as far as I am concerend.

the end I seek is one with richness, and a quality sound. with emphasis on the mid and bottom ends.....naturally the highs should be natural and sweet. Great imaging and tonal balance is most important.. . given the above info.

....and cost IS an object.

ones I've already tried, or currently own...
Monster M1000, - just not for me...
Nordost Blue heaven - far better but still lacking...
shunyata Aries - a definite NO
Harmonic Tech Magic - Not bad but lacks the imaging thing
MIT Magnum 3 III - thus far the better cable overall, with little compromise

...and the one I am using now
Cardass Neutral Ref - Just a real good value, but lacks bottom end, and only average in imaging. Nothing outstandingly good or bad here. just not what I'd like....

So what's your experiences? It would be a real help for me to "cull the herd" so to speak.

MANY THANKS
blindjim
philjolet's avatar
philjolet
2,306 posts
 
I think with the quality of amplification you have you should at least buy something like AZ silver ref or Audience AU24 or (what I use) Audio Note AN-V.

All three of these cables offer terrific bang for the buck.

If you are not using at least this level of cable I think you are severely limiting your sound.
larryken
537 posts
 
I have the exact same BAT combo you do..I use Nordost Quattro Fil interconnects..SPM cables and Shunyata Black Mambas on the gear...front end is a VkD5se...guess I like BAT! I had used MIT and Blue Heaven but the Quattro Fil are something else...can buy reasonable previously owned on this site.
banksfriend
132 posts
 
I used Signal Cable's Balanced 2 interconnect between my VK500 and 3i along with their shotgun biwire speaker cable. I was very happy with the performance and even happier with the cash left in my pocket (although not for long, being an audiophile ain't cheap).
rello
311 posts
 
I have all BAT gear and very happy using Audioquest DBS cables. Depending on your budget you can go with Panther or Cheetah. I use Cheetah and find that it has detail, texture, and still has a very even tonal balance with high end extension and bass weight /detail. These are the best silver cables I have listened to (if you exclude AQ Sky).
tripper
223 posts
 
Lots of deep pockets here. A renowned maker of OTL gear once told me he uses Belden microphone cable. It was his belief that balanced cable mitigates many of the shortcomings of RCA cables/connectors. Just one man's opinion, of course. BAT and your dealer would probably say something else all together.

Cables like Canare, Cobalt, bettercables.com and bluejeanscables.com all offer great values and might get you there. Way too much voodoo in cable land, but that is not to say the above suggestions are invalid. What's important is that you hear the difference, which is not always for the better.

Try fatwyre.com for loans and suggestions. Best of luck in your quest.
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