BAT or Cary Pre with BAT VK-55?

I recently sold my BAT VK-300x SE integrated (great piece by the way) with the original intent of going to a BAT pre/power combo. The goal was to get a more "toobey" sound than the integrated provided and get the sonic benefits of separates.

I already have the VK-55, and briefly ran that with the pre-out of the integrated, which sounded very good. I was planning on going with the VK-3ix or VK-31 if I could afford it, but have run across very positive info on the Cary SLP-98 (standard and F1 version). I have not heard either one yet, and plan to buy used, so auditioning before buying is not an option.

The rest of my system is Esoteric MG-10 monitors, Esoteric SA-10 CD/SACD player, VPI Scout, and SimAudio LP5.3 phono stage.

I do like the BAT house sound, although it can be slightly rolled off in the treble with a hint of darkness. I don't know if the Cary is more or less extended in the treble and "air" as the BAT. I cannot run balanced connections with the Cary, which is the only minus feature wise when comparing the two.

Thoughts on the BAT VK-3ix or a Cary SLP-98 with the VK-55?