too laid back, or deeper soundstage?

Wow, it's interesting that you get a laid back sound with the Audio Physic tempos - I just heard them yesterday with an all CJ system; half art pre, MF 2500 amp and a CJ cd player and I thought it sounded slightly forward and lean. I know that some employees at CJ use cardas, I have the MIT Shotguns and a CJ pre with Classe amp and it is a pretty warm system. I prefer that, you could liven yours up with different cables for sure like Kimber. I've used PBJ's and KCAG IC's and the sound is definitely more immediate on my system. I love the soundstage the MIT's throw, much better laterally than either Kimber that I mentioned. Have you moved your speakers around - I've been doing this for 10 years! Closer to the back wall will pull vocals more up front. SS amplification will difinitely give you immediacy if your CJ is tube.

If the setup of speakers and components in your rack/room has not changed and you did optimize for your previous components this also adds to the difference in presentation different equipment renders (and you're noticing) I've found differences as such in changing power cords as well and without any other changes, I had to reposition speakers and modify toe-in to get back some of the previous presentation I liked and capitalizing on new good things upgrading bring. System balance and cables might have to be adjusted maybe but first give everything a nice break in / settling time and try closed angle for the speakers for example..... Hope this helps

I crave that immediate sound especially on vocal music as well. Try Totem Model 1 Signatures (w/ Cardas Cross speaker cables) if you want that immediate or palpable sound. Having had the upgrade bug like most audiophiles, I was looking to upgrade my speakers. I tried many, many speakers including the highly regarded B&W N805's. As much as I wanted to like the 805's, they had a 'polite' character *in my system* that would keep me disinterested in the music. It may have been bad synergy with my other components but the fact remained that my late night listening sessions would end up with me falling asleep on the listening couch....so the Totems stayed. I often enjoy listening to live music be it in a small jazz club or a large hall or even an outdoor concert. I always try and get a good seat, usually close to center a few rows back and my attention is towards the stage. I attend these live performances to listen AND see the musicians play the music. I've heard audiophiles (and manufacturers) preach the tonal balance bible and cast away immaging and soundstaging as some sort of sickness. I say both are equally important. If this makes me less of an 'audiophile' so be it, but if this makes me want to play disc after disc 'till the early hours of the morning with my foot tapping then the sound system has succeded in it's function. If you prefer a more immediate sound then who cares what other people prefer, go get it. I've listened to other systems where the owners claims of the correct timbre and tonal balace are supposedly right on but always felt their systems to be cold, sterile, uninvolving. Their systems may have sounded good but they did not make a connection or attract my attention. It will be you who will spend your money and you who will do most of the listening in your system. Buy the components that will play the music to your liking and forget these 'preachers' of sound. I have and am quite happy.....for now.

GOOD ... now improve the front end and power.....

Also, another caveat - depth of soundstage a result of getting more time-correct low-level detail from your system. It seems that the precise imaging of echoes and the decay of instruments in the apparent acoustic space now appear - like putting on your glasses, if you're myopic. If you like live recordings and classical, you may prefer this kind of sound. Pop, rock and small-ensemble jazz might sound a bit too subdued in this case. (Since most of us grew up listening to that on a totally soundstage-less boombox, old habits and expectations die hard) But 'laid back' could describe a psychoacoustic phenomenon where there is a little dip in the midrange (exactly where, I am not sure, but somebody mentioned this some newsgroup a long time ago), and this gives a 'laid-back' sound. The human ear is most sensitive in the midrange area; with the midrange being attenuated a bit, it makes the bass and treble comparatively louder. In my experience, this is much less satisfying than the first case - having a deep soundstage. I even had 2 power cables that manifest each phenomenon above exactly in my system! You should try and see which one plagues your system, then correct accordingly...