Is my hearing bad?

What kind for interconnects and what digital cable? The AMC is the transport?

I also wonder if your HT preamp is a weak link for 2 channel audio?? Are you sure you are not re-processing the digital sound through the HT decoder a second time?

To find differences in digital playback is a great challenge since the 99.9% of differences are introduced through proper digital noise filtering in after-DAC proccess especially if different components are using the same DAC chips and all digital standards of 75Ohm signal transfering are in effect. If you change your DAC to BAT VK5 preamp than you'd probably benefit much more.

Excellent system though!

Marakanetz,
So in other words, you think I would be better off adding a BAT pre? I demoed an Anthem pre over the weekend and wasn't wowed. But I have been looking over the BAT pre listings. here.

Thanks
Jeff

Jeff,

Investing onto amplification gives much larger and audiable differences than onto the digital source. It realy a question of integration with amplifier where one would do great and another wouldn't even without mentioning price differences.

I mentioned BAT VK5 as very versatile preamp that basically can match any poweramp and very convenient with remote.

How it will sound? I guess it will integrate great with your BAT amplifier self-evidently especially if truely-balanced path is available.

I just went though the same thing trying to decide if I wanted a SACD player or a new redbook for my 2 channel cj system. In the end I could not hear a significant difference between a really good example of each on a system that was in the 50K+ range. I kept feeling guilty that SACD did not grab me. I decided to just get the redbook (since my current player died) and enjoy the music.. Be glad your current cdp still sound good to you.. proves you made a good choice originally. Maybe the new preamp is worth a try.. but don't feel bad if you still like the old one.. I think the speaker you have will expose any significant improvement. With all that said new toys are always fun even if the old ones are not bad...