My system is also connected to a Bryston SP1.7 processor/Bryston 9B-SST via XLR and unity gain settings from the VK.30.
Synergy was achieved by carefully auditioning each components in my home. It is a costly and time consuming process. I want to thank audiogon for making it possible to buy and sell audio equipment in quest for "audio nirvana". If it does exist!
Realistic sound of instruments, precise soundstaging/imaging and has PRAT. If there is bass in CD, it will find it! A dedicated CD Player with Swiss made Anagram Technologies 24/192Khz upsampling DAC. Fully balanced XLR with optional external power suppply.
Balanced Audio VK-30
Sweet tube sound with SS authority. Holographic in presentation making speakers disappear. Pratty and musical. It uses 6 x6922 tubes (Amperex USA, white label, gold pins, halo getter currently installed) $180 a piece Ouch! Dual Torroids. Fully Balanced circuitry and unistage technology. Can be upgraded by Victor to VK30SE, VK31 or VK31SE status.
Balanced Audio VK-500 w/BAT Pack
The VK-500 w/BAT Pack has substantial improvement sonically over the VK-200 that I had. It also significantly betters the VK-200 across the entire frequency range. The VK-500 is extremely fast and has authoritative bass and palpable mids. It is not the last word in detail reproduction making it non-fatiquing and musical engaging. Fully Balanced circuitry @250Watts x 2 ch + additional 1100 joules power from BAT Pack. No negative feedback. Extremely fast, powerfull and dynamic. It has dual toroids, power cords and switch...a true monoblock in a single chassis for convenient and easy placement. Real World performance translates to extremely fast dynamics, lifelike and effortless. Sorry not for Sale.
Sonus Faber Grand Piano
Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home, made in Italy. My SF provides excellent imaging, Transparency, and beauty. One of the best entry level speakers from Sonus Faber.
REL Acoustics Storm mkIII
This sub crossed over below @30Hz fine tuned to seemlesly integrate with the Sonus Faber. It never attracts attention to itself. I does what it supposed to do.
Richard Gray 400s
Richard Gray Power Company for enhanced detail and even blacker noise floor.
I added a pair of vintage McIntosh MC-60 monoblock amps and Richard Gray 400Pro. Sounds really good now but I think I missed the bass impact on my BAT VK-500. Don't get me wrong, the McIntosh MC-60 is no slouch! It is a well designed tube amplifier.
I upgraded my BAT VK30 preamp to VK31 with Six Pak. This upgrade is not cheap by no means. I am proud to say that it is all worth every penny. With everything else the same, the BAT midrange sound is more natural sounding. It now has even better dynamics and bass impact. Imaging is holographic. Highly recommended!
Hi Paul, I think 2x VK-200 would sound different than a single VK-500 simply because they are two different amps (you knew that). The VK-200 would probably give you more bass slam. I wonder if it can be converted to mono? If you have one or two of them just laying around, then I would definitely try it. Let us know your findings. The VK-200 is an excellent sounding amplifier.
My system has evolved. It is worth noting that prior to having the Balanced Audio VK-500 amp; I used to use the BAT VK-200 amp. BAT VK-200 is 125watts per channel and weighs 58lbs or 26.3KG.
Like all BAT ss amps, it is fully balanced design and single-ended bridge topology. It is an old and simple design. Victor Khomenko (BAT designer) stated in one of my phone conversations with him that his design utilizing only 2 gain stages and no negative feedback gets you closer to the music. Well I am a true believer of that notion. "This direct emotional connection to music" is even more evident when I switched to the BAT VK-500 amp.
The VK-500 ss amp weighs 108 lb. or 48 kg! It has the same fully balanced design and single-ended bridge topology. I have a friend who helped me move this beast around. Dual mono with two power cords much like a mono-block in one single chassis. It has 24 transistors per channel and boasting 250 watts ch at 8ohms and nearly doubles in 4ohms.
An additional BAT pack can be installed for even more reserve. Sonically, BAT pack which is two rows of 10,000uF capacitors supposed to smooth out the bass response giving music its delicacy. The BAT pack also gives it more power reserves for those hard to drive speakers. Thats an additional 120,000uF of reserve power per channel! Speaking of bass, the VK-500 can dish out some gut kicking bass accurately! It is not the quantity of bass that amazes me but its the quality and speed. Ah yes, the VK-500 therefore betters the VK-200 in everyway. The only down side to this upgrade is that it now uses more electricity and generates more heat. If I leave this amp on 24/7, it can double my electricity bill.
So what does this translate into what I hear? All else being equal, I sensed better overall dynamics, transparency and delicacy. Soundstaging and stereo imaging is holographic. Impressive in low volume levels. It is musical and natural sounding. Vocals seem to have that vibrancy and shows emotions. It is probably very close to being SET amps but with lots of power.
I used to have a Modwright tube modified DVP NS999ES prior to Talk 3.1b CD player. I very much like the Talk 3.1b for it's realism of sound of instruments, excellent detail retrieval and PRAT. It's top-end is silky smooth while the bottom end is robust. If there is bass in the CD, the Talk 3.1b will find it. It integrates well with my BAT system. I also auditioned Arcam and Naim 5x CDp. I always go back to the sound of the Talk 3.1b. You have to spend over $2500 to get a better sound!
