I can't really hear a big difference

Dennis - My take on audio gear has always been that if I'm "upgrading", the change should be very noticeable and much better - as you say, nobody would suggest this is not an improvement. I'm not searching for that last .1%, at least at this point in my life, but I'm willing to drop the $$$ on something that is clearly an improvement and have done so multiple times.

With a very good set of speakers, changes to amps and preamps (and certainly from receiver to decent separates) were of the can't-miss-the-improvement variety. Some were jaw-dropping, some were significant, and some were just nice improvements. Many "upgrades" didn't produce the sense of clear improvement. This is always disappointing, but the piece gets sold and I move on.

I tried several different CD player and DAC upgrades to no avail - I didn't even think they sounded different, much less better. There was no way I thought I could tell the difference a/b'ing them. Again, this is not comparing them over a month with very detailed listening - this was going back and forth over an evening or two, so I'm not saying there was absolutely no difference or improvement, just that it was more subtle than I was going to worry about.

Several months ago, Muse's Model 9 DVD player started showing up used at very good prices. I had read many reviews that raved (and then some) about the performance of this player. I've always liked Muse's philosophy and reputation. And, I want the best sound I can have without having two dozen boxes to get it, and since I really like HT too, I thought that if this was an excellent CD player (which is what the rave reviews focused on), then it was a near-perfect addition as it would be dual-purpose.

So I bought the Model 9 and put it in my system. This time, there was definitely a noticeable difference. Switching back and forth between it and my Sony DVD-S7700 as a transport into a highend processor, the Muse was much smoother and more musical. Playing some Coleman Hawkins, there was no doubt that the Muse made it sound more like a real saxaphone.

What was interesting to me about this, in addition to the number of strike outs I had experienced in the same arena, was how much more difficult it was to describe this improvement. Every other time I had upgraded, I had no doubt that an open-minded, but uninterested, by-passer would admit that the upgrade made the system sound better, even if they thought the price was crazy. I'm not sure that this would be the case with the Muse upgrade, though I have no doubt that anybody who has ever had an interest in music playback would readily identify it as a significant improvement.

Anyhow, there are a bunch of reasons why the BAT might not be able to show it's true colors to you, but there are also many of us who have experienced the same thing. I'm not as persistent as many on this site, but I wouldn't spend a lot of time with it if you find it basically disappointing at first blush - sell it and move on. Just my opinion. -Kirk

This thread is an interesting commentary on the psycology of the Audiophile (and I say this as a full fleged member of the club).

We automatically assume that the more expensive piece just has to sound better than the inexpensive one, and look for reasons why the expensive unit doesn't decisively trounce its inexpensive cousin.

The other side of the coin is to ask why the inexpensive piece sounds so good relative to the expensive one - but that's a hard road for us (me!) to travel!

Why would the Sherwood sound louder than the BAT? I'm having a hard time A/Bing them because of this...

A little more listening, and the BAT sounds a LITTLE bit more realistic on piano, but the Sherwood plays voices more forward and full... almost an emphasis on the voice over the instruments, and it sounds real good.

The BAT also has less background "hiss", when that is noticeable on the recording.

Still planning on waiting for the new ICs to come, and break in some... I'm pretty skeptical though.

John is right, once you take it out after a few months, you'll realize what you're missing. It's subtle but imporrtant in musical terms. Ghostrider is also right about the psychology of audiophiles. Good one!
The other headache is that upgrading is not a simple process. Sometimes the best components need the better power accessories, cables, and so on, to shine. Also the BAT probably does best in an all balanced system, that is one using XLR connectors, which I take it the VTL does not have provisions for.
Try new interconnects and a good power cord like the JPS Labs digital, for a month. Be patient. If after a month it still doesn't sound better, then you can post and tell us all how we're full of shit!
This hobby is like eating the forbidden apple: there are things to know and to learn, but doing so often costs a bundle and may lead you down the garden path paved with good intentions.
Tom

Ditto on the cabling issues. Also, I'm sure we all "listen" for, or "hear" different things. Certainly most modern digital playback devices have very similar frequency response measurements. My system is probably not that much more resolving than Dennis' (except for the cables), but I find that changing even the transport can mean the difference between audio nirvana and audio hell! Objectively, the difference is probably small, but it is the difference between wanting to get out of the listening chair after 20 minutes or sitting all evening in the dark with a big grin.