I'm not to good at describing sound. To start with, I subjectively like listening to the RVC as much as the CAT, and since I only have one source and no turntable (my unit includes phono). I felt the CAT was a bit more pre than I needed, especially given the RVC price. I would say the RVC is a bit quiter and even more transparent, with excellent detail retrieval and microdynamic shading, and seperation of sound sources within the soundstage (that is an "artifact" that I like). The CAT is a bit sweeter and perhaps more dynamic (macro). To tell you the truth, I love both. I was especially happy using the RVC as a remote volume for the CAT. I noticed no change in the sound of the CAT with the RVC in use, and I had extremely fine volume-levels to choose from with this set-up. If I don't sell the CAT, I'll probably end up using this set-up, but for now, I don't see the need for both.