Will buy Pre-amp today, help please !!

I've owned the 5i but never heard the CAT. The 5i is a great preamp. It was Stereophile Class A, if that means anything to you. Be advised that it only has XLR inputs and outputs. You may need to buy XLR/RCA adapters for it, depending on your system requirments. Overall I was very pleased with the 5i. I only sold it after upgrading to the 30SE. Good luck.

I just received and hooked up my BAT VK3i yesterday, and
if the VK5i sounds even better than mine, you're going to love it! I'm using an Odyssey Stratos amp and Hales T-5 speakers, and I love the BAT! Good luck.
Dave

If I had to make a decision right now between the two,it would be neither.They are both good products however you can do better for that kind of money.Have you looked into any used ARC gear?

i like the cat, but the rest of my system is single ended, and i think the bat may be only balanced. the single ended versus balanced would be the key determiner for me. hope this helps.

these posts kinda humour me...sedond has the best advice..listen for yourself. Not everyone has the same other pieces of gear you have, they have different tastes in music, hearing, etc..you are considering outlaying a lot of cash...make your own decision....