OK, if you're only listening to vinyl, sell the Arc preamp. I had it as well as the Arc phono stage. You're much better off running the Manley direct into the amps.
I'm not trying to proselytize on behalf of the Manley, and I suspect your easiest path would be to upgrade the BAT. I've simply found running both CD player and phono stage directly into the amp to be far superior to the (in my view) excellent but still flawed ARC equipment.
Nope, I would never say that ANY piece of gear is flawless. Has not, and never will, exist. That said, I found the Manley to be superior to the ARC, which I liked a lot.
The Groove is very good. Not as good the Manley. The Manley is extremely flexible which allows for optimal loading, accomplished easily, and is very, very fast, neutral--and musical. Like all tubed equipment, it's performance can be enhanced by replacing, in its case, the 6922s, which are most deficient. But even stock, it should outperform the other units you mention.
Also if you were to go the "direct" route or to replace the ARC Ref 2 with a Placette, you would not only come out ahead sonically, but also financially.
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