Plinius 250 MarK IV vs BAT 500 with BAK PAK

Hi Bon- I have experience with everything you mention. I previously owned a BAT VK-500w/bat pak a friend has the Plinius SA-250mkIV and yet another local friend perviously owned the Andra I(upgraded to mkII status). I feel the plinius is the warmest sounding, the bat is good but not as resolute as the JC-1's which I know your familiar with. The bat also has a some what darker sound to it, its a little more laid back and NEVER in your face or aggressive. While those attributes sound good, it can lead to dull listening sessions. My local friend was running a 220 watt VAC amp on the andra's and I don't think it was enough power(which is ultimately why he ended up selling them). Niether the Plinius or the BAT models that you mention are being produced any more so there value is going to drop rapidly. I'd take the JC1's over either any day of the week(this is not because I have a set for sale, just for the money I think its near impossible to beat). You may also want to think about a fully updated Classe Omega, they offer great amounts of power and possibly even better sound then any of the others mentioned. I also have begun to wonder about expensive SS amps that do not double there power from 8-4 ohms, it seems like poor design and or inadequate power supply, both of which are unacceptable in an amp in this price range- IMO.