Does your Tempest lack bass too?

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I've got a nice Atari color vector lineup: Tempest, Space Duel and Gravitar. SD and Gravitar have awesome bass, which makes Tempest sound wimpy in comparison. I wonder if the Tempest "soundtrack" has this low-end audio content, so that if I upgraded the speaker(s) it would sound better? I'm even thinking of putting an inexpensive subwoofer in the cabinet.
 
Unless your speaker is bad, I think the sound is what it is.. I know Gravitar and Space Duel have alot of bass...
 
If you have more than one speaker and they are out of phase you will notice a loss of bass.
 
AFAIK Tempests only have 1 speaker; a 6x9 mounted behind the marquee.

Some other possibilities to consider...

1) has the speaker been replaced by an 8 ohm over the years? According to the manual, the original was a 4 ohm speaker. It's easier for the amp to deliver that power into a 4 ohm load... so most all sounds will be louder with a 4 ohm speaker vice an 8 ohm... but the difference may be more apparent to the ear in the low frequency range.

2) check the AR-II's output coupling caps (the big ones). Reduced capacitance could raise the filter's cut-off frequency.
 
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space duel has 4 speakers. Gravitar + BW have 2. All 3 games games speakers are pointed directly at you. Tempest has 1 and its not pointed at you.
 
I always thought Tempest sounded wimpy too and thought maybe putting in an 8 ohm to replace the 4 ohm might give it more bass. Anyone done this to see what happens?
Going from 4 ohms to 8 is not a problem but going from 8 to 4 is not good from what I hear.
 
Thanks for your comments; my notes below...
1) has the speaker been replaced by an 8 ohm over the years? According to the manual, the original was a 4 ohm speaker. It's easier for the amp to deliver that power into a 4 ohm load... so most all sounds will be louder with a 4 ohm speaker vice an 8 ohm... but the difference may be more apparent to the ear in the low frequency range.
I'll check, but I think it's the original 4 ohm speaker.
2) check the AR-II's output coupling caps (the big ones). Reduced capacitance could raise the filter's cut-off frequency.
I rebuilt all of my AR boards last year, so unfortunately I don't think this is it. I could swap AR boards with SD to see if it makes a difference.
I always thought Tempest sounded wimpy too and thought maybe putting in an 8 ohm to replace the 4 ohm might give it more bass. Anyone done this to see what happens?
Yes; it makes the sound even wimpier.
put in a sub man
That's my plan. If I can find a good place on the AR board to get a line-level output, I'll install some good PC speakers with a sub.
 
Tempest is definitely unique sounding. I think you are probably hearing what it is supposed to sound like. Sounds REALLY wimpy if the marquee is removed.
 
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