where should i go from here?

thanks elevick, that is my next step. i thought the music was supposed to be cd quality. thats why my cj sounded as good as the denon. same source and using the denon as the pre amp. thanks again bryon

Your weak link is the source. Your music is compressed greatly and will never "sing". Get a cd player first. I have dir tv and 2 very nice systems, tube & theater. Dir tv, dish net, and xm all sound flat even with high priced gear.

can't help thinking there are 2 ways to go with the energys. i'd try a cj tube pre with the 2100 and see if the cj magic comes through. otherwise a nice/relatively powerful ss integrated like plinius, krell, bryston, creek, etc should make the energys really sing.

thanks seasoned, jaybo, elevick,
my source is mainly directv receiver( is there any difference in sound for 2 channel if it is basic or deluxe with tivo?) or a samsung dvd vcr combo. crossover on denon is at 80, the crossover on the sub is at 50, so i have the denon set at full speaker with the sub at 50 crossover.so the veritas are better than the cj?

so cut out the denon and get an integrated amp? what kind? and how many watts?

is the nad 1600 monitor series preamp tuner a cleaner pre so i would just need an amp?
thanks again bryon

Denon's are nice. It's not a high end 2 channel pre though. Also, it's very easy to overdrive the amp section if you are running 5 speakers at a decent volume. Using external amps should help. Even by just driving your R&L speakers with an external amp should help the center and rears to sound better.

the pre amp is the weak link

Your Energy speakers are excellent and the strongest link in your system - they are very revealing and dynamic. I would think that if you are using a powered sub and only sending the mids and highs to the main speakers that you have enough power. What source are you using? Assuming your source is high quality and this is a 2-channel system, get a great integrated amp and some decent cords and cables. If you are looking for a little more brilliance, try turning the sub down a bit to let a little more highs prevail. Your square room may be overdoing the bass and, as a result, causing the highs to sound diminished. If you haven't already, try moving your speakers around and adjusting the sub - perhaps that brilliance you desire is there but being masked.