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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.
frontier1

Showing 5 responses by rodman99999

rodman99999
5,988 posts
 
How many hours do have on this unit? Most take 200 before sounding their best. Some interconnects can interact and cause anomalies as well. If this is a new unit- give it some time. You can burn it in by playing your CD (on repeat) through it with your power amp turned off. What did it sound like with the original tubes?
rodman99999
5,988 posts
 
Frontier1- Please, let us know your estimation of the sound of the BAT(with both tubes sets) after it's burned in. Thanx!
rodman99999
5,988 posts
 
If you know what to listen for, and thrill to the sound of live music in a real venue: nothing beats tubes. Any equipment(tube or SS) takes time to sound it's best. Taking the time to burn in gear, and taste various tubes, is an act of love for some of us. Skydivers(I) have a saying: "We that dance are considered crazy by those that can't hear the music." Harley riders(I) have another: "If I have to explain- You wouldn't understand." Oil-filled caps will usually have somewhat of a fuller, rounder midrange(ala Mullard tubes, for instance- which some like), than would most film/foil caps(polypropylene/copper foil probably being the other extreme). I'm not certain about the burn-in time.
rodman99999
5,988 posts
 
Tweeking equipment is not very difficult, and can yield outstanding results when applied to an already good piece of gear. I've used the MultiCap film and foil polystyrenes, and auriCAPs to excellent result(very transparent). Always buy in 2% matched pairs, watch the voltage ratings, and be certain to orient with the outer foil lead end toward the load(auriCAP leads are color coded). Again- I'd never recommend anything be changed until one knows beyond doubt the equipment's sound after burn-in. Often it just takes an interconnect/cable change to eliminate colorations.
rodman99999
5,988 posts
 
Those teflon V-Caps do sound intriguing. AudioCap has teflon/tin foil caps as well. Same manufacturer as the MultiCaps I recommended. These caps are the creations of one Richard Marsh(the founder of Marsh Sound Design). If you know how good his electronics are: now you know part of the reason. One nice thing about tube gear- There aren't that many devices in the signal path(not really much to replace). Oh- the V-Caps take about 4 or 500 hrs to fully burn-in(so they say).
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