But why would anyone want to spend $4,000 on a phono stage? Ultimately, that's a question you, the high-end consumer, will have to answer. For me, the question has been answered. Balanced Audio Technology has designed and manufactured some of the most coveted products, both tube and transistor, in high-end audio. All of them have received the recognition they deserve. I consider the VK-P10 among BAT's finest achievements. Consider for a moment the place that analog reproduction has maintained in this technological era of digital. Those of us who still cherish black vinyl as the ultimate medium for sound are prepared to spend as much as $1,000 to 5,000 for the last word in cartridges, cartridges that have a very limited life. And there are manufacturers who continue to make significant advances in the development of cartridges, in both moving magnet and moving coil designs. Indeed, Grado's latest achievement is an example.

No, analog is not dead; it is flourishing. Observe the surfeit of turntables, tone arms and phono stages regularly introduced. Even some well-respected manufacturers of moderately priced products have returned to the fray. Thorens comes to mind in this regard. If you are going to continue to embrace analog as the sound reproduction of choice, then you owe it to yourself to consider what the P10 has to offer. What makes the BAT phono stage so unique and so desirable is the length to which the manufacturer has gone to provide versatility that not only accommodates most of the present variety of cartridges, but promises to defy obsolescence in any future cartridge developments. Further, the unit has a top to bottom neutrality that places it in the ranks of a small handful of such products.

The VK-P10 could be described as a tube phono preamplifier without a volume control. To put it another way, but for the lack of a gain control, the P10 could be connected directly to an amplifier that has proper input sensitivity. Certainly, a passive line stage could provide the necessary control. In my view, a volume control on the P10 would provide the utmost in versatility. In fact, I made that suggestion to Steve Bednarski of BAT in a recent phone conversation. Steve went a step further, considering the possible use of a remote control similar to the volume control in BAT's line stage preamp. But Victor Khomenko, the designer, suggested that I not hold my breath waiting. Apparently they haven't had a lot of requests.

The Versatile Phono Stage

Victor describes the VK-P10 as "…a three-stage zero-feedback phono preamplifier employing a passive differential network…that will work extremely well with virtually any phono cartridge with an output in the range of 0.1 to 5 mV." He goes on to say, "There are three gain stages…high-current plate loaded…that provide the ultimately clear signal path with no buffers….The use of high-current gain stages represents the Balanced Audio Technology innovative approach to audio circuit design."

The VK-P10 phono preamplifier is an all-tube, balanced phono stage using four 6922s and one 6SN7 for each channel. Its functions can be summarized as having user-selectable gain (50 to 78 dB) from switchable step-up transformers for very low output phono cartridges, selectable cartridge loading for resistance and capacitance, and an absolute polarity reversal switch.

There are two sets of cartridge input connectors, RCA and XLR. Balanced XLR output connectors are standard with provision for XLR-to-RCA adaptors available from BAT for use with single-ended electronics. External switches are limited to a power switch (with soft start and mute circuits) and a phase switch with two positions, 0 and 180 degrees. All other switches are internal and require the removal of the top cover. The power supply, similar to the one in the VK-5I preamplifier, has over 200 Joules of energy storage. Under the top cover, dip switches provide multiple choices for resistive and capacitive loading. In the "off" position, a 47-kHz resistor is permanently connected to the cartridge input with no capacitive loading. The resistance can be varied with four switch positions: 100 ohms, 1kilohms; 10 kilohms; and "user-defined." Capacitance can be varied as well: two at 100 pF; 470 pF, and "user-defined." And, of course, additional parallel combinations are available in both instances.

The input mode switches require a few minutes of study to understand their uses. There are a pair of switches that allow the user to choose the cartridge connection "direct" to the input tubes or through step-up transformers for cartridges with very low output. These are followed by "Gain Switches" and "Tap Switches." The "Gain Switches" allow the user to choose between low gain and high gain in the "Direct" position and interact with the step-transformer's "Tap Switches" to allow for four different gain settings. The signal-to-noise ratio (A weighted and referenced to 1 mV) varies between 71 and 83 dB, depending on switch positions. The unit is admirably quiet, particularly when using step-up transformers (as one would expect). All of this has been accomplished in a design of excellent construction and high quality parts.

In a full function preamplifier the phono stage is usually the most complex part of the circuit design. Thus the major cost of the preamplifier is in the phono stage. The "no-holds-barred" design of the P10, as a stand-alone phono stage, is intended to provide the utmost in sonics as well as versatility and its cost reflects that. And does the VK-P10 meet its sonic objectives?

The Sound

Using RCA interconnects throughout, nearly all of my listening was with the KR Enterprise, Model VT600 KS, integrated amplifier, the Verity Audio Parsifal speakers and the latest version of the Sunfire subwoofer. The VT600 KS is an amplifier with revolutionary vacuum transistor output devices in a single-ended (SE) configuration providing 100 watts per channel. The Lyra Clavis Da Capo, moving-coil cartridge, Mod Squad- modified Itok tone arm, and the Linn LP12 Lingo turntable were the sole source. There was a brief listening session with the KR Enterprise Model 52BX SE amplifier and with the Sonus Faber Concerto speakers. After considering the several options available with the input mode switch and after several listening sessions, I finally settled on the step-up transformers (the Clavis is a low output m-c cartridge) with the gain switch set for low gain and the tap switch set to 18 dB.

I have now been listening to the BAT phono stage for several months, going through some of my most prized LPs. Recently, I received three of Classic Records' Mercury reissues, each an outstanding example of what were some of the best recordings of their day. Ravel's Rapsodie Espagnole and La Valse, reissued from a Mercury Living Presence (SR90313) with Paul Paray conducting the Detroit Symphony, might well be the supreme example of the superiority of analog reproduction. All of the capabilities of your audio system will be brought to bear, and any limitations will be merciless exposed. What I already had concluded about the P10 after listening to so many different LPs over a period of time was revealed in the reproduction of this single disc.

I am at a complete loss to identify any limitations in the BAT unit! The Sony DVP S/7000 DVD player as transport and the Musetex Bidat processor constitute my CD system. I believe it competes with the best equipment out there. But now, for maximum enjoyment of music, I only want to listen to my LP collection! The BAT P10's unbelievable dynamics, weight and bass extension give credence to what is an outstanding design. Tonal balance, definition and transparency are exemplary. Pace and rhythm were evident in record after record. I have read other reviewer's comments that the Clavis is slightly lean in the bass. There was no such indication with the BAT. Interesting the difference a substantial power supply can make.

A few LPs were chosen to determine what, if any, minor glitches might be present in the P10. Two cuts from Jennifer Warnes' Famous Blue Raincoat (Cypress 661 111-1) and the lead cut from Mary Black's No Frontiers were played to check for the presence of excessive sibilance. No such problem was identified. Germaine Mitchell, a friend who particularly enjoys female vocals, happened to be present during this listening session. Both of us agreed that the quality of the voices were as good as we have ever heard on these two recordings. Leonard Cohen, who joins Jennifer Warnes on the song "Joan of Arc," has a rather deep voice. The BAT rendered the range accurately without excessive bass in the lower register. In No Frontiers, I was struck by the delicacy with which the percussion instruments were reproduced, with no hint of hardness in the upper midrange. Mike Garson's The Oxnard Sessions, Vol. 1 (Reference Recordings RR-37) is a record I have in both CD and LP format. As good as both are on this particular recording, there was no doubt that the reproduction on analog was superior, more musical and more satisfying. Also more notable was the imaging, depth and soundstaging. Finally, I listened to Bill Henderson's classic rendition of "Send in the Clowns" from a 20th anniversary commemorative 12-inch single released in 45 rpm and 33 1/3 rpm speeds (Jazz Planet JP 0779-12). Of course, it was the 45-rpm side I chose. Yes, it was the most impressive reproduction of Henderson's voice, but it was also the most lifelike applause at the end of the song that paricularly struck me.

Conclusion

There are several excellent phono stage preamplifiers now available, both tube and transistor, that range in price from $900 to several thousand dollars. I have been fortunate to have heard three of them, and I could live quite happily with any one of these. But the decision on which one I would most like to own is an easy one. The VK- P10 is not likely to be bettered in the areas in which I was most impressed: Top-to-bottom neutrality; outstanding sonics; versatility that defies obsolescence; an exceptionally low noise floor; and battleship construction using top quality parts.

Harry Pearson said in a recent article in Fi on the Classic Records' reissue of several Mercury LPs "… it was the nuance and subtlety and density of information on analog that justified, sonically, the best high-end gear". The BAT VK-P10 is in the class of the best high-end gear.

NOTES

Balanced Audio Technology VK-P10 balanced phono stage, $4,000.
Manufacturer: Balanced Audio Techology, 800 First State Blvd., Wilmington, DE 19804;
phone 302/999-8855; fax 302/999-8818

Associated Equipment

Musetex Bidat Digital Processor; Sony DVP S/7000 DVD player as transport; KR Enterprise VT 600 KS stereo integrated amplifier; KR Enterprise (Vaic) High End Model 52BX (SE) monoblock amplifiers; KR Enterprise (Vaic) High End Model 30B (SE) monoblock amplifiers; Verity Audio Parsifal speaker system; Sonus Faber Concerto Speaker System; Croft OTL monoblock amplifiers; Croft Dual-Mono preamp; Placette preamp; Linn-Sondek LP 12, Lingo, Itok tonearm (modified by Mod Squad); Lyra Clavis Da Capo moving-coil cartridge; Revox B77 reel- to-reel tape recorder; Kenwood KT-917 stereo tuner; Nakamichi 582 cassette; Purist Audio Design Maximus and HDI interconnects; Digital Link new unnamed flat-design speaker cables; Discovery interconnects; Black Diamond Racing Cones, and various other accessories.