BAT VK-600 vs Pass XA100.5

There's nothing wrong with any of the items and I've tried them all with the Bat. I'm not selling them because they sounded 'bad', I bought some of them simply to audition to see if they bettered my current fav.

Some I would prefer to keep (especially the Fire) but cannot afford to at the moment.

It's been a great learning experience and I have now found a combo that works for my taste and my room.

Joule Electra LA-150 SE / BAT VK-600 SE

There are some other electronics I'd love to try someday (e.g. BAT preamp, Spectron amps).

Madfloyd, I'm surprised you like the Joule if bass is a top priority.

Yes, you should certainly try a BAT preamp. The Joule will probably have a slightly better midrange. The BAT will have better dynamics and lower frequency definition.

Interesting. The Joule is highly regarded for its bass (at least that was the focus of Harry Pearson’s review in TAS).

I’d love to try a BAT preamp (and hopefully will someday), but somehow I’ve also got the impression (from reading posts here) that it would be darker sounding than the Joule. I could be wrong of course, but like bass, the highs are something that can be problematic with tube preamps so I worry about this.

I thank you for your thoughts.