This thread is a perfect example of the inadequacies of relying on word of mouth to shape one's "experience" with a componenet. There is no substitute for getting the piece in your system or at a minimum, listening to it somewhere with similiar (to yours) mating equipment. My personal experience with BAT is totally opposite of "thick slow veiled". This pitiful description takes top place for largest disparity between "word on the street" and my experience (and others I know) with it. Other "stereotypes" have sometimes been a better match OTOH, but wow, BAT as "thick slow and veiled" is just flat out funny! It is not even worth the pixels to blab on about what pieces I heard as NONE of this matters. What matters is that YOU stop forming judgements based on others views. Do what everyone else does: get on the merry go round and try a few seats. It's the only way. Everything else is, as mr tennis stated, a total waste of time.