the original crate BV's sound horrid. i have one, and have done quite a bit of modding, and is now fairly decent sounding. the general circuit design is sound, but the component choice is rather poor.
the crate BV150/300 are completely different sounding then even the redesigned BV120's. the preamp is near completely different sounding. the crate BV150 i tried a while back was a really good sounding amp. very thick but articulate, nice EQ controls as well. its a shame that crate shot themselves in the foot with the BV120's overall sound/reputation; the 150/300 really go un-noticed for being good amps.