Filling out the sound

Cmalak - Components from the same manufacturer? System synergy, cosmetics, and wife/childproof…weak, I know when ultimately the objective is good sound. Not that what I have is awful by any means, just a bit short of the robustness and sweetness of my previous tube driven setup. Hopefully I will return to that someday – for know I’ll survive.

BTW, I’ve embarked on a rebuild of my vinyl collection and have been picking up some 180 gram records. Gosh do they sound great in comparison to my “oldies”; a step in the right direction of pursuing a better sound.

Thanks again for your help,
Randy

I think one brand systems are a great way to go (I used an all Linn system for about 20 years). I tried Conrad Johnson and McIntosh tube gear about 25 years ago, but just wasn't happy with their relative weaknesses in pace, rhythm and dynamics--beautiful tonality, but the music lost its life and energy. Products from Rega, Naim, and Linn were more to my liking. More recently, at the urging of a local dealer, I took home some Rogue tube gear to try out, but again, the music seemed to fall apart temporally to me.

One other brand not mentioned above that makes almost a complete system (no turntable) is Quad. I'm curious to hear what their lower-end (99 series) components sound like with one of their small, stand-mount speakers.

Jrtrent – Thanks for the pick-me-up! Not often do I see one coming to the defense of solid state products.

Maybe the CJ system I had was not as great as I seem to recall, although I’m sure it was very good in many ways. It’s kind of like how legends grow through time…

One other factor I have failed to mention in previous postings is that my hearing isn’t what it once was. I am 49 and annual audiograms administered here at work show some loss of ability.

You might also want to consider adding a tube buffer to the chain. It could hopefully be placed in a less visual location to preserve the look of your system and might give some of the fullness you are looking for. The Dodd tube buffer gets a lot of good reviews (there's even a DIY kit if you are so inclined), but there are others as well. Eastern Electric's is also well reviewed. There are less expensive prebuilt tube buffer options as well.