the UPS man just rang the bell and gave me my 8-ohm replacement 2226. I think I'll go ahead and put one of the 22uF Obligato's in and see what it does, then I can A/B it with the North Creek and go with whatever sounds better after some break-in. Do you think your increased bass might be from clearer highs or something that don't sound as loud? I"ve found that the less distortion there is the less volume is perceived even tho it may be as loud or louder.