To tone control or not to tone control

I understand that tone controls add distortion. You are right Greg when you say that the system is more revealing now. This started with the addition of the CJ amp. However I am using Sorbathane isolation pads with cdp , and have replaced ic's with Wireworld Solstace-lll. The speaker cables are Monster Z-1. Certainly there are more expensive & better cables but I did check reviews before buying them. The cdp is not the best but it does have dual 20 bit Burr-Brown DACS. Was going for a higher end on it but decided to wait out the format wars before spending a large amount of money. Speaker placement may be somewhat problematic but in HT mode I can just about rattle the windows without a subwoofer. The problem then seems to be the source material. Most recordings sound great but the few that sound bad sound extremely bad. Again this is due to the very revealing CJ amp. My choices seem to come down to this. Don't listen to these cd's again or doctor them so they are fit to listen too. It is amazing how a little extra bass can fill in those areas which are lacking. It is not pure to the original recording but it may be that it sounds closer to what the engineer was trying to accomplish but did not have ability or equipment to do. That said I will probably try your suggestion Bruce. For the purists who read this please understand that this fix will be used sparingly and under duress. Thanks all for your advice. BTW I am very impressed with the CJ equip. It has given me enjoyment of musical genres which I previously had not enjoyed

Thanks Greg. Your comments have been insightful and helpful. As for my comments about the purists, they were meant for humor and not for insult. Hope no one takes it the wrong way.

Cornfedboy, I did check into the Z systems digital EQ. It retails for $2500 which i thought was pricey. Their literature seems to indicate that it hooks between the DAC and transport of your cdp so unless you are running separates you cannot use it , that is unless your 1 pc cdp has digital ins and outs. Mine does not and I suspect most 1 pc cdp do not.

Dekay & Gregm, I saw a picture of the MF x-tone. From what I could see it looked like a 2 band parametric type EQ. Is this correct and is it your opinion that it would sound better than running the Adcom thru the processor loop as Bruce has suggested?

So let's assume I have tubes. Do I use a tone control device to help out these poorly recorded CDs, or should I be listening to LPs and... and... should I use MC or Mag cartridge and should I use silver or is copper ok for the cables?

Come on boys and girls Lighten up a little. Doc makes some interesting points and has an interesting writing style as well. Frap also makes some good points also. The first digital recordings were fit only for a skeet shoot and nothing more. I don't think Doc was trying to blast tubes as much as he was the industry and its marketing techniques. Do I really need to spend $300 on an interconnect or $2500 on speaker wires? As for SS vs tubes that is a matter of preferance. Every technology has its adherents. But at the end of the day it comes down to: "This music sounds fantastic" or " This music sounds crappy". I am trying to obtain the former at the least amount of hassle and money.

Bruce & Greg, I too have received -2 -2 on 5 of my posts on this thread. Even the opening question received neg points. I too would like to know why? I guess I should not have asked such a rediculous question. It seems as if someone doesn't like the topic. Maybe they don't like the TONE of the discussion

Greg, I did try the Adcom in the processor loop as Bruce described. It sounded quite terrible. Had a lot of distortion but it was worth a try. I may try the X-Tune as has been previously suggested (if I can find one) or possibly a subwoofer

Bruce, Thanks for the suggestion. Even though it didn't work
would be no reason for me to leave neg points.

Bruce, Yes I had the Adcom's volume matching that of the CJ. However maybe it was overloading the CJ since I had to turn it up to nearly half volume to match the CJ. Maybe turning the volume down on the Adcom would help. Didn't think about that till just now. I just tried it Sunday night and didn't play with it very much. I'll try that and see what happens and let you know the outcome. Thanks again

Hey Bruce, I tried playing with the vol control on the Adcom but had no luck. Still a lot of distortion. Could be a bad ic cable but I doubt it since they are fairly new. The sound reminds me of a real dirty connection.

Can someone explain to me why a simple question has rated -4 -4? I thought these forums were places where you can gain info and share ideas. If you don't like the ideas then you should make your opinion known. Maybe you have something that can shed light on my dilemna. However throwing negatives at me while you are hiding behind annonymity only makes me suspect your lack of ability to make your case.

Bob, I had to take a look at that accuphase. It looks pretty good but out of my $ league.
Greg, When I tried mine it sounded like my speakers were under water.

Seantaylor99
I replaced the Infinity speakers with Silverline Sonatas. A big improvement, but the biggest improvement in dealing with the bad recordings was to replace the Sherwood cdp with a Theta Miles cdp. Now all cd's are listenable. Obviously some cd's still sound better than others but overall they all sound good now. I haven't thought about tone controls or sub woofers since. Maybe a sub will come into play when I work on the HT end but I am just finishing the 2 channel with the purchase of Homegrown Silver Lace ic's and a dedicated AC line.