Sorry all, I was travelling and doing this thread during it. George, yes I clicked wrong one. If I do anything in way of more electronics in stream, I'd prefer the analog method at the end. Since it's only affecting mid/highs I'm starting with a pair of brighter tubes for my preamp stage. Add a tad "L" and see if its better. Honestly, it's barely a problem but yeah, its detectable. Not degenerative but from too much hunting, shooting over the years without protection, even outdoors. String, i agree. While they may balance the perception in each ear they are about the definition of Lo-Fi (as used here) and usually focus on the voice portion of spectrum only. Thanks all for help. Great points. And wear protection in all loud hobbies/pursuits!