BAT 5se VS 50se?

There was a review of the 5 se in Stereophile a couple years ago as an addendum to the 50se review I believe.

The 5se retains some of the warmth of the 5i while sounding more dynamic, less "tubey" and habving better bass definition. I've only heard the 50se briefly, but it sounded fast and clean, more like a solid state unit to my ears.

All BAT gear needs time to warm up at least 1/2 hr if well-broken in. New gear needs break in time, so if you're auditioning, keep that in mind.

PS both use the 6H30 tubes.

Anybody know how the 30SE stands up to either?

I've got a VK3i on a system with Infinity IRS Betas. The 3i has a dark, "tube euphonic" sound that matches well with the Betas tendency to be a tad bright. I've tried several ARC models on the same system that were many dollars more, but the VK3i stays.

As to the VK50SE, I have it on a second system using Aerial 10t's. The dynamics of the 50SE are second to none, stage, image and holography are excellent. This replaced an Audio Research SP11 that had a few mods. The differences to me, were like night and day. My experience with BAT products has been a good one, and I've been happy.

beemer