Ignorant about tubes

wodom1
wodom1 Posts: 1,054
edited March 2007 in Electronics
Can I get some tube edjumacation from you guys? I bought a Soundstage Vacuum 2 preamp from our very own Gator3000, which arrived yesterday. I hooked it up this evening to my LSi15's, Adcom GFA 545 II, and cheapo Denon CD player. The mids and highs are very clear and crisp but there is almost no bass. Previously I was using my old Denon AVR 1801 as a pre and I had it flat, so it's not like I'm used to having the bass cranked up. I've never owned any tube gear before and am totally ignorant. This pre came with JAN 6922 x 2 Philips NOS/NIB (6/86). My Adcom is being used by both the Denon (for movies, TV, phono) and the Soundstage (obviously not simultaneously), so I've got a pair of Y splitters on the inputs for the amp. Is there something I'm missing?

Josh
"I got into the music business thinking it was really radical, that it wasn't really a business at all, that it was a lot of people being artistic and creative. Not true, and it made me very depressed."

Thom Yorke of Radiohead

SOPA. Bow down before me, ****. Want a cookie?


Polk Audio LSi15
Polk Audio LSiC
Polk Audio FXi30
Samsung LN-T4061F 40" 1080P LCD HDTV
Sony Playstation 3
Outlaw Model 990 Pre/Pro
Rotel 985 MK II
Rotel 1072 CDP
Soundstage Vacuum II tube pre
Post edited by wodom1 on

Comments

  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,861
    edited March 2007
    Are you still getting the same bass from your AVR hooked through the Y?
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,986
    edited March 2007
    Leave the preamp on overnight, and see if it's any better. The tubes may literally be brand new (along with the coupling caps, etc etc).

    Let them form and break in for a few hours.
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
  • ND13
    ND13 Posts: 7,601
    edited March 2007
    If Russ' rec doesn't help, get with me. I have a plethora of killer NOS 6922/6DJ8 variants from Amperex, Mullard, Siemans, etc. I'll make you a good deal on a pair or two, so you can try some different tubes to see if you can get the bass you need.

    But for sure, let the pre warm up for a while and run a signal to it, at low volume, to let the tubes break in nicely.
    "SOME PEOPLE CALL ME MAURICE,
    CAUSE I SPEAK OF THE POMPITIOUS OF LOVE"
  • wodom1
    wodom1 Posts: 1,054
    edited March 2007
    I guess I just needed to be patient. The more the tubes break in, the more bass there is.

    ND13, thanks for the offer. I'll probably take you up on that soon.
    "I got into the music business thinking it was really radical, that it wasn't really a business at all, that it was a lot of people being artistic and creative. Not true, and it made me very depressed."

    Thom Yorke of Radiohead

    SOPA. Bow down before me, ****. Want a cookie?


    Polk Audio LSi15
    Polk Audio LSiC
    Polk Audio FXi30
    Samsung LN-T4061F 40" 1080P LCD HDTV
    Sony Playstation 3
    Outlaw Model 990 Pre/Pro
    Rotel 985 MK II
    Rotel 1072 CDP
    Soundstage Vacuum II tube pre