Raven Audio Tube amps

@mtrot ...If you liked tube amplification, you would love a really well-made tube-powered CD player. 

mtrot: much of what you write about why you like the Focus SE is a result of the speakers themselves independent of the choice of tube amplification. The Raven's are reported to be great amps but I will tell you I've heard the exact same positive attributes you talk about and more out of my old Focus SEs and now my AERIS with pure solid state amplification (Edge NL12.1, Maker Audio NL14 and especially an Esoteric A-02 stereo amp that is the star of the show in my system for a couple of years now...

@styxtrekr (I've been away from this thread...)  You asked: "What cables and interconnects did you settle on"?

I am using Homegrown Audio "Silver Lace" RCA interconnects which are silver wire Litz configuration cables. They are very delicate but I am happy with the sound. For balanced interconnects, I'm using Silnote "Morpheus Reference" XLR cables. For speakers, after listening to multiple cables, I am very happy and stayed with my AntiCables. 

I am happy with these choices and do not think I can appreciably get an improvement in my current listening spaces. If I went wild and made substantial improvements in the physical spaces my systems are in, then I think I would consider further cable tweets — but for now I am probably wise to avoid chasing shadows in a shadow-rich listening space.

vicweast, thank you!