Where do I go from here?

I went to my dealer this weekend and listened to some different gear and the thing that amazed me was that I fell in love with a pair of vandersteens.

So, that will be the next move. It solves the bass issue and they have a (to my ears) more natural sound across the board than the Focals. More balanced from low to high and that whole time-aligned phase coherent mumbo jumbo really does seem to mean something after you listen to them.

I think after that I go with new preamp, source last as the CD player is okay and I am seriously considering a music sever down the road anyway.

Thanks everyone!

Malcom02: You may suggest a sub, but I can't handle subwoofers. (I have had them). I am a classically trained Double Bassist and I don't care how often I hear people say that "you can't tell where bass is coming from" or "bass is omnidirectional", or "subwoofers can be located..."it doesn't sound natural to me.

Thanks though! On the surface it makes perfect sense from what I wrote. :)

"sound staging is quite good, lows could be better but highs do sparkle and transients are quite nice. "

So everything is good apart from the lows? Might I suggest a subwoofer?

Tube preamp!

Thank you everyone! That is a lot of food for thought. I will take all of this knowledge with me when I go see "my guy" this weekend and do some equipment demos. I will let you know what i find out and may come back with more questions.

I just found the link I could not find for my earlier post

For an insight into some of the cables I have tried and currently use see...
http://www.image99.net/blog/files/category-cables-in-my-stable.html

Since writing the article above I have made some changes to the power distribution side of my setup which has changed my opinion of the DHLabs cable slightly...

On the power cable side, DH Labs are for the budget minded and perform very well considering they are about 1/3 the price of Furutech, but Furutech are are the cable to beat - not that there are not better performers out there, but they are BIG$$$.

The DH Labs Power Plus is extremely good and performs to the level of the lighter gauge Furutech cable, but their Encore power cable lacks a little (and I mean a little) in the micro details - e.g. concert hall acoustics.

Hope this helps :-)

What phono and mains cables are you using

If you are using the mains cables that came with the gear then upgrading them to something better will improve the system tremendously.

Upgrading to stager silver solids interconnects would probably be the last interconnects you ever buy

I have the Cambridge audio 640p and the Dacmagic - upgrading the interconnects and power supply cables made huge improvements.

Granted, they can get expensive, but if you can put a plug on a wire the power cords can be more reasonable

If you want more info let me know

Your system is fine the way it is. There is no reason to spend more money on it.

A dedicated preamp would definitely be an upgrade, however I think the amp/speaker match is just OK. An 8 ohm speaker that dips to 3.8 ohms is not the best for a tube amp. Also, the 706v has been described as having bass power. If a speaker and amp don't match well, I think the bass suffers the most because it is the most demanding.

What does the system sound like using the 640a only with its power? Soundstage, highs, lows, dynamics?

I think it's time for a dedicated preamp. I'll bet the
Prima Luna sounds nice, and with a new preamp you may improve the bass and overall dynamics. Tube or SS keeping in mind to match the impedance with the amp.

cables are so not the answer.

Preamp first cdp or dac second cables third. Source is most important given you have reasonable amp speaker match. I would try a tubed pre with good design and proper impedance. Best.

I agree with Soix. I'd look into preamps to start, then go from there.

706V's are nice spealers but can be a bit bright.
I would first try some more neutral speaker cables and Ic's.
First thing that comes to mind are AudioArt copper ic's and Sc-5 speaker cable. Cheapest Anaylsis Plus models work good with Focals too.

I'm not too familiar with your components, but fwiw if it were me I'd try a few preamps and see what that does. Can't imagine using the pre section of an integrated is doing you any favors. Just make sure output impedance is a good match for your amp. Best of luck.

Sorry, I missed the iPhone autocorrects on this. It should be acoustic, not outing and should be sound staging, not so detaching.