The BAT offered superb error correction, playing without skipping through the Pierre Verany test CD's track 33, which has a deliberate 2mm gap in the data. The BAT's output was noninverting from both single-ended and balanced jacks with the blue Invert LED off. (Pin 2 on the XLRs is wired to be "hot.") At 2.175V, the output level from the single-ended RCAs was 0.7dB higher than the CD-standard 2V. From the balanced jacks, the output level doubled to 4.36V. The single-ended output impedance was a moderate 882-908 ohms at middle and high frequencies, but rose to a…
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This slightly higher noise floor can be seen in the high-resolution jitter spectrum (fig.6) (footnote 1). The grayed-out trace is the Meridian's noise floor, which is close to the theoretical 16-bit limit; the black trace is that of the BAT, which can be seen to be between 9dB and 13dB higher. I suspect the noise comes from the passive I/V topology used by the BAT player. While this gives better performance in many areas compared with the ubiquitous topology featuring an op-amp chip, the price to pay is an increase in random (thermal) noise.
Fig.6 BAT VK-D5, high-resolution…
John Atkinson compared the BAT with the Wadia 850 in May 1998 (Vol.21 No.5):
The analog output levels of the $4500 Balanced Audio Technology VK-D5 and the $4950 Wadia 850 matched to within 2mV, so no additional level matching was necessary. All comparisons were done using the Levinson No.380S preamplifier. As well as side-by-side comparisons involving disc swapping from one player to the other, I used the BAT to drive one of the Wadia's coaxial data inputs via a 0.5m length of Mod Squad Wonderlink I fitted with BNCs. Interconnects were balanced: initially, the softer-balanced CZ-Gel for…
Jonathan Scull wrote about the BAT VK-D5SE in March 2002 (Vol.25 No.3):
There's plenty of nail-biting over digital these days, and with good reason: SACD, DVD-Audio, "Red Book" CD...it's enough to get an audiophile totally confused. Balanced Audio Technology's solution to the dilemma is the VK-D5SE, a $6000 one-box player that simply gives you, according to BATman Victor Khomenko, the best playback possible of that big collection of 16-bit/44.1kHz CDs bending your shelves.
The VK-D5SE is an updated version of BAT's VK-D5, that I reviewed in the May 1998 Stereophile (footnote 1).…
Having evaluated any number of integrated amplifiers in the past year or so, I've repeatedly been impressed by the ways in which designers build versatility and sonic distinction into their single-box designs. In matching those that sounded and measured the best—such as the tubed E.A.R. V20 (October 1999) and the solid-state Magnum Dynalab MD 208 receiver (January 2001)—with appropriate speakers and source components, I was able to attain high-resolution musicality with a minimum of fuss. Crave high-end sound but require even less complexity? You could dispense with interconnects altogether…
Or a secondary power source, such as the VTL ST-85 power amp in horizontal biamp configuration. To this end, along with the gain stage of the VTL 2.5 preamp Manley shoehorned the guts of the ST-85 into the chassis of the IT-85. One could thus employ the cathode-follower buffered second amp—as I did, to power the bass drivers of my Joseph RM7si Signatures—while employing the cleaner, unbuffered output of the IT-85 to control the tweeters (and while piggybacking a second pair of speaker cables from the IT-85 to run the single 10" cone of the 150W Soliloquy S10 subwoofer). But such is the…
As the IT-85 burned in, my appreciation of its grace and musicality only deepened. It had all the mellowness and sweet extension you'd expect from a good EL34 output circuit, but with a surprising level of rhythmic authority. Comparing apples and oranges, the IT-85 didn't have the ultra-transparent purity, alpine airiness, and backlit detail of a solid-state box such as the 100W Magnum Dynalab MD 208, but it more than held its own in terms of linearity, bass focus, and harmonic detail.
Still, for all its resolution and articulation, the IT-85's midrange was, if not exactly opaque, then…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Vacuum-tube integrated amplifier with class-AB1, push-pull tetrode output stage, active line-stage preamp, headphone output, and remote-controlled volume and mute functions. Tube complement: four EL34, two 12AU7, four 12AT7. Line-level inputs: 5, plus buffered preamp out, processor/amp in, tape out. Power output (20Hz-25kHz, less than 3% THD): 60Wpc into 8 ohms (17.8dBW), 80Wpc into 4 ohms (16dBW). Small-signal frequency response: 1Hz-75kHz, -3dB (<0.2% THD at 1W). Voltage gain: 38dB. S/N Ratio: 95dB (no reference specified). Recommended load…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Rega Planar 3 turntable and RB300 tonearm, Grado Reference Master cartridge.
Digital source: California Audio Labs CL-20 DVD/CD player, Sony SCD-777ES SACD player.
Preamplification: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista and Blue Circle B-3 Galatea preamplifiers, Musical Fidelity X-LP2 dual-mono phono stage.
Power amplifiers: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300, Mesa Baron.
Integrated amplifiers: Mesa Tigris, Linn Classik, Magnum Dynalab MD 208.
Loudspeakers: Joseph RM7si.
Cables: Monster Cable Sigma Retro speaker cables and interconnects.…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
As might be expected, the VTL IT-85 runs hot, but not too hot to touch, even after the one-hour preconditioning. A clone of the input signal was available from the processor outputs, this unaffected by the volume-control setting, and the amplifier didn't invert signal polarity from these outputs, the preamp outputs, or the main speaker outputs. The VTL's input impedance was a moderate 19k ohms, and maximum voltage gain into 8 ohms was a high 40.2dB.
As CS tried biamping his speakers using the IT-85 and a sample of VTL's ST-85 power amplifier, I checked the…