I was not enjoying the performance until I ......


Equalized it with the Schiit Loki unit.  Miraculously, when I boosted the bass which was lacking, the performance came to life.  It’s amazing how my long term  prejudice against using an equalizer caused me to reject so many recordings on the basis of sound deficiencies.  Now I can enjoy previously rejected wonderful performances.
The Loki is an amazing device.  The ingrained bias against tampering with the “purity” or sanctity of the original artifact is rendered ridiculous with it.  It’s of such high quality that it does  not interfere with the 
good qualities of the original disc.  By manipulating the frequencies slightly you can, to use a cliche, turn a sows ear into a silk purse.
128x128rvpiano
For those against a tone control, isn't all your gear collectively a tone control?
Amp, pre, ic's, speaker cables, power cords, tubes, room acoustics....
These are all individually selected to give you the correct 'tone' for your musical tastes. So why not a turn of a knob?
One of the reasons I bought a Croft pre-amp is it has both a left and a right knob . Since the amp  is a all hard wired  by Herr Croft himself
it is nothing but a great help .
No self respecting audiophile would ever use EQ. Assaulting the room with treatments is much more fun and intrusive.

DSP:  that’s right out!
@thecarpathian - Your statement would be true if you only listened to one recording. Since every record has a different recording crew, general adjustments are necessary.

Happy holidays everyone. It is amazing to me what some of us do to compensate for the inadequate recording " sound " we deal with, over and over. Treat yourself to a cd or digital file download of " Drums & Bells ", by Tony Minasian. This recording will help you to determine what, if anything, is needed in your system, for your ears. Thank me later. Enjoy ! Always, MrD.