I have a VK 500 SE. It is slightly warm so in that regard, it might be slightly kind to harsh recordings, although I would prefer to say less ruthless to awful recordings. My listening is probably not too far from your own. Great recordings sound great. Poor recordings sound like poor recordings. If you have any equipment that hides imperfections of bad recordings, it can not help but hide the excellent qualities of great recordings. I have ProAc Response 5 speakers that are slightly warm sounding but am using Nordost interconnects and speaker cable that is slightly lean sounding. So on balance it is a very musical system that still reveals inner details, timber, tamber, tonality, attack, energy, etc. I would not hesitate in recommending BAT for sound quality, reliability and for incredible customer service. But crap recordings are just that and if the music is undeniable, you just recognize it for what it is: great music, poorly recorded!
Are BAT amps kind to less-than-stellar recordings?
This was briefly mentioned in someone else’s thread, but I wanted to draw out people who are familiar with Balanced Audio Technology’s solid state amps to get their 2 cents. I’m most interested in the VK-3000 SE integrated.
I love great recordings as much as the next guy and have plenty of jazz, female vocal, and classical in the collection. My music taste runs the gamut though, and I also love a lot of music that isn’t recorded well. Punk, metal, lo-fi indie, early blues, 60s psychedelia, etc.
Do you think the VK-3000 SE will be forgiving to these genres? I want things to stay relatively smooth, non fatiguing, and not be clobbered over the head with etched detail. Minimal glare, grain, and shoutiness - especially on the top end.
Alternatively (if BAT is too high-brow for low-brow music) I could go for something such as the (cheaper) Belles Aria, Yamaha A-S2100, or LFD LE IV. Those integrated amps are known to have a somewhat "tubey" sound for solid state, that might help round out poorly recorded music?
I love great recordings as much as the next guy and have plenty of jazz, female vocal, and classical in the collection. My music taste runs the gamut though, and I also love a lot of music that isn’t recorded well. Punk, metal, lo-fi indie, early blues, 60s psychedelia, etc.
Do you think the VK-3000 SE will be forgiving to these genres? I want things to stay relatively smooth, non fatiguing, and not be clobbered over the head with etched detail. Minimal glare, grain, and shoutiness - especially on the top end.
Alternatively (if BAT is too high-brow for low-brow music) I could go for something such as the (cheaper) Belles Aria, Yamaha A-S2100, or LFD LE IV. Those integrated amps are known to have a somewhat "tubey" sound for solid state, that might help round out poorly recorded music?
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