Conrad Johnson Classic Sixty

I have the CJ Classic Sixty SE with an ET5 preamp, driving Devore Super 8s. A magical combination! In my setup, I find the Devores to be light on bass, so I supplement with a Rythmik F12G-SE subwoofer. The Rythmik blends seamlessly, so I find the whole setup to be the best of all worlds.

No most tube amps are not light on bass. In fact I find them to do bass much better than solid-state amps. It's true solid-state is tighter but does not sound natural to my ears. 

I think tube amps and ss amps tend generally to have different bass quality. If you did a frequency response check, I doubt that a steady state frequency response check would show much difference.

But dynamically, there is a tremendous difference in each type's typical damping factor. Tubes are rather low and ss is rather high. A low damping factor can make the bass sound quite ripe and thus give the impression of a fuller bass. An ultra high damping factor can yield a very tight bass, which ironically can sound somewhat lean. But it really isn't. Synergy with the right speakers is key. 

I am using Quicksilver Silver 88s (no longer made) but I would consider trying the mono 120's at about 4K with KT150 tubes with your CJ Classic preamp. I have listened to 5 different preamps in my system with the Quicksilvers, currently a highly upgraded vintage PV9a which is a very synergistic match. I'm just betting that  pairing  the Quicksilver with your Classic pre would sound superb with your 805 speakers and you'll have no issue with the bass or anything plus plenty of power and only 2 ouput tubes per mono amp. I find the Classic 60 glorious but a bit light in the bass during a limited exposure. The Quicksilver amps  have a beautiful midrange with NO faults that I have yet detected in 3 years of ownership, probably the best amps I've ever owned and among the most satisfying I've heard across the board, they breathe life into the music and NEVER bring attention to themselves or make you question whether something is missing and THAT IME is special. Then I added  2 Rel Strata III subs over the past year, and well, that is a story to itself.


On the general subject of bass, agree with zavato,on the issue of synergy with the speaker and damping factor. But to categorically state that tube amps have fat bass or  lack bass is not accurate for ALL tube amps.I've heard some low powered SET amps that produced bass that was astonishing, and  I have heard SS amps that lack bass as well because of their damping factor. Designing amplifiers is often about choices to attain a desired result..

There is some serious misinformation in the mix in this thread.  What kind of amps do many, many bass guitarists use?  Tube amps?  Really?  Gee do you suppose they know something about the sound they want?