Help with System Musicality

I don't know why you got rid of you original setup, probably because you were going away to serve for a long while but, unless you were to completely replace each and every piece with the original equipment, which is probably financially not realistic, you are going to have to go one piece at a time.

This is the dilemma.

I would also say that replacing one piece won't get you "there" either. You replace one piece and it gets better, but not "there". So, you upgrade another and it gets closer.

I would say that you should identify exactly what is wrong with the sound and address that. "it isn't music" isn't quite the description to do that. Is the music flat without space, dimension, no sound stage? Instruments don't sound like real instruments? be careful here because many times its the actual recording and not the playback equipment.

Start with your analog side of the system first. More open? but not quite there? I'm not familiar with your pre-amp or amp. But, have you heard your speakers on a better setup? can you borrow a better pre-amp and test it out with your amp and speakers? same is true for the amp and the speakers.

This is hard. I would establish a price point for upgrading equipment (keep within your budget and sound quality policy) take the best pre-amp you can afford home and insert it and listen intently to the music. does it address the issue? If so, you are on the right track. Then do the same with the amp if the pre-amp didn't do it all.

You don't need to buy anything yet. This is to listen in your home to "better" equipment until you discover what is wrong and what type of equipment will make the improvements you like within the budget.

What I would not do is take the advice of anyone for equipment that you have not heard yourself either in your home (best) or in the store and purchase that equipment.

If stores won't let you take expensive equipment home for a few days demo (which I still find stupid and a bad business practice), then you must take many trips to stores for long listening sessions.

But take your time, listen to a possible replacement piece of equipment in your home on your system if possible before purchasing.

enjoy

At first glance it would seem that you are missing the EL34 tube amp and the PAD cables, both known for their rich, vibrant midrange. Perhaps you should look for another tube amp and some PAD cables.

I am not familiar with your speakers though, do they have ribbon tweeters? Perhaps this may be causing problems too.

If I were you I would change out ALL your cables for the same brand Like Morrow Audio, Only then will you be able to make correct upgrade choices. Honestly, Cables (and they don't have to be expensive) will make or break your system. The gear you have is good!

You'll get as many suggestions as people who answer and at best perhaps only be one step closer...or further away depending.

Do you live near any other A'goner's?

The easy way will be to go and listen to another system until you hear the one you like that would work in your room as well.

Then put that exact same system or something as close to it as possible in your room.

Might be a shorter and more direct approach than trying to figure it out piece by piece.

Or a local dealer could work. Used to be that people bought entire matched systems all the time. NOWadays people seem to go piece by piece. Probably due to the high cost of high end stuff these days.

This is an oversimplification, but the answer is tubes.