BAT solid state preamps

Seeking input from anyone familiar with the sound of BAT solid state preamps. A few years ago I briefly owned a used VK-42 SE (eBay purchase) and found that it had one very odd characteristic. It had a completely flat soundstage. There was zero front to back depth. I have never since seen any reference to that flat soundstage in any BAT review or in any BAT forum thread that I have read. Is a flat soundstage the normal sound of BAT solid state preamps or do you think that there may have been something wrong with that particular unit? I contacted BAT about the issue but, the response that I got then was "maybe you are looking for a different kind of sound" from VK himself. Due to unrelated circumstances affecting me at that time I did not pursue the matter further and sold the VK-42 SE. 

Now, I'm interested in a preamp for a secondary system, which is primarily 2 channel tv and video and will always be solid state only. The system is already assembled and in use but, the preamp lacks polarity inversion. I am re-looking at the BAT solid state units since there are so few preamps that check all the boxes for me. It especially must have a large display, polarity inversion, standby mode and of course remote control. My being very sensitive to absolute polarity can be a curse that adds even more complication to the audiophile life.

I have looked at the newer Krell preamps, which do check the boxes pretty well but, I am not very inspired by their appearance. The BAT pre-amps might be a lot more appealing to me if I can get a handle on the soundstage issue.

Beyond all of the above and if a flat soundstage is not normal for BAT, does anyone have any input about which BAT model to be looking for. Is the VK-40 a good candidate or should I be looking for a newer model? Budget is topped at $3K.

Thanks in advance to all responders.