How do I know what my system's

Wow, impressed by all the responses.

If the advice is to identify what's "wrong" with my system, well hm. One thing is, once I got it it became really clear which CDs in my collection were sh*t recordings and which were great. So a lot of CDs sorta got relegated. Great recordings (like HDCD) sound great, bad recordings sound lifeless and muddled by comparison. (You know how a CD can sound awesome in your car or on headphones, and then you play it on a revealing system and poof, it's all muddy and congested and harsh. Or is that just me.)

Other than that, I guess I would say I might find it all a tad bright. It does depend on the recording; some are more edgy than others. It might just be a digital sound thing. I play with room acoustics, speaker placement. I'm wondering if a new amp would relax & deepen and such. I dunno. The Bryston seems really neutral, but I know there's more power to be had. I just don't know what more power brings, in terms of the overall tone, exactly. But thanks much for all the replies, and any future ones.

To add one thing (if anybody is still paying attention) I do think my speakers are NOT the weak link, i.e. they have responded a lot to every tweak thus far (cables), and just seem frightfully accurate and responsive, if even a little unforgivingly so in the midrange. I feel I can recommend the Revels for their price range; they exude capability. So there's probably untapped potential there.

Double wow for the additional advice.

I knew somebody was going to start talking about tubes. Well, I'm totally ignorant on that subject, just know there's a cult following. By all means, recommend a tube preamp and I'll check my local dealers for a loaner or something. But no doubt it's only a short step from there to a tube power amp, and eventually I'll have tubes coming out of the light sockets.

I forgot to mention that I sorta doubt my CD player is much of a weak link, either. I kinda think the Arcam CD23 kicks ass. Maybe it's bright, but the gain in clarity and immediacy (I heard it directly compared to several other models in the price range) was more than worth it.

I'm still leaning toward playing with a used amp; just looking around Audiogon there seem to be tons of options for 2 grand or under. The brands I tend to notice, for whatever reason (I guess because they get talked about more) are these: Bryston, Krell, Classe, Sim, Levinson, and PS. Well, Levinson is too pricey. But if anybody is bonkers for, say, Krells, or Sims or Classe, feel free to let me know. (I understand more power isn't necessarily good if it's sucky power, but these brands don't really suck, do they?) Some used items I'm eyeing right now are:

Krell KAV 2250
Krell KAV 250a (what would be the difference?)
Krell KSA 150 (originally $5000, now $1600, why?)
Classe CA-200, 201 or 301
Sim Audio Moon W-5
Bryston 4B-ST or SST

Thanks again!

Room treatment...is there like an 800 number for that?

It's not a bad room. Carpet, wood panels, windows with blinds, and I'm using a couple tube traps for the first reflection. And I have my equipment fairly isolated in a recessed space behind the speakers.

But maybe a snappier paint color would do the trick. Egg shell or satin???

Thanks for all the replies.

For the time being, and speaking of tubes, I will be auditioning the Van Alstine 350EXR Ultra, a tube-MOSFET hybrid power amp. Frank Van Alstine agreed that my Bryston amp was the best candidate for "weak link" status, and assured me I would hear a world of difference. We'll see. For anyone not familiar, the front-end tubes are isolated for voltage manipulation, and not at all involved in feeding current to the speakers. Or something like that; I'm not an engineer. Also for anyone not familiar, Van Alstine products are not sold through dealers; you buy them directly from his shop in MN. Anyway lots of people seem to rave about them, and they are certainly affordable (the 350EXR goes for $1849).

If I like it enough I may consider one of his preamps, which I believe are available either pure tubed or hybrid.

All comments on tube components vs. hybrid components, and combinations thereof, welcomed.