Von Schweikert VR4JR & Tube Amp???


So...without boring you with too much details, I've been FORCED to move my rig into a small dedicated room in my basement. I currently have the above speakers, Marantz SA8260 SACD/CD, Marantz PM7200 (95wpc), Kimber Silver Streak, Audioquest Montblanc & CV-6. My room is only about 12x10 and it's in a corner of my finished basement so, I have two walls that are poured concrete behind the paneling. Obviously, the sound sucks. Since the room is fully enclosed and mine alone, I literally had to surround the room with R-15 Insulation covered with heavy felt moving-blankets and built some baffling in the corners. Ceiling is typical foam drop-ceiling tiles. Floor is carpeted. After some experimentation with speaker placement, I have ACCEPTABLE sound accross most frequencies except the bass (too boomy). Now here's the question: I'm hoping to make the following hardware changes as final adjustments since I might be here for awhile: Replace the PM7200 with a Primaluna Prologue 2 or Manley Stringray and the Audioquest cables with Kimber 8TC. I don't have the experience with or the ability to audition the considered new gear but, what do you wise and insightful folks think???
pawlowski6132
Bass from tube amps is often different in quality from SS amps, but not necessarily quantity. In my view the correction of the bass is far more important to the listening experience than the minor (if any) changes or distortions you might add from using a good equalizer. From a purist point of view adding an equalizer might introduce changes detectible when you do an A/B comparison, and some might hear the effect of these changes when actually listening to music, but that bass boom you will always hear and it is inappropriate and disruptive to the remaining music, for me at least.

Of course no one has asked you the degree of bass boom you are experiencing. If its on the order of 6db I wouldn't consider it a big deal - it would be something I would be albe to live with (and do). But if your are talking 12 to 15db I would find that too much. Have you actually taken a SPL meter and a test disc and checked out your room and the best available listening and speaker positions with it? If not, its worth doing.
Hi Pawlowski6123
I agree with the above posters who are advocating getting your room correct, acoustically speaking.

Try Bass traps to tame your boomy bass problem. Every room has built in sonic charastics. It's physics. Every frequency has a certain length to its sound wave. The size of your room has a direct effect on either, cancelling out certain frequencies OR accentuating certain frequencies. It all depends on the length of the wave (frequency), and the distance they are given (inside dimensions of your room) to travel.

The beauty of "bass traps" is, they will do both. That is, they will absorb a targeted frequency while redirecting (diffusing) other frequencies. I know that bass traps are expensive BUT, you can make them yourself if you would like. The link below is a description as to how to build your own.

http://www.teresaudio.com/haven/traps/traps.html

Just remember - the larger the DIAMETER of the trap, the lower the frequency that will be absorbed.

I am using 18" 16" and 9" tubes In my room. They are SYMETRICALLY placed around the room. The correction is real and not subtle.

Of course building your own traps will require some time and effort on your part. But, you will save $$$.

bets of luck in taming the boom in your room.
Sorry - I forgot:
Here is a very helpful link showing HOW to use tube traps.

http://www.acousticsciences.com/articles/iar89.htm

Getting/making them is one thing, but knowing how to use them, is what will get you to where you want to be.

best
Pawlowski6132:

I have been using a "true" bi-wired set of Kimber 4TC (tweeter/mid module) and 8TC (woofer) cables on my original VR-4's (and which I had previously used with my Vandy 2Ce Sigs). Though I have occasionally flirted with bouts of "upgrade" obsession, I realize that there is no rational need for me to spend any more $$$ on different speaker cables. Not that I'm saying their isn't something "better", but I believe the Kimber are very balanced, coherent, and a great overall performance/value, and moreso just wanted to offer my recommendation based on my actual use of them with VR speakers.

On the other hand, I also previously auditioned a set of the AQ CV-6 with my former Vandy speakers, and which I found to also be a very good speaker cable (and also for the $), so keep in mind that in your case, switching from the AQ CV-6 to the Kimber may only be a "lateral" move, (maybe even depreciative?). Note that I did not use the AQ cables with the VR-4s since my audition of them was at a time way before I made my change from Vandy to VR speakers.

I understand you're trying to "tune" your system, and I'm inclined to agree with the others about room tuning as a primary focus, and I'm not sure if the change you're considering of your already better than decent cables is prudent towards your objective.

Just my two cents.

Chuckster
To answer your question of whether the VR4jr's sound good with tubes they most certainly do. I am running a BAT VK60 that I am considering selling. It was fine in my smaller room but now that I have moved into a larger space it is just not enough. The fear that I have is if I do in fact get rid of the BAT, what can I possibly buy to replace it that will sound just as good for similar money?

A close friend of mine ran a stingray with his VR4's & loved it except for the fact that it would also strain trying to fill his large listening room at what we like to call "drinking levels" We both listen to clasic rock & at normal levels have no problems with tubes & VSA.