Weight, power

Electronic, lack of fine detail, odd timbre, bright, thin

To complement the post below; after a further three weeks my amp has improved, but is still not as good as it was. Whatever blew up (I'm told it wasn't necessarily an output board, just "a component" replaced in one channel only) and was replaced has really screwed it up. A definite mystery.

In its defence, this amp is powerful and still gets my feet tapping. When fully warm it can give a good impression of depth and OK stage width. However the timbre of instruments is wrong, it sounds bright and metallic/electronic, especially when cold, and there's a definite loss of fine detail. On "Unplugged" I can easily hear Clapton's feet tapping through a small Sony AV amp I have to hand; on the BAT I'd never noticed it before and had to go back to listen for it. The Elgar/Purcell don't have anything like the same midband sweetness and come across as very matter-of-fact.

So out the BAT goes and in comes something else. My only constraint is getting a good price for the BAT, I guess it might suit someone else's system.

Similar Products Used:

Jeff Rowland Model 2

Control, smoothness, bass

None

Further to Bazza's review, if you have invested in a VK500 with Bat Pak, do it justice by spending a few hundred extra dollars on after market power cords. They will transform it and eliminate any potential concerns about the sound being "thin" and "slow". Keep in mind that all high current devices need quality AC!

Gives my Thiel CS 2.3's real depth and fullness. Everything sounds more like actual instrument and voice.

None

I added the VK 500 amplifier to a system that was powered by a Denon AVR 5700 (sounded really good). There is a Thiel center speaker, a Sunfire MK II sub, and Definitve Technology BPX surrounds. Most of the cable is Monster, with 2.2's to the Thiel front speakers. I have a Sony 7700 DVD/CD player, with a bel canto DAC 1 up sampler DAC. The VK 500 made a great difference in this system (I added Harmonic Technology AC11 power cords). I think this is a wonderful amplifier. I have listened to this system with the Krell FBP 200 and an Aragon 8088BB (not sure these designations are accurate) and I like the smoothness and fullness of the BAT VK 500. I don't understand the number of really low reviews. Maybe there is a bad synergistic problem with the other components in these systems but in mine, I wouldn't trade for anything without spending an awful lot more money and then I am not sure what I would get. It would probably be a whole new system. I am completely happy with the BAT VK II.

Do you want to read a true story about awakening into Audiophile reality? I’ve owned a Wadia 860x CD player and Martin-Logan reQuest speakers for 3 years, all hooked up through a Sony receiver. I thought they sounded great, but was I wrong! Recently, I bought a VK500 amplifier, a VK50SE preamp, Nordost Quattro Fil interconnects and Red Dawn Rev.II speaker cables.

After 200 hours of nasty noise from my XLO break-in disc, the system sounded good, really good. The system sounded better than my own very high expectations (validation of my buying decision – MARVELOUS!). I found the system utterly engaging. I poured through every CD I owned and rediscovered music I had long forgotten. Every CD I played sounded good beyond my expectation. In fact, the performance of the Wadia and Logans, leapt to a mind-boggling level of sound quality, driven by the BAT equipment. Detail that I never new existed on my favorite CDs suddenly appeared! Let me rephrase that, Detail that I never thought could be placed on a CD suddenly appeared! The balanced Audio Technology equipment caused a glorious transformation!

As 300 hours passed, the system progressively sounded better! I realized that the language I began using to describe the sound to my friends mirrored that of Stereophile magazine’s finest reviews. Laser focused detail, lifting veils, musical fluidity, palpable sound, blackness, air, extended highs, clearly defined lows, invisible speakers, live breathing musicians on a wide, deep, clearly defined sound stage- suddenly I understood exactly what those colorful descriptors meant!

As 400 hours passed, the soundstage expanded and fell backward off the speakers, instruments developed a tightly defined focus around which complete blackness formed, and, on a good recording, the soundstage emanated from a point behind the back wall and spread easily beyond the side wall. At the same time, a breathtaking, gently articulated back to front reverberation attached itself to focal voices and instruments that continues to send chills up my spine every time I hear it. I had no idea this level of engineering and sound reproduction was possible!

As I write this, I feel I risk sounding foolish. I feel as though I’m describing the sound characteristics of the high 5-figure systems utilized for many of Stereophile’s component reviews. Yet, the sound of this low 5-figure system conveys a level of musical clarity I’ve never heard in any audiophile showroom in Chicago. The BAT equipment mated to Martin-Logans through Nordost cables is stunning. The ReQuests turned out to be better than any speaker I’ve heard under $15,000. Nordost cables are magical, and I’ve never heard anything more neutral than Quattro Fil in their price range.

I’m not forgetting the Wadia 860X. It is the source – say no more. Every time I hear the sound of my system improve, I feel a deeper respect for the astonishing quality of Wadia products. Without the ability of the Wadia to produce an audiophile source signal, the downstream components would be fighting a lost battle.

So, here’s the point about awakening into audiophile reality. Reliable information is the key to making the right investment and getting the most from your investment. It is clear to me, that without the information I obtained from Audio Review, Stereophile, manufacturer’s websites, and discussions with experts, I would have either made a purchase mistake, or, even worse, never heard the true potential of the equipment I purchased. You just read reliable information.

Transparency, bass, smooth detail

Cost

After upgrading my Aragon 8008BB to the BAT VK500 with BatPak and living with it for almost 6 months, I am surprised by the mixed reviews that I read here. Perhaps I have been lucky with its' marriage to my Theta front-end and Sonic Frontiers Line 3, but this is a very good amp. Although it is no match for the Krell FPB 600, it does offer comparison to the FPB 200 at a significant cost saving. Could it be that the "close-to" single-ended design with no feedback (like the Pass designs) is just so different to most of our ears that we think it to be wrong? Could it be similar to how we perceive Magneplanar speakers when we first hear them? They are detailed, open and transparent with exceptional bass accuracy but they are so different sounding from "boxes" that we firstly think that they are not RIGHT! Well, like the Maggies, the VK500 is "RIGHT". It is different from most solid state gear - it is easy to listen to for long periods without fatigue.
The BAT is similar to Pass amps but with more slam and involvement. Yes, I would rather have a FPB 600 but at a fraction of the cost, this one does it for me. 4.5 rating only because the Krell gets a 5.

Similar Products Used:

Aragon 8008BB, Krell FPB 200

I've been living with the VK-500 for a year now and have not heard any other amp do as many things so well. Transparency that reveals the recording's deepest corners. Leading edge transients that are scarily fast and make drums sound especially tasty. Harmonics and timberal accuracy. You name it, the VK-500's got it.
I have a good friend who has always sworn by tubes (Cary SLM-100s) and vinyl (VPI MK3). We have the same speakers and cables. Well, he came over one evening with his usual solid state attitude and the VK-500 blew him away so hard he couldn't listen to his own system for a week. Heh, heh, heh.

This is one killer amp.

If theres one thing to comment on this amp, it would be that it gets HOT!!! I recently gave a call to Victor and he said thats normal. He also included that if im hooking a low impedance speaker, it'll make it hotter, since my spaekers are Hales Transcedence 8's, maybe he's right. So i decided to put small fans around the amp.(and they were very quiet) At the first listen to the amp, it didnt sound right. Everything was "out of order". Compared to the dealers demo,it sounded harsh, mainly in the highs. I thought if i gave it a sufficient break-in, it might clear up. Well......it did alright. Now the music flows like a river. The highs were crisp, transparent. The mid's had more richness to it. The bass came out like a rushing cannon!!! I was amazed from it, what a improvement!!! At that time it was hooked up to a cheap Rotel pre-amp, so i knew the amp had more than just that. Later, I heard alot of people talking about the VK-5i pre-amp. So I went ahead and bought one. I didn't acctually come home with the VK-5i, but instead the VK-5iSE, since the dealer was nice to sell it as a demo, i picked it up around $5000. With upgraded tubes, risitors, and power supplies, it had to be better than the VK-5i. When i took it home....................I gave it the first listen..........now all i can say is: AMAZING!!!!!! Need I say more?

Associated Equipment:
Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1 CDP
BAT VK-5iSE pre
BAT VK-500 amp
Transparent Reference Digital (XLR)
JPS Labs superconductor 2 intercon. (XLR)
Harmonic Tech pro 9+ 10ft. spk cables
Hales Transedence 8 speakers
ASC Tube Traps and wall panels


This amp shoud be worth more than just 5 stars.

MUSICALITY, build quality,

Don't know of any

I have read the other reviews on this outstanding amplifier and felt compelled to respond due to the "negative" responses. I have been highly involved in high end audio for approximately 12 years. I have auditioned many amplifiers in my system, tubed and solid state. Both types have their strengths and weaknesses. The VK500 (with batpak) does a remarkable job in combining the best of both types into a completely balanced version of what most people enjoy listening to in the first place - a highly musical, detailed sound. This "behemoth" of an amplifier has a power cord for each channel, just like it was a monoblock design. Upgrading the power cord gives this amp an absolutely silent background and highly defined, deep bass. Stringed instruments sound silky smooth, brass instruments have the power and presence of a truly live performance. This amplifier truly fleshes out the entire audio spectrum with a seamless presentation. Ladies and gentlemen, yes there are a "few" and truly "very few" amplifiers out there that can compete with this one at this price point. You owe it to yourself to listen to this one if you really appreciate music...

Similar Products Used:

Krell KSA 250, Ayre V3

Homogeneous, powerful, controlled, soundstage depth

Occasionally odd timbre, sometimes thin, lacking in fine detail

I've owned the BAT for over a year and enjoyed the extra grip it has over my loudspeakers (Wilson System 5.1). It's sounds natural and better than, say, the equivalent Krell kit at rhythm and pace. I live in an apartment and don't want to aggravate my neighbours, so I'm glad that it can come alive at reasonably low volumes and still provide a realistic soundstage and bass response. Without breaking down its attributes completely into categories, it comes across as one of those products that sounds "right" straight out of the box. For nit-pickers, I'd have to draw attention to the fact that it needs good AC power (in my flats it's best after 11pm and having warmed up for at least an hour) and has a slightly "dark" presentation that is initially odd. Has anyone else noticed this about BAT kit? The midrange seems clear and unforced, there's not much that's electronic about it, but it lacks for lushness and timbre IMHO. Aside from that, it's a good product and, if weight were the only judge of performence, you get a lot for the money.

However, disaster struck two months ago when an output board blew up and I had to send it away for repair. I got it back last Saturday and it sounded terrible... perhaps this explains why the opinions in this section on the VK500 are so diverse; out of the box it sounded hideously bright, flat and electronic. After burning-in with a test signal from my DAC overnight the soundstage deepened and stretched, and the amp began to smooth out somewhat... but it's still too bright and electronic. The music has gone. It runs a lot hotter too, the engineer must have increased the bias current, or else there's someting wrong.

I recently bought a dCS Purcell to complement my Elgar, and the midrange magic it weaves is completely lost on the repaired amp, much to my disgust. My dealer has asked me to bear with it for a short while to see if it just needs a longer burn-in period, but I may have to send it back next week.....

Compounding the problem is the fact that I have a Jeff Rowland Model 2 amp on loan that smokes the BAT - or, rather, the BAT smoked itself out of the running :-(. The Rowland makes music and has a delicious, seductive midrange, even if it has less power and air compared with the BAT. Treble is a tad rolled-off, and it's not an impressive amp in the "hi-fi" manner, but aside from that it's a star performer. I used it to help me decide whether or not to buy the dCS Purcell, and it was an easy decision I can tell you! Now that the BAT is back I almost regret spending the money...

But I'll bear with it for a while to see how the thing improves, as my memories of the original monster are good. If I do decide to get rid of it, I'll probably consider the Audio Research VT100MkII, Jeff Rowland of course (not sure what equivalent models they have these days), possibly a Cary or c-j although I've not heard these sounding well at the hi-fi shows I've attended, despite their reputations.

Similar Products Used:

Jeff Rowland Model 2

sound to make anybody weak in the knees

nothing

Okay, First of all, the people that right in with bad reviews are not to be trusted! Obviously they have never heard this amp, I cannot stress this enough. Unlike these mystery people, I actually own this amp( I'm sure if you were to contact these people, they don't exist). It really pisses me off when people give bad reviews, when it is more than obvious they don't own these products. All I have to say is that when paired with the right components, this is pure audio nirvana!!! I have been to the most recent Stereophile shows, and have heard the "best of the best" but like I said paired with the right components, this is absolutey incredible! I can see how people can be swayed by negative reviews, but the easiest way to see through B.S.'ers who have nothing better to do is #1 look at their spelling( if it seems obvious that they haven't graduated past 5th grade that should be the first tip-off)#2 when it seems they think they should be writing for Stereophile when instead they should be writing for Mad Magazine. Maybe the easiest way to put this; is if there are a lot of positive reviews and there are a few "crack addicts" who wright in with extremely negative reviews you should be inclined to question this. I'm not saying there are not people who have legitimate complaints, but I guarantee anyone who has heard this amp will be awe struck!! I'd be willing to bet that the dissenting opinions are Bose Lifestyle owners or have been recently labotimized(twice)!!

Similar Products Used:

you name it