BAT VK-600 vs Pass XA100.5

After having the Joule LA300 in the system for several weeks, I am very happy to have the BAT Rex back.

The Joule overall is smooth and warm, and has a pleasant midrange that immediately stands out. It made pop, rock, and jazz sound very nice, even with less than the best recordings or even subpar performers. For classical solo and small ensembles, it had a very good and inviting sound.

The BAT makes brass bite, massed strings shimmer, woods vibrate, and violins sparkle. It excels at texture, detail, lower end defintion, and dynamics. It provides some excitement, and a live feeling. Large orchestral pieces are well delineated and powerful. You can dial-in the excitement and dynamics by adding NOS 6H30 tubes. I find using all 8 NOS 6H30 tubes to be a bit over-the-top for my taste. Right now, I have a pair of NOS tubes, and the other 3 pairs are new Sovtek, and it seems to provide a very good balance.

Perhaps the BAT is simply synergistic with the Pass XA.5. The Joule LA450 seems very interesting, but without a home demo, I am unlikely to take the plunge. Right now, I am very satisfied with what I hear.

Hello Rtn1,

I also have experience with both REX and LA-300 and in many respect it matches yours and as a cello player I prefer "300" - its sounds (mosatly midrange where life is) more authentic to my ears, more as real cello including bottom octaves.

REX has tremendouns power supply, technologically may be better then "300" and its bass control is iron clad, no question here. With LA-300 I have similar bass, may be not as tight but somewhat richer and more accurate and I prefer it again (very slightly) by Joule-Electra. This preamp drives my Spectrons amps and B&W 802N speakers

Two points: for my ears the Cardas wire always show very good midrange but somewhat weak bass. I am not familiar with Jade Audio but all hi-end J-E preamps have David Elrod hook-up wire and I listen with David's interconnects which clearly add to the synergy.

Secondly, if you prefer XLR and very powerful power supply then you should compare REX not with "300" but with LA-450ME. Its power supply contains three times more energy then LA-300 and in separate chassis( and while its less important REX and 450 cost about the same while 300 is about 50% cheaper....)

To say that you made poor choice with REX - nobody will.
Congratulation!

Hi Dob, I appreciate your observations.

I did ask about getting the LA450 for demo, but that was not possible without purchasing it. I agree that the Cardas cables and RCA connectors need to be considered in the comparison, which is why I offered that caveat. I personally think Cardas adds a haze to the midrange, and is soft on the top and bottom.

But I actually think the Rex has a better and more realistic midrange in my system. This surprises me, because the Joule midrange was quite intriguing for a week. But as time passed, it became smooth, less intersting, and less real. Perhaps the Joule is too cloying with the Pass amp, and it is a synergy issue.

I do believe the LA450 is a different beast, and would probably provide much more power and control. But for now, my curiosity has been addressed.

In any event, it is clear you are a music lover, and I am sure the combination you have put together is wonderful in it's own right.

Thanks for updating your observations, Rtn1 (and you too, Dob).

I love my Joule LA-150 SE but I do wish the bass was better.

"I love my Joule LA-150 SE but I do wish the bass was better... "

Hello Madfloyd:

You should have very good bass. Check you impedance matching (already mentioned above) and cables.

If you can afford David Elrod Gold Statement then you would improve your bass (and midrange and tops and your life) very substantially.

If its too expensive - I use for my power amps the most recent power cord by Spectron Audio, Thunderbolt which is 3.5 time cheaper then Elrod. Nobody beats Elrod overall, nobody ...but in my system, with Spectron power cord, the bass is better: much deeper, tighter etc. My ears are not that they were 100 years ago but with deep bass its easy, I judge it by vibrations in my chest and my guts - I am sure you know what I am talking about and with Thunderbolt, its unquestionably "greater" experience (for me).

Elrod speaker cables (starting from silver and relatiely affordable) are excellent and will bring your missing bass, pronto!!!

I don;t know good and affordable interconnects to recommend, sorry

All The Best In you Quest For Bass