VK-51se
 

Are there any VK-51se owners here?

Me

Welcome gents! It's been lonely in the BAT cave. :)

It still is.....I absolutely do not understand the lack of interest in BAT products. I bought my first BAT preamp (a VK-5, that I had upgraded to a VK-5i) and I've been a huge fan ever since. I admit that I tried both a 600SE and a 655SE, and while I liked them, I was never able to really love them. I guess I'm just a tube guy........I currently use a pair of Manley Snappers, but have located a pair of Rex monoblocks that I'm probably going to buy.

Have you guys had to change out the caps in the six packs? I replaced all 12 due to pops when switching inputs. I put in the stock caps and it made the preamp a little brighter in presentation and more dynamic. The sound also is a little more forward. I have about 60-75 hours on them.

I have not had to switch out anything. And dead quiet so far. :)

Can anyone comment on the differences in sound (warmth, transparency, tube sound) between a VK-51se, VK-32se and VK-52se?

I love my 51se but I am wanting a little more warmth and transparency. I replaced all 12 Six Pack Caps with the same Jensen Aluminum and oil caps and have about 90 to 100hrs on them and the sound has a little brightness to it that was not there before. I am guessing that the caps probably need 150-300 hrs to break in. The preamp is much more dynamic, musical and has a fuller sound with more depth with the new caps.

I have been curious about the VK-32se and VK-52se and if its worth buying used. I should be able to get $3500 for the 51se with all new caps and EH gold pin tubes that have less than 500hrs on them.

I am also considering getting a CJ ET-3se preamp which will need 500hrs to break in the Teflon caps.

I'm not a particular fan of the 6H30 tube due to the lack of tube-rolling options. BAT offers the 6922 in their non-SE model preamps, which is an excellent tube (my favorite small-signal tube and one reason I like their non-SE models like the current VK-33 or earlier VK-30/31 & VK-50/51 - all can be 6-packed, etc., just like the SE models). One can tube-roll the 6922 to their hearts (ears?) delight while that is not possible with the 6H30. If you can find other 6H30 tubes, Sovtek, for instance, than EH to roll in there, you may find it fits your needs better than the EHs do.

There is no huge difference in the sound between the 51SE and 52SE, the big difference comes from the output transformers, found in the 53SE or 33SE. If you want a single chassis preamp, then perhaps the 33SE would be just the ticket.

If you like experimenting with tubes, then either the 32 or 33 should do just fine.

Thanks Victor. Unfortunately there are no BAT dealers here in the Twin Cities (your company needs to fix that, the only other tube gear here is AR, Atma-Sphere and McIntosh).

Can you give me some idea on what the difference in sound is between a 51se and a 32se/33se are?

Do you know if the Jensen caps in my 51se need more time to break in?

One last question, I replaced all 12 six pack caps but I did not replace the other 4 Jensen caps. Things seem to be working fine. However, I was thinking about replacing the other 4. What's your opinion on this?

Thanks for your help and for making such great gear,

Larry

The 51SE has very strong and well balanced voice, to better it you would need to go to the transformer coupled model, like the 33SE, that one has a bit more air, without losing any weight.

I don't think the capacitors need much breaking in period, but then I am not a great believer in breaking in in general, I am all for just using the equipment.

I would not worry about replacing the other 4 caps, they do not suffer from the electrical leakage, like the SIX-PAK caps do.

Best,

Victor

I have a VK50SE and found the Sovtek 6H30 to sound great. I have also thought of switching out the Jensen caps with Mundorfs.

nc42acc, great to see another BAT fan. :)

I switch back and forth between a ARC LS27 and my VK50SE. Something about the BAT preamp that I find very captivating. I am currently waiting on a REF5SE to come my way when the person receives their REF6. This might be the game changer between the LS27 and the VK50SE.

I am also an owner of BAT gear, VK-50 se, VK-500 bat pak, both been back to BAT for repairs/cap replacements/updates and currently using EH 6H30 gold pin tubes in preamp, love the BAT stuff

I am a proud owner of a 51se preamplifier, which is pairing with a DartZeel cth-8550. The DartZeel is an integrated and, hence, I am using only the power stage.

I enjoy very much the combination but I presume That the DartZeel is underused in this situation.

I thought I could sell the DartZeel and buy a cheaper power that could be a good match with the 51se. Does anybody here have any suggestion?

Here in my city I have no chance of testing before the purchase. My speakers are the Dali Epicon 6.

Thanks very much in advance.

Marcelo

What is your city? Would think you should be able to sell your DartZeel for enough to fund a new BAT VK-225SE amp, which is has a similar power output. Have not heard Dali speakers with BAT, but a VK-31SE feeding a VK-220SE into Audio Physic speakers was one of the top 2 or 3 systems I've heard in a dealer show-room.

Thanks for the reply. Actually, I may have the opportunity of getting a second hand vk600Mse...

Any other opinions?

Marcelo

msr... Welcome to AA! :wave:

It’s time to replace the tubes of me 51se preamp. Which tubes do you recommend?

Marcelo