I want to be moved and have the music touch my soul!

I have a nice vinyl rig too.
Tried a prima Luna prologue premium but it just did not have the punch of solid-state.

I tend to buy recordings because of the sound quality. Steely Dan,Lee ritenour, Keith Johnson reference recordings, sheffield labs. 

Oh yeah. I want depth too.

I tried a Chord Qutest dac. Couldn't hear a difference.

What is a troll alert?

I want to hear inside the music. I want to hear the room and the reverbs. I want to hear the spit on a singers lips. I want to hear 20hz on a 32' pipe of a pipe organ. I want fast transients. Above all I don't want strident cringing top end.

My audiophile cousin has been telling me for years to fix the room.

Hifibouncer northwest Indiana

I had a recording studio in the 80's. I played drums since I was 10. 63 now. Gigging made me lose all interest in my home audio system. I have been back into audio gear for 4 years. Axpona in only 90 miles away.

In the last 4 years I have tried over a dozen nice speakers. I liked the Anthony Gallo Reference 3.5 the most I think. I sold them because my audiophile cousin said they sounded like crap. 

In the past his system has blown me away but not the last time I heard it which was about 3 weeks ago. It was good but not OMG good. I need to hear a $100K or higher system I guess. No good audio stores around here any more. I'm trying to figure out what I'm missing. It's like when you are listening to your system and maybe reading a magazine and not paying close attention to the music and something comes on makes you look up and say wow!

Maybe I'm still not conveying what I think I'm looking for. I always hear reviewers talk about being "drawn into the music." I have seen my cousin cry when listening to certain classical music. I rarely get goose bumps when I'm listening but it does happen. Maybe I've never truly experienced a deep connection to the music. Could it be I'm always listening as a recording engineer! Does the snare sound perfect? Is the vocal right? Can you hear the room? Does the recording make the speakers disappear? Is there too much high end? Not enough low end? Crap! How do I change after all these years? Even when I'm out at a live venue I'm critical of the sound. Am I screwed? Is there such a thing as an audiophile shrink?

I tried a Chord Qutest. How much better does it have to be?

I'm freakin psycho? Crap!

Well I had the Revel 208 then. Hmmm. I switched the Revels and Harbeths back and forth many times before I sold the Revels. Harbeths always sounded more real to me. I listen critically about 25 hours per week. Too much maybe? 

I think you can convince yourself a new piece of gear sounds good even though it may not.

I'm not sure why I care what anybody thinks! I think my cousin may be my problem! 
Thank for your help carpathian. Sorry to waste your time.

I think I found it! Ran the oppo directly to the SMC power amp like I was doing before I bought the Ayre. Zero noise floor. Superb detail. I can hear the rooms and reverbs again. I love it. Magical. 

Psycho Audio Man out.

Is this stuff for real? I'm tired of audiophile voodoo.

I had an Audible Illusions L1 and the Ayre is better to me. Better than a Parasound JC2 too. It's been a couple of days and no preamp still sounds better. 

The crossover is out and so if the Ayre pre. It made a huge difference. Oppo direct to SMC power amp.

Almost bought some jbl's yesterday and then almost bought some Klipsch today

I did tubes. Prima Luna Prologue Premium and Audible Illusions L1. Not the same punch as the SMC DNA1 Gold power amp.

Did a Chord Qutest Dac- $1900 Couldn't tell a difference.

Heard a system in a home today with B&W802 D2 speakers. Gave me goose bumps several times. Very open and detailed top end. Bright on some stuff. Boxy sounding mid bass. Probably the room. 3D soundstage. Intoxicating. Orchestra lush and beautiful. His electronics were less than mine. Don't have the money or space for them. Crap.

Guitarsam,
thanks for the response but how do I use that in my stereo system?
ben

That reminds me of when I had new muffler bearings and knutne rods installed on my car.

Well I found my answer. A pair of Revel Gem speakers, DIY subs and a minidsp SHD with Dirac room correction. The music puts me in a trance now. Amazing difference. I think the SHD cam make i big difference in any system.