Most beneficial change .


I am seeking opinions about what to change first , my speakers or my amplification .

I have a Primaluna Prologue 2 integrated feeding Reference 3a Decapo i speakers from a Granite Audio 657 CDP using the tubed side most of the time . I have rolled the input tubes on the integrated to warm things up some which helped nicely . The system is in a small 10'X11' room on the diagonal with some room treatments . The room is carpeted and my chair is overstuffed leather with a matching foot stool .

I get good tone , extension , details , resolution and PRaT but it is kind of boring ! It all sounds pretty good but I don't want to tap my toes ,bob my head or play the air guitar ! I can listen for long periods of time with ease but just don't want to . Easy to fall asleep ! I guess that I would like to increase the dynamics and musicality . I prefer tubes .

Suggestions ?

Thank you for your input .
saki70
Your speakers are finicky as respects placement. Most who have them in a smaller room have them placed along the long wall. You may try moving things around a bit before spending more money (and time) on new speakers. How far do you sit from your speakers...and how far from the back wall (or corner, I guess, as you have them on the diagonal) do you sit? What type of music are you listening too? Do you have some very well recorded, non-compressed CD's to use as a reference? What are the power cords on the amp & CD player? Have you done a polarity check to make sure all is proper?
I found I liked what I got from the CED Winged C EL34's which came with my amp. So I just bought another set for each amp. The 3 mini tubes in fromt allowed me a wider variety of sonic changes by rolling them... so I got some of those two and found running Tungsol 5687 all around with the Winged C suited me best.

I've asked - posted threads here on EL34s, in the past, so you might search the archives for the various EL34 threads.

Another avenue is to Google EL34s, and read the guitar ampheads thoughts on the various 34s out there... NIB & NOS.

Some of the larger tube vendors post notes on the sound of their tubes too... like "The Tube Store" and others.

If I remember any or run acorss any I'll email you the link to them.

They ain't way 'spensive so trying out some shouldn't be to troubling. I had to get two sets of four. I'd think you would need less. The 'funny' cool thing is I've paid more for one little bitty tube than I did for all 8 of those Winged C's. lol

G' luck.
Cerrot ;
I sit 6ft. from the speaker face and the speakers are 6ft. apart . The distance from the wall behind them is angled but @2ft. One would have the rear port firing at the angled wall and the other fires into a closet containing my equipment . The speakers are firing straight ahead as per manufacturers instructions . I sit @ 2ft. out from the wall behind me .
I have a Wolffe Source cord on the CDP and stock chord on the amp as I was told it doesn't respond much to change .
I listen to classic rock , contemporary blues , singers and standards and some contemporary jazz . Polarity is correct . I have some nicely done CD's that are sounding even better with the EL-34's now .

If I could increase the dynamics and extension of these EH's , that would be another step in the right direction !
But they sure are sounding purty !

Jim;
Thanks for the info , I will check it out .