wanting 2 go tubes but new, dumb, demanding and po

or should first I try a tube CDP/tube pre to try and salvage my SS setup?

Mikkloyd,

May I humbly suggest that the "weakest" link in your otherwise excellent system is the Outlaw. Get rid of that, or at least relegate it to use only for the surrounds (unless you really want to scrap the HT altogether) and get a decent two-channel amp.

Wait, I just re-read your post. It sounds like you'll be setting up a SEPARATE system for two-channel. Is this correct?

Since you will probably need to buy a source and since you're new to the tube world, I would suggest that you dip your toe into the water by picking up an Ah! Tjoeb cd player ($325-350 used). Depending on whether or not you could stretch your buget ever so slightly, pair it up with a Forte Model 4 amplifier ($375-450 used - 50 wpc of PURE CLASS A - very tubelike) and maybe a hybrid preamp like a Sonic Frontiers SFL-1 ($375-400 used) and you'll be in tube heaven! And if you shop well, you could get there for $1,075!

If you can't stretch the budget immediately, the Ah! Tjoeb can be connected directly to an amplifier. This would put you WELL under your budget and still get you the sound that you're looking for.

Unlike the Audio Refinement Complete that will undoubtedly be recommended multiple times in this thread, you will NOT outgrow the above setup anytime soon.

Good luck and let us know what you end up doing.

This is exactly the hard-line advice I need!

Since my first post, I think I have decided to try and salvage my one-room-for-all.

I went ahead and purchased a used Ah! Tjoeb as I needed a decent CDP REGARGDLESS of which way I go.

I was looking at a Rogue 66 with HT passthrough as a possibility.

Would a tube CDP and a tube Preamp to SS amplification still expose my outlaw 750 as the weakest link?

I can still try it as getting a Tubed Pre would also be required either way I end up going. If I ended up not going one-for-all I could unload the Rogue for something cheaper.

Thanks for reading!
Mike