As a sign that I'm too far down the whole possibly (rabbit or otherwise), I was playing a new blu-ray acquisition,
Hans Zimmer Live in Prague this week and as I listened, there were times during the performance that it seemed like the low end was a bit lacking in thump or fullness, while other times it thumped satisfyingly. This could well be the material (it is, probably), but my first thought was to put the Black Diamonds back in my 2300 since they didn't get a fair shake with the Transparent Premium PCs now on my MC501s, and have a somewhat more impactful bottom. Even with the spots having satisfying low end, it occurred the BD could add a bit more.
What this means is I begin to understand all the talk about never being finished with one's system. There's always something, major or minor, that will play at you if you let it. And tubes are less expensive than equipment for the most part, making it easier to mess with them. True, some of the NOS tubes cost as much as a power cord, but I've resisted that call easily thus far. Still, this could become a merry-go-round if I allow it.
UPDATE 2/3: I played the
Man of Steel track on this disc yesterday, and the lower-mid/high-low frequencies (whatever they're called) are missing some sound, compared to the same track on YouTube through my iMac!
It's subtle but audible. I'll play it on my system again (just played it on YouTube again) to make sure I heard (or didn't hear) what I thought I heard. If I confirm this, it's back to the BDs for comparison.