grainy sounding high end system


Hi, I hope this is the right forum to ask this question. I have a quite decent audio system at home, which consists of Pioneer CLD-98 laserdisc/CD-transport, Bel Canto DAC 1.1, Conrad-Johnson Premier 7b preamplifier, Mark Levinson 333 amplifier and Dunlavy SC-IV speakers. Though this is a "high-end" system on paper, it sounds not very high-end to me: the overall sound has a grainy quality, it has compressed dynamics, the low end is quite lousy and the highs are too prominent. Why is this happening to me? I have invested a lot into this hobby and is this my reward? What could be the reason for the abovementioned grainy sound? Maybe I have to get a better CD-transport, like the TEAC P-30 for example.
dazzdax
Hi folks, something quite shocking has happened! As you know my preamplifier (the former designer's reference Conrad-Johnson Premier 7b) went to the dealer for tube replacement, so I got the idea to use my NAD C350 integrated amplifier as preamplifier. This $400 NAD unit did a tremendous job: I hear now a totally different and better sound.
My God, how is this possible! The graininess has been almost eliminated and there is much less accent on the treble together with a more prominent midrange and lower midrange. So the sound is gaining coherence, while losing some tubey airiness, but what the heck... Can you imagine, a simple NAD unit vs. a reference grade preamplifier which costs 15 times the NAD. There must be some explanation. Maybe the Conrad-Johnson unit is sounding less than pristine due to aging (tubes, capacitors), or maybe there is some incompatibility with the Mark Levinson 333, I don't know. I'm considering another preamplifier now, a solid state one, like for example the Jeff Rowland Synergy II. If there is anyone from Conrad-Johnson in this forum, please let him/her give a response to this issue. Shocking stuff...
Preamps can make all the difference in the world.
Good preamps are hard to find.

I bet though, after you get your preamp retubed, it will sound better than your NAD.

KF
FWIW, several years ago when I substituted a C-J PV-8 for an 80's-vintage NAD component preamp, the sound improved in all ways. But I would expect there are likely many newer choices today which could handily exceed the Premier 7's fidelity in absolute terms, including the latest C-J's. You might want to click on my threads and read the one about preamp bypass comparision testing for a slightly different perspective on evaluating preamp performance.
I think CJ is having quality control *issues*. I just heard of a CJ preamp being serviced at the factory and then blowing up a couple of Aragon 200W monoblocks...
Dunlavy went out of business in November, 2000. That's not a good sign. The Pioneer CD player sounds like your weakest link. If you compare yours to a Mark Levinson CD player, the graininess of the Pioneer CD player will be obvious