May 2, 2007

  • BAT VK-300x SE, Part 3

    Aiden spies the situation...
    ...and sees his favorite toys, remote controls:

    On the left is the remote for the BAT VK-300x SE.  I forgot to check if it's the same for BAT's preamps.  On the right is the remote for the EAR Acute, which is really a re-badged Arcam.  Both remotes adhere to the Philips RC5 protocol.

    Here's another shot of the VK-300x SE's rear:

    Sorry, but I know you sickos want pics of a different kind of rear...

    And here's the front.  Trust me, if it had the black knob, this component would look even uglier.

    The sound?  A good test is Hapa's Namahana, a lush but not sloppy recording.  Most run-of-the-mill hi-fi, voiced to sound warm, turns Namahana into mush, thickens the images, fouls up the transients, and throws off the harmonics.  The BAT also errs ever so slightly to the audiophile side.  And this shows up in stark contrast to the tightly focused, razor-sharp, highly detailed Simaudio i-7.  But don't let that fool you.  The BAT preserves soundstage depth, so don't mistake this for being rolled off.  Does the BAT sound like your average SET amp?  Nope.  Does it sound like your ubiquitous "tubelike" solid state gear?  Somewhat.  But then again, the VK-300x SE does have tubes.  Does the BAT, then, sound like classic tube gear, a la Conrad Johnson?  Nope, the BAT has better drive and control. 

    With that laid-back sense of depth, the VK-300x SE gives space to Namahana, and your head sways as if in the Hawaiian breeze.  Or, if you play a cooler recording, it might make you feel like watching the fog roll in over San Francisco's J-town.

    That's the bridge that goes over Webster Street.  The shot is facing north, so the fog is to the west (your left).  In the distance, you can see CPMC.

    I miss doing the Hokubei Mainichi paper route through J-town.  In the summer time, it wasn't uncommon to be sunny after work.  And by the time I finished the route, the fog would be over J-town.  By then I was on an even keel, ready for dinner.

Comments (5)

  • van ness and geary....don't they meet up...or is that pok and van ness...but isn't that a crazy part of town? 

    if you are living in SF you will need the LKJ type with you not the softie type  haha :)

  • omg, im actually familiar with where that foto was taken:) hahahahha

    im so meant to be in sf... awww

  • hmm to Jenn:  I'm familiar with the foto too, but i belong in Orange County :P PPPPPPP

    too funny about LKJ's friend at first base!  maybe we should stop talking bout LKJ....she might do what "K" stands for and get "J" out of it.  :X

    well she gonna give the benz to mom's....its only like 1.5 yrs old.(e class)

  • hmmm spitting? i guess its a means to relax....and patting on the butt?  hmmm its like atta boy type of sign...and we do that to animals....like horses... LOL

  • c/o '89, holy crud! i'm sure by the time you go to your 20 year reunion all your friends will have had kids by then.

Comments are closed.

Post a Comment