Having done head to head listening comparison in my system of ARC Ref 1 and BAT VK50SE the 50SE was the clear winner. ARC makes a good product, don't get me wrong, however I find their "house sound" a little much. To me the ARC's have a bump in the upper mids that is annoying and a sheen or sibilance that is just not present in the BAT product. BTW, I was a happy owner of an ARC SP-11 for many years, UNTIL I demo'd BAT preamp in my home. After that.......
