Lot's of comments for and against BAT being slow, thick, veiled and others replies to this.
I have owned BAT amps and preamps (3iX and VK 60's running in mono). At the very same time I owned Krell gear and Levinson gear and had a variety of speakers - Wilson (Duettes and 5.1s), Thiel (2.2s) and Von Schweikert (4 jrs.). I also owned various front ends in conjunction with this equipment - ranging from Audio Aero Capitole (very warm and sweet sounding), EMM Labs, DCS stack, Esoteric, Wadia and Resolution Audio. Other preamps with this equipment over time were a Cary pre, JR Capri pre, and Calypso (one of my all time favorite components).
If you listen to Conrad Johnson and then switch out to BAT, you will think the BAT is cooler, faster and leaner. If you switch from Krell you will feel that the BAT equipment is warmer, slower and richer.
If you walk into a room with BAT playing and don't have a strong reference point, you are not likely to call the BAT either too rich or too lean, too warm or too cold, too fast or too slow.
Typically, with the level of equipment we are talking about the differences are most apparent in side-by-side testing and like icecream, we all have our favorite flavors. Some people will say a good Vanilla icecream is bland - not recognizing the unique and special characteristics of good quality, though somewhat subtle vanilla beans. Others will say butter pecan is just too darn sweet and others will say sherberts don't deliver that creamy texture they seek.
So in the end, BAT won't be too warm, slow or veiled for most people (however those that crave the polar opposite will have these complaints). BAT won't be too detailed, dry and lean to most people (but those that crave a super warm and syrupy sound may think so).
I have owned BAT amps and preamps (3iX and VK 60's running in mono). At the very same time I owned Krell gear and Levinson gear and had a variety of speakers - Wilson (Duettes and 5.1s), Thiel (2.2s) and Von Schweikert (4 jrs.). I also owned various front ends in conjunction with this equipment - ranging from Audio Aero Capitole (very warm and sweet sounding), EMM Labs, DCS stack, Esoteric, Wadia and Resolution Audio. Other preamps with this equipment over time were a Cary pre, JR Capri pre, and Calypso (one of my all time favorite components).
If you listen to Conrad Johnson and then switch out to BAT, you will think the BAT is cooler, faster and leaner. If you switch from Krell you will feel that the BAT equipment is warmer, slower and richer.
If you walk into a room with BAT playing and don't have a strong reference point, you are not likely to call the BAT either too rich or too lean, too warm or too cold, too fast or too slow.
Typically, with the level of equipment we are talking about the differences are most apparent in side-by-side testing and like icecream, we all have our favorite flavors. Some people will say a good Vanilla icecream is bland - not recognizing the unique and special characteristics of good quality, though somewhat subtle vanilla beans. Others will say butter pecan is just too darn sweet and others will say sherberts don't deliver that creamy texture they seek.
So in the end, BAT won't be too warm, slow or veiled for most people (however those that crave the polar opposite will have these complaints). BAT won't be too detailed, dry and lean to most people (but those that crave a super warm and syrupy sound may think so).