I've just got mine boxed up, not veneered and finished yet, and I've found the same thing. When I first fired them up, the bass was weak at low volumes and I found myself playing with the "loudness" button to get the effect I was looking for. Now after about a week I've been able to just boost the bass control to about 3/4 rotation and leave the loudness off. I figure another couple weeks and I'll be able to leave all the tone controls flat.