Who's to blame for the Grain??

When trying to fix multiple problems on your upgrade path I've heard many say, and I agree, begin with your source. I agree with Philefreak. Start with a good CD player (new or used).

Sure, your CDP and preamp aren't the first things you'd think of for a high end system, but you're really not as far behind as you make it seem. I would address the preamp before the CDP, for various reasons - both logistical and sonic - that I'll refrain from elaborating on here, because the main thing I want to say is:

Don't do anything else right now if you're getting new speakers in two weeks! Break the speakers in for at least 100 hours over a couple of weeks, maybe leaving the CD on repeat while you're away from the house. Then spend another couple of weeks auditioning and assessing the sound with the broken-in new speakers in place. Firstly, your ears need to adjust to the new sound. Secondly, if these are the speakers you'll be keeping for a while, then any other system changes you make subsequently will need to work with the sound of those speakers. Plus, if those speakers turn out to be significantly better than what they're replacing, they'll help you hear what's going on with your other gear by providing a 'clearer window' with which to audition and assess for upgrades, letting you make more intelligent and effective choices.

Be patient and change things one step at a time (as you say, your budget forces this anyway). The worst thing you can do for trying to travel a predictable, or at least understandable, path for upgrading is to change a bunch of stuff at once willy-nilly. Limit your variables and take your time, and you'll make more cost-effective decisions. Your new speakers are going to sound vastly different from your present speakers, a bigger overt difference than you'll get from changing any one piece of electronics or wires, so approach this 'grain' question afresh once you're comfortable with their sound (and yes, it could even turn out that your current speakers were a part of the problem).

I don't think there's any cheap solution. Maybe an antique sound labs integrated with an ah tjoeb and horn shoppe speakers???

If you're into music I honestly wouldn't bother trying to do HT and 2 channel. It takes a load of $. I've been through too much gear. I will agree with most and say that your source and then your pre-amp are the places to start.

Here is what I would do if I had to rebuild:

Equitech's least expensive product
Nottingham Horizon w/dynavector Dv-20xh
Vecteur CD player or An Ah, Heart, or other tube based CD player.
A Fi X 2A3 amp
and for speakers:
http://www.thehornshoppe.com/

I think less maybe more. Sorry to hit you over the head with exspensive gear. I was in much worse shape than you when I started out.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I think I'll be upgrading my source first. I haved to admit,,,,,,,,,,,I kinda like the convenience of having all of my cd's in one player but I always knew that the CD changer would have to go. I've been reading good things about that new Philips 963 Cd player. I've also heard that tube cd players are supposed to be extremeley smooth ( Jolida, AH tjoeb, etc).

Zaikesman-----I will take your advice. I will wait until the new speakers get hear before I make any changes. This will also give me a few weeks to save up a litlle more money. Maybe during that time I can narrow down my choice of the best cd player for my system. I really do like the way that Shanling CD-T100 looks but from what I hear, it looks a lot better than it sounds. That would take me almost 2 months to save for anyway.

Any more suggestions on a good starter Pre-amp?

I find Zaikesman's advice excellent, because it does not swamp you with subjective recommendations, but tells you how to proceed carefully and objectively. After all it is YOUR ears and YOUR pocketbook. Grain is indeed a nasty thing to have and to my experience it is most often in the amplification chain, sometimes in the speakers, rarely in the wires, sometimes in the "juice", depending where you live and the quality of your power-grid. But that I would tackle last, if at all. I would follow Zaike's advice and familiarise myself with the new speakers first, before proceeding to the preamp. Perhaps you could borrow a unit from somebody and see what difference it would make. If it does not, I would first try switching interconnects and learn about their influence on sound, before tackling the amp, always trying to borrow gear and to experiment. It takes time and patience, especially the latter, because as Z. has so rightly pointed out, you should limit your variables, best in one step at a time. Happy experimenting!