Interesting. Do you really only have 30 hours on the amp? Or is it 300 hours?

I found it DID take quite some time for my Integrated (previous version) to bloom and for the most bass output to appear. Perhaps a few months of constant use. I'd steer clear of the Preerred 274B myself as the Valve Art version doesn't yield much bass for me (others vary). I find RCA 5U4G rectifiers to really be the best in the Integrated I had. And JJ 6CA7 tubes are powerful and can put out the bass, I'd recommend those, especially the cryo'd version available from www.cryoset.com

Where do you have the speakers in the room?  Closer to room boundaries can increase bass output.

If you are only 30 hours in, I think you need to play it for at least another 70-100 hours before making any big changes. If you change tubes now, you will just wait more as the new tubes settle in.

Describe your room for us...speaker placement? power filters or straight into the wall? source components?

Room and system posted on another thread:

RJR wrote on 02/25/13 at 01:24:51:

Thanks for your suggestions.

Lon-No it is not 300 hours but but probably more.  You are right.  But the listening has not been serious enough.

Will-Your comment "perhaps a sense of over-clarity in the mids."  I think that that sums it up. I am now getting more bass and the sound is changing.

I did try my Onkyo AVR amp but I did not like the sound.  I do want to tube roll but I am going to wait a bit.  I do appreciate all of your suggestions on the tubes to use.

I realize there may be other options out there, yet I am very satisfied with my investment in Decware and ZU.  I just need to just listen and enjoy.  My father is going to give me his Jazz collection of LP's and I am going to invest in a modestly priced turntable, probably the Rega RP1 Performance Pack.  It is time to listen to some jazz on a turntable.  This is what I grew up with.  No I am not ancient.

Thanks again!!!

RJR,

Let me get straight here. Are you over three hundred hours on your amp? If so you are well enough into burnin for everything to have come into its sound. The amp will season, but burnin sound development is not an issue after that much time.

In this case, looking at room, speaker placement, cables, tubes is real. If you do not like the balance as it is at 300, it is unlikely you will like it 400 unless you just get used to it...which may be a real thing or not depending how "off" the bass is, since SE sound has its own magic. But you should be able to get pretty good bass from that amp with those speakers.

Even though my speakers are half radial drivers, I find that very minor speaker movement can make a notable difference. So even if the space is tight, moving even 1/8 inch on the toe is audible here...you may be able to find better positions with movement in inches rather than feet. Play around. I do not use the standard toe either. My choices are also limited and I had to put the speakers close together on my long wall (maybe 4.5' between them) and in this room and position, they sound best toed very slightly OUT from straight on. The tried and true rules can be very good for many settings, but they are not always the best depending on conditions.

I have tried several speaker cables, and some are very bright and edgy with poor bass, and some very warm with soft but deep bass, and some sound just right. Another consideration.

But if you want to play around with tubes and speaker placement, for me to help you get to your goal, I would have to know what tubes you are using now. If the Rectifier is the Ruby, it might be a good place to start. The Rubys are very open (perhaps stark) in the mids and can come off as too bright depending on conditions.

openlybafld,

Quote:


I gather you are referring to an absolute mismatch....and this statement makes sense in the case with an absolute mismatch, but I can also say that from my perspective and with all the systems, components, rooms, speakers I have used, I would not call anything I have had a great match for my tastes before tweaking. And if I had not had the confidence to tweak and enjoy the playing, I would not be enjoying music anywhere near the level I do now.  

Even with my current system/room, heavily explored with cable/component matching toward total system synergy, lots of tube exploration, progressive room treatment, progressive cable exploration, caps, and so on.......a little thing like a way wrong rectifier, or the wrong speaker cables for amp/speaker synergy, or speaker caps and/or resistors that are too hot for my tastes within this system/room, or the speakers being a few inches out of the optimal locations making the bass flabby.....with this very revealing gear, for me, relatively little things could easily diminish the enjoyment level to a point where one could consider it a possible mismatch...Seems to me it is a matter of degrees and this can be quite relative, but also, I have found that the above sorts of things can actually make a pretty big difference in the system signature.

Not to say one has to go to the lengths I have to enjoy the music... I am just thinking that possibly, depending on the degree of a problem, something that might be pretty easy to remedy could potentially be interpreted as a speaker/amp mismatch.

As I think back, I might not even like my current system had I kept everything stock and without any room treatment.

Have had my Se34i.5 ( Decware DNA speakers) for 7 months now and have been reading these forums with great delight. Had beautiful music running stock JJ EL34's and stock 6n1p. Tried other tubes 6n2p, 7dj8, Genalex KT77's but found Steve's original JJ's and 6n1p's to be my favorites. Recently rearranged  family room furniture where my stereo is located (do not have a dedicated audio room ) after  setting up equipment in a different room setting I was unhappy with the bass response my DNA's were delivering. Everything else was excellent  as before I decided to rearrange the family room. Replaced the JJ EL34's with the Genalex Gold Lion Kt77's and there's my bass back. replaced the   6n1p's with a pair of  Telsa 7dj8's gave me a little more symbol clarity.  
The reading of the the Decware forums has helped me to understand more and try different options for system synergy and placement. Just my 02.

I have the same amp and speakers and get great bass out of them. Definitely fast and agile with great tone, not big and boomy in any way. Have you checked to make sure they are wired in phase? Just a thought.