preamp/amp for ML Aerius i?

I think that you have a nice balanced system at present and while some of the gear you are looking at now is better than what you have I wonder if it(new gear) will be fully realized given you want to stay with the Aerius??? Those speakers (which by the way I like but do not own) may limit the potential of some higher end tube gear. The Classe amp you auditioned should have performed nicely and if there was no toe-tapping I therefore would not recommend the Bryston 4BST as an alternate choice. The Sim W-5 is a wonderful amp and might sound "warmer" and provide great control. Definately try this amp - I would have bought it had the price not been twice what my 4BST cost me. I still can't get away from the Aerius limiting the potential of your choices.... but hey thats just my opinion.

I'm currently using a Sonic Frontiers Line 2 with a Conrad Johnson MF2200 amp driving ML Aerius. Sounds very musical but the toes are tapping. Also have Kinergetics SW800 mini subs.

I am using a Forte Model 4 amp and Forte Model 44 preamp with very good results. Both are not produced anymore but can be found used on Ebay & Audiogon.

I guess I may not have asked all my questions. Have any of you ML owners auditioned the Bat 3i/vk200 in your system. And if so how does it compare to what you own now? I have listened to the Bat combo and should I say Wow, compared to what I own and have tried(See above). Still would like to try the sim stuff. But so far it looks like bat. The bat was night and day over my dc1/3bst and the equip I listed above. My wife agreed and that's hard to get her to okay spending the $$$$. Just want to be sure I guess. If you don't think Aerius i has bass, try it with the bat combo, the bass is extremely controlled and truely goes right thru you, it almost hurts ya. So that's all I have, and feel free to keep the info coming. PCC

Well, it sounds like you've already made up your mind. I ran a similar thread asking for inputs on tube pre's to match to my SL-3's. The three most reccommended were the BAT, Sonic Frontiers Line 1, and Conrad-Johnson. After reading several opinions I discovered that the "tube warmth" I was searching for would be minimal in the well balanced BAT and SF. I'm not sure if that helps you or not. Check for the thread under BAT 3i. I have to disagree with you about your verdict on the bass response of the aerius. That is why I opted for the SL-3's. Still they share similar greatness in the mid's and highs. Good luck.