MIDRANGE Control on Vintage Tube Amps?

Grid

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(Title should read TUBE amps, not TUNE amps. :rflmao:) I owned a Sansui 9090DB for many years. What I miss about it were the bass, midrange and treble controls. What I miss most about those was the 300 Hz and 150 Hz bass frequency selection.

My question then, now that I'm back into tube audio, were there any vintage integrated amps with this feature?

It really made a huge difference for me. I like lots of bass; that is, low frequency region bass (the "rumble" zone) not boxy boominess. I've just acquired a Harman Kardon A-500. The rumble frequencies are there but I can not coax them out with only a bass control that has no bass frequency selections like the Sansui had. And the loudness feature does bring those frequencies out but then the audio becomes boxy too.

Thank you.
 
I'll pass no judgments on your tastes: de gustibus non est disputandum. :)

You might like the variable loudness of some (many, actually) vintage amplifiers -- these were all, in essence, midrange-cut controls, designed more or less to mimic the Fletcher-Munson equal loudness hearing curves. The Yamaha variable loudness of the 1970s (and beyond) was essentially the same deal.

YamahaCR-2020loudnesscurves by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

Amplifiers featuring variable loudness (off the top of my head) include, e.g., the EICO HF-52 (a really nice push-pull EL34 integrated mono amp with really excellent output iron) and the venerable Sherwood S-5000 (I think that's the right model -- heck, I have one but I still get confused by the Sherwood amplifiers!).

SherWoulds by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
Note: those were not in use when the photo was taken -- never put another component atop a vacuum tube amplifier; too much heat is evolved by the latter!
 
You might like the variable loudness of some (many, actually) vintage amplifiers -- these were all, in essence, midrange-cut controls, designed more or less to mimic the Fletcher-Munson equal loudness hearing curves. The Yamaha variable loudness of the 1970s (and beyond) was essentially the same deal.

Amplifiers featuring variable loudness (off the top of my head) include, e.g., the EICO HF-52 (a really nice push-pull EL34 integrated mono amp with really excellent output iron) and the venerable Sherwood S-5000 (I think that's the right model -- heck, I have one but I still get confused by the Sherwood amplifiers!).
Thank you. Yeah, I understand about all those model numbers--I can even remember tube numbers!
 
Maybe an equalizer can help you tune bass to your liking? I tried a couple, but tend to like most quality recordings with no boost,,,
 
Maybe an equalizer can help you tune bass to your liking? I tried a couple, but tend to like most quality recordings with no boost,,,
Hi, John, thanks.

Yes, I may have to go that route. Also, I do have EQ on the PC from which I play a lot of files. Basically, however, I'm with you as far as adding what just isn't there to a recording. When I was young, I'd automatically have loudness switched on and I'd boost the bass to boot. But over the past couple decades, I've come to appreciate the pure recording. I listen mostly with headphones, as I live in an apartment complex (where it's OK for partytards to blast subwoofers at all hours, but not OK to play your stereo or practice an acoustic musical instrument). But after much research I settled on full range, flat, studio monitor reference type headphones, so that I could hear the true uncolored recording.

Of course, from here, the discussion would go to just how flat is the amp we're listening on. Then we would consider that earlier tube amps definately imparted their character and color on the music...for the good mostly!
 
Hi, John, thanks.

Yes, I may have to go that route. Also, I do have EQ on the PC from which I play a lot of files. Basically, however, I'm with you as far as adding what just isn't there to a recording. When I was young, I'd automatically have loudness switched on and I'd boost the bass to boot. But over the past couple decades, I've come to appreciate the pure recording. I listen mostly with headphones, as I live in an apartment complex (where it's OK for partytards to blast subwoofers at all hours, but not OK to play your stereo or practice an acoustic musical instrument). But after much research I settled on full range, flat, studio monitor reference type headphones, so that I could hear the true uncolored recording.

Of course, from here, the discussion would go to just how flat is the amp we're listening on. Then we would consider that earlier tube amps definately imparted their character and color on the music...for the good mostly!
The Sansui AU70, PP 7189 integrated stereo amp has a tone defeat and a loudness and presence controls. I found that i liked the sound best with the tone defeat on and the presence control on. The presence cuts the amount of feedback from the output trans to the phase splitter tube. This seems to mostly effect the mid bass and low mids.
 
The Sansui AU70, PP 7189 integrated stereo amp has a tone defeat and a loudness and presence controls. I found that i liked the sound best with the tone defeat on and the presence control on. The presence cuts the amount of feedback from the output trans to the phase splitter tube. This seems to mostly effect the mid bass and low mids.

Boy, how I miss my Sansui 9090DB (with similar tone controls). I've been looking into tube Sansuis.
 
I always called the Midrange tone control the 'haunt' control..on some systems it can make you jump on vocals when used (abused) to a high degree. Of course, it has been years since I had a unit with triple tone controls (Marantz 2250B).
 
I always called the Midrange tone control the 'haunt' control..on some systems it can make you jump on vocals when used (abused) to a high degree. Of course, it has been years since I had a unit with triple tone controls (Marantz 2250B).
I know what you mean. I used mid sparingly but then mostly for headphone listening. For the past 30 years, I've used only reference type headphones. Very, if not, strictly flat. I used mid to fatten horns.
 
braun ( all models ) had a "presense switch" that raised mids some decibel
csv 13 is a good reading. It's an early tube amp.
https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/braun/csv-13.shtml

The "präsens" really lighted up some records that were a litte "laid-back" .
Later models kept the präsens switch.
csv1000 was a top line 55w/ch with stabilized DC supply for the transistors ( 2n3055 ) that also had
a continously variable mono - stereo - broaded ( where broaded moved the soundstage outside
the speakers ! )
I remember building that logic with a ecc83 and incoporated in my csv13
 
braun ( all models ) had a "presense switch" that raised mids some decibel
csv 13 is a good reading. It's an early tube amp.
https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/braun/csv-13.shtml

The "präsens" really lighted up some records that were a litte "laid-back" .
Later models kept the präsens switch.
csv1000 was a top line 55w/ch with stabilized DC supply for the transistors ( 2n3055 ) that also had
a continously variable mono - stereo - broaded ( where broaded moved the soundstage outside
the speakers ! )
I remember building that logic with a ecc83 and incoporated in my csv13
Hey, thanks, really interesting info.
 
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