Need some audiogon expertise


Hi all, I am having a little problem here with thin bass. I am not really sure where to start. Some help would be most apprecieated. I have heard some say tubes in preamp but i dont feel that 2 little 6922's can be causing the music to be so thin but maybe so. Heres my list of equipment.

California Audio Labs Icon/Powerboss
Audible Illusions L-1/matched pair of 6H23-EB
Aragon 4004 mkII
Sansui TU-717
Vmps Tower 2/R's
Acoustic Research 12 guage
Radio Shack fusion IC's throughout

Stand alone i've not heard of any of the components having the traits of thin bass. But obviously i have something causing this.

Room is 22 x 14 x 8. Speakers are on the short wall placed 2 1/2 feet from back wall and 3 feet from sidewalls toed in directly at my listening position which is 10 feet from speakers.

Thanks for the help.
kool39
I second the Peavey. It stopped the black hole where my money was going for EQ, black boxes, etc. Great piece.
Creeper, thanks for the input. Yes from all that own the tower 2/R's or the Super Tower R's there hasnt been one person i have heard complain of thin bass.

Sogood 51, when i purchased my tower 2 R's they were an easy 8/10. The original owner never touched the putty and it was in its factory position when i purchased them. I have removed about a small pea amount from each PR in hopes of correcting the problem. As far as using the bottom post i use the top posts with 12 guage jumpers to the bottom posts with switch in up position. I have read this is a great tweak to tighten bass and improve the image and tonal balance. John Casler is the one who brought the idea to the forefront and many are very pleased with the results. Now i am not sure if that might indeed be the reason that i am experiencing thin bass. Might need to give your idea a try. thanks.

Marakentz, lol. Seriously though i want to try and stay with my aragon if at all possible it is a very clean smooth sounding amp in my system. Don't really know what everyone means by bright if anything i would call it on the neutral to warm side more than bright.But that could be from the other components i have it matched with.

Jond, You might be on to something there. But thin is thin and i think i might have another issue here.

Elevick,I am very happy with the mids and highs and if i move them back closer to the wall i seem to lose the magic so i would like to look for another alternative. And as for the second part of your question its yes i ordered NOS 6H23-EB's from Kevin at Upscale Audio.

Sean, thanks for your comments and opinions. I might just need to rearrange my speakers to the long wall.I was trying to find other alternatives without having to make such a move but it might be necessary. A question about leaving my amp on all the time. Wouldnt that require me to leave my preamp on all the time as well? Reason i ask is because i was thinking that would wear out tubes rather quickly leaving the preamp on all the time and i was afraid to leave amp on and turn off preamp. I truly believe the synergy i have found with the amp and preamp is truly amazing in the midrange and highs. But i sure would like the added pleasure of some fuller bass.

Ozfly, the speakers are an 8/10 with no signs of wear on any drivers. All drivers are working perfectly. Another point you make on when i am up close to the speakers i do notice quite an increase in bass. Just seems not to be moving across the room. Not sure whether i could have a problem with crossovers but they sure are playing beautifully with the exception of thin bass.

Newbee, upper midrange emphasis gives me headaches and causes me to fatigue with time. I am not experiencing that with this combination of equipment at all. Thanks for the recommendation of an RS meter and test cd. I think that is something i really need to look into.

Alcides,thanks i appreciate your advice and recommendations.

Ljgj, thanks for the advice i will surely give the Peavey Kosmos a look.

Lpg, thanks for the input.
I would bet money that this is not a componant issue, but a room issue! Check out http://www.rivesaudio.com They have helped me a lot!

It is amazing how much difference proper setup, and room taming can make. I have had some of the pieces you own and they did not have the 'bass shyness' you are concerned about, which is why I would blame the room.

Good luck!
Cables and cords are good way to tune a system, but it may be better to make sure everything else is matched first.

Tubes are also a good way to tune your system, but you seem to have everything dialed in and the bass may be tough to solve by changing 6922 tubes. In my system, changing 6922s have altered the sound in more than one area of the sound spectrum.

I checked the specs on the input sensitivity for your Aragon 400 mkII and it's rated at 22Kohm, which is in the same ballpark as the 23Kohm Pass Aleph 3 which I had trouble mating to my Blue Circle BC21 preamp. If the output impedance of your Audible Illusions L-1 is 2Kohm as Marakanetz says, that may be the reason right there. Previous A'Gon posters have mentioned a guideline range of 10 to 100 times [preamp output impedance to amp input impedance] and your set up is sitting on the very low end.

Do you lack dynamics if you turn the volume up? Along with the thin bass, this was another problem I experienced with the Aleph 3. A real shame because no amp has done guitars as well in my system as the Aleph 3.

Is it possible for you to substitute another amp in place of the Aragon just to see if that has an effect? Also, what's the output voltage on your CAL Icon? If that is too low it's possible the AI L-1 doesn't have enough gain to compensate for that.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.