Power amp for Quad 988s

Jeffrey, I obviously should have provided more information. I have an old CJ MV-50 that I have had for 20 years along with an old ARC SP-6B with a Monolithic phonostage and VPI Mk III/PT-6 and Grado Sonata.

My room is about 15' X 20'. I listen to a wide variety of music but I tend to focus on jazz and vocals for my more serious listening. So, transparency, midrange accuracy, microdetail and what some TAS reviewers call "continuousness" are important to me. I am not as interested in the last word in high or low end. I don't listen at high loudness levels, and do not use a subwoofer although I have thought about it.

My main problem with my current electronics is the bloated bass sound and lack of tightness in the bass. LIke I said, I don't need to hear bass at 35hz since quads won't go that low anyway. But, I want tighter bass and know that my older electronics are not bringing out the best in the quads.

Thanks for any input.

Thanks Jeffrey. Alot of good suggestions. I have always liked the CJ/EL 34 sound until recently. I think I just bought into the idea that with the low sensitivity of the quads, I needed more power. But, as you point out, maybe with some room treatment and a tube amp with a little more power and a larger output transformer, I can keep the lush CJ sound but add some tighter bass.

I definitely should consider room treatment. I have 6 triple 90 degree corners....a funky room. I sit about 7 feet from the speakers which are about 5-6 feet apart.

I actually did look at your system after your first email and noticed that you were using the ASL SET poweramps with the big Quads....so no reason I can not find a tube amp that gives me the midrange I want with just a little more tight bass.

I am definitely going to consider the Gradient subwoofer. I thought about it when I first got the speakers but just never pulled the trigger. The quads with more bass might be something to behold.

Thanks again for your help.