PS AUDIO bhk pre-amp vs upper level reference pre-amps?

I'd be curious if anyone compared the BHK Pre to any McIntosh or Pass Labs Preamps

In your system, you might like the BHK.  I replaced an Ayre K-5xeMP with the BHK and it was a step up once I rolled in some NOS tubes.  I replaced the BHK with an Art Audio Conductor.  

Note:  The stock PSVanes are not ideal in the BHK.  I found it disappointing with the stock tubes.  Kevin Deal sells a set of NOS Tunsgrams that are spectacular with it.  

I kept all three for a stretch and did some ABC testing when I started distributing the Art Audio line of equipment.  

The BHK excels in a fully balanced system.  Whether it will be a better fit for yours is a matter of taste.  The advantage of the BHK is it is a bit more flexible in terms of Tube rolling.  I opted against an ARC preamp given the limited choice of 6H30s.  

The BHK will probably not be “better”.  You aren’t going to get improved resolution or a bigger soundstage anything of that sort.  But it may be close to a push vs. the ARC or it may have a more appealing sound profile at a fraction of the price and will allow you to go from two remotes to one.  

Incidentally, in systems that are not fully balanced, the BHK was a step down from the Art Audio.  With single ended amps the BHK is a bit disappointing but that seems to be the case with virtually every fully balanced unit I have heard.  They always seem to need to be fully balanced from source to output to get the most out of them.  

I would agree with everything verdantaudio said. The BHK pre sounds much better when used in balanced mode and the sound can be tailored quite a bit depending on the tubes one chooses to use. There's a lot of changes in sound characteristics between say a RCA 12au7 Cleartop and a Raytheon 7308. I've found either 60's Siemens or Telefunken 7dj8's to be my preference. There's a very long thread on tube rolling in the BHK pre over on PS Audio's own forums. I'd also mention that the new PS Audio Stellar P3 power conditioner improved the sound of the BHK preamp so much more than I expected I'd almost consider it a "must have" upgrade if one can afford it and you have the room.