It is worth pointing out that Frontier1 is baselining against the excellent ASL Flora, which is not displaying the excessive bloom. This suggests that the issue may be specific to the VK52Se. Frontier1 already reported this bloom to me before replacing the SovTec 6H30PIds with the DR NOS Supertube variant.
Extreme Midrange Bloom
Hello: I'm using a BAT VK52SE with the 6H30DR tubes recommended by several folks here on the Gon. I've noticed an extreme emphasis in the upper midrange frequencies which is somewhat unsettling and in fact causes an almost artificial honking presentation. Is this simply the BAT house sound or is there something I can do to resolve this anomaly? I've never experienced this in any other preamp I've owned in the past. I love the build and general fit and finish of this preamp. The user interface is excellent. An audio enthusiast friend suggested this could possibly be a result of the oil filled caps BAT is using. Any help would be most welcome since the pre is great in every other way. Accurate bass, sweet highs and a very unfortunate bloated midrange.