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
Sounds like your basement has horrible accoustics. I'm no engineer but I worked on building a recording studio, and I have built 2 practice studio's of my own design. I have read enough about room acoustics to understand its importance.

Few audiophiles spend enough or any money at all providing a good acoustic enviorment for there music/theater room. The panelling is probably acting like a drum skin and the area above your drop ceiling is amplifiying your bass. The concrete walls and floor are much too ridged and standing sound waves are being amplified. Reflections aren't bad but need to be controled and excesive bass needs trapping.

Your existing gear isn't even revealing what is possible. We all need to some time and money on your acoustics and our entire system will be more revealing. Please don't buy more equipment to act as tone controls.
Thanx Mjcmt; I would agree with our assessment 100% and am working on the room as we speak. I did not know however that drop ceilings would accentuate bass? I thought bass was controlled or affected more from corner treatments. Can you expound on this a bit. It might help me. Thanx
Pawlowski6132

My experience shows that the area above the drop ceiling and between the floor joists acts like a drum. The area is hollow above the panels. The bass becomes boomy in there and is magnified. Insulating above the drop ceiling makes a big difference to absorb aggressive bass. That is how a bass trap works.

Also, the drop ceiling grid is thin metal and can resonate. Remember the drop in panels, drop in fixtures, and grid are loosely attached. It is more expensive, but a insulated D/W ceiling is much better.
The best I've ever heard VS 4Jr sound was with...don't flame me...the DK VS1-mk2 integrated using Mullard NOS tube in the preamp section.
I have been curious about the DK VS-1, I read somewhere on this site that it sounds great with the Jr's but can't recall if it was a dealer's claims or not.