Balanced Audio Technology VK-300X Special Edition Integrated Amplifier by Wayne Garcia 
Whether tube or solid-state, the gear from Balanced Audio Technology seems to generate polarized reactions from reviewers in these pages. Some find the sound to be overly dark, lacking in bloom and detail, while others—and I admit a strong allegiance to this second camp—not only don't hear it that way, but believe that BAT makes some the best-sounding components in the high-end. However you hear it, there is little doubt that since starting up just seven years ago, BAT has become one of the most successful high-end audio companies of recent memory. My time with BAT's new VK-300X integrated amplifier underlines why. Marvelously conceived and executed to be not merely "convenient," or a "good buy," but to offer as much of the high-end experience as possible, the VK-300X is also an unusually flexible design. To start with, you can order it with one of three gain stages: solid-state, tube, or the 6H30 SuperTube Special Edition under review here. The base versions of each model, that is, without phono stage or remote control, sell for $3,995, $4,495, and $4,995, respectively. The phono option (which can be specified for cartridge type) and remote go for $500 each, which means that depending on how you configure it, a VK-300X can run between roughly four and six thousand dollars. And because these options reside on modular boards, you may choose to upgrade a step at a time. Moreover, with the exception of the SuperTube option, which requires a factory return, these upgrades can be performed in the field. Each gain stage option originates from circuitry found in separate BAT preamps. For instance, the 300X's solid-state board is akin to BAT's VK-20; the tube stage, which uses 6922s, is sort of a cross between the VK3i (my reference over the past few years) and the VK-30, while the SE version is derived from the VK-50SE, and employs the same paper-in-oil signal capacitors found in that top-of-the-line model. According to BAT's Steve Bednarski, the differences one should expect to hear between the three are: speed but less texture with solid-state; greater air and texture with tube, and (without loss of speed), the most open and dynamic sound from the 6H30 Special Edition. The amplifier stage is derived from another BAT product I know well, the superb VK-6200 modular multichannel amplifier. It delivers a hefty 150 watts into 8 ohms, 300 into 4. As with all BAT products, the VK-300X uses balanced circuitry, and offers both balanced and single-ended hookup options. Two sets of balanced (XLR) inputs are provided, along with three pairs of single-ended (RCA). Output jacks are for tape (RCA) and preamp (XLR), but given the drive capability of the 300X, the latter are likely to be used in vertical bi-amp situations, not to feed a more powerful external amplifier. BAT's build quality is among the best. Removing the chassis cover with the supplied wrench reveals miniature fields of gorgeously symmetrical circuitry, meticulously assembled, and first-rate discrete component parts. As distinguished a package as all of this makes, it is the VK-300X's industrial design that catches and holds the eye. The faceplate is a multi-layered affair. The main piece is fabricated from a half-inch slab of brushed aluminum, while two black anodized breastplates nestle into perfectly machined outer troughs. The bottom edge of these plates curves gently upward and out, suggesting bat's wings. The 300X is one of the handsomest components I've encountered. Functionally, the VK-300X is a dream—one of those rare high-end products that any member of the family can operate without feeling intimidated. Except for the brushed aluminum volume knob, all functions are handled via inset soft-touch buttons. In addition to power, input, and mute selection, these buttons include a mono switch—a handy item for those who listen frequently to older recordings. The volume control doubles as a data-input device, allowing the user to customize his or her 300X by adjusting and storing into memory the balance, relative volume, phase, mono/stereo, maximum volume, fixed gain, display, and name for each input. Finally, the cobalt blue display can be shut off—a feature I've grown to cherish with both audio and home-theater equipment. Describing the sound of the VK-300X is a more challenging task. Although no component is completely free of its own character, here, for the first time in a long time, I found myself struggling for words. Complicating matters further is the fact that, good as it performs stone cold, the 300X, more so than most models I've experienced, doesn't so much change, as sloooowly blossom with time. From the get-go you'll know that it's unusually fast, neutral of tone, surprisingly powerful—word from the field indicates that even the most difficult to drive speakers match just fine with it—as well as delicate and detailed. What takes longer to get at is the soul, or gestalt, of this amp's sonic makeup. Over several weeks, I concluded that the main difference between a fresh VK-300X and one that's really cooking is not so much sonic, though it's that too, but experiential. Straight from the box, and for maybe 100 or so hours thereafter, the 300X is beautiful but distant. You will enjoy it for purely aesthetic reasons, but getting to really know it is another matter. Until it settles in, the VK-300X sounds great but doesn't grab hold and draw us into the music. Then, seemingly overnight, it all comes together, delivering both a ravishing sound and potent emotional involvement. Another fascinating aspect of this amplifier concerns our choice of playback level. Now, the "right" level setting is always an important consideration. And for any given recording, most gear has a zone that, a few clicks one way or the other, is generally satisfactory. With the VK-300X, I found the zone to be tighter than with most components. Though I can't say for sure, and speaker sensitivity is no doubt part of the equation, I believe this phenomenon is tied directly to the 300X's exceptional ability to track dynamics—BAT's Geoff Poor calls it dynamic linearity—which easily ranks with the best I've heard. For instance, on the Classic Records pressing of Kind of Blue [CS 8163], as each soloist's playing shifts in intensity, no matter how dramatically or subtly, not only does the VK-300X ride that dynamic wave, but it also allows us to hear how the other band members' playing changes to accommodate or support the soloist. Examples abound, but listen to Bill Evans' jabbing piano punctuation between Davis' trumpet in "So What," or the way Coltrane's tenor takes flight in "Freddy Freeloader," soaring above the band in two of the ways we define volume—loudness and size. With the VK-300X, instruments are at once more prominent as well as more tightly woven into the whole. This dynamic coherence covers the frequency range, too, as I discovered, say, with Paul Chambers' acoustic bass, double-stops and all, as it laid a solid yet rolling foundation with a natural sense of weight; or conversely, with Jimmy Cobb's ride cymbal and rat-a-tat snare shots in "All Blues," where you'll hear and feel the forcefulness of each stroke, and the strong human presence behind it. Which brings me to another of the 300X's attributes—this amplifier is quite direct sounding. Although the word "transparency" is most often used to describe the effect I'm thinking of, in this case I want to emphasize the notion of directness, as in connected to the music. And comparing the VK-300X to the VK-3i and VK-6200 combination solidified this feeling. As I mentioned earlier, the gain stage of the 300X is more sophisticated than that of the 3i, so the two sounds aren't identical. Still, as lovely as the combo is—and it does deliver more weight and power than the integrated—the 300X proved to be more neutral, refined, and invisible, removing at least one veil between the music and me (one major advantage to the integrated approach is that there's no interconnect cable). It has been thought that mating a tube preamp and solid-state amp provides the best of both sonic worlds—the tubes providing warmth, texture, and air, the transistors balance and muscle. Although that argument is probably less true today than it was when tube gear tended to be lush and romantic and solid-state fast, cool, and dry, it remains a popular approach. What it doesn't account for is the synergy required between those technologies to get a complete sonic result, which is another word that applies to the VK-300X. As coherent as this unit is in the dynamic realm, so it is in detail, tone, harmonic structure, and soundstaging. These qualities revealed themselves over a wide range of music—the VK-300X had me pulling out long-neglected favorites and eager to check out recent purchases. Among these was Patti Smith's Land [Arista 07822-14708], where the jazz poem "Piss Factory" had the kind of immediacy, clarity, and articulation of line—Smith breathlessly reciting, backed by barbiturate-paced piano and guitar—one associates with master tapes; Ansermet's Petroushka [Athena LP ALSS-10004] which again highlighted the 300X's speed and dynamic explosiveness, as well as its uncluttered holographic soundstaging, airy top end, and wallop down below. If the VK-300X has one area I might fault, and goodness, let me emphasize how slight this is—it is a smidge of darkness that in my system seemed to loom in the upper-mid frequencies. Does this mean that I find the 300X to be otherwise flawless? Hardly. The very best separates will provide all I've described above to an even greater degree. But then we're talking a matter of more, not necessarily better. In an age of skepticism, my unbridled enthusiasm for the VK-300X might strike some as another example of reviewer hyperbole; believe me, it isn't. Still, it remains merely the second-best integrated amplifier I've heard. Top honors go to the obscure (only a few dealers), expensive ($19,000) and exotic (OTL) Tenor Audio 75Wi (see review in Issue 136). What the BAT team has achieved here may be even more remarkable, though: an integrated amplifier that rivals the finest separates, in a beautiful, flexible, and user-friendly package that, to top it off, is also an exquisite value (and if you're interested, don't expect the introductory price to hold forever). No wonder these guys are such a success.
Specifications
Associated Equipment
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