"The BC3 is more transparent and revealing, but in my system, I prefered the smoother midrange and slight bloominess in the bass of the SEP1. Both pre's use the same 6922 tubes, yet sound distinctly different. The BC3
sounds solid-state-ish in comparison to the SEP1, which sounds a little creamier."
As we all know, sound presentation exists along a spectrum and depending where you are on it, anything to one side will sound cooler and more objective and anything on the other side will sound creamier, smoother, and even warmer. I own a BC 3 and bought it to replace a Krell KRC 3: the Krell was warmer (!) and more opaque. It also had less life, but that's another matter. To my ears, the BC 3 comes closer to being perfect than any other preamp I've heard under $6000. It competes favorably with the CAT, which is all the praise it needs. If your preamp is creamier and smoother than a BC 3, it's holding back the music. Dammit, there's ice cream down under that whipped cream!
sounds solid-state-ish in comparison to the SEP1, which sounds a little creamier."
As we all know, sound presentation exists along a spectrum and depending where you are on it, anything to one side will sound cooler and more objective and anything on the other side will sound creamier, smoother, and even warmer. I own a BC 3 and bought it to replace a Krell KRC 3: the Krell was warmer (!) and more opaque. It also had less life, but that's another matter. To my ears, the BC 3 comes closer to being perfect than any other preamp I've heard under $6000. It competes favorably with the CAT, which is all the praise it needs. If your preamp is creamier and smoother than a BC 3, it's holding back the music. Dammit, there's ice cream down under that whipped cream!