How do I smooth out violins?

Rok2id,
If you notice, there`re acutually a number of posts here advising the OP to be systematic in approaching this issue.As has been say repeatedly, be sure it is`nt a 'recording issue' before changing and swapping components blindly.Take one sensible step at a time.

Learsfool,
Your "rant" is fully understood,it is a shame these 'sound' engineers won`t rely more on their ears and simply listen.
Regards,

A suggestion...to not assume all tube preamps will resolve your issue. Some tube preamps are not that "tubey". In my experience, certain units from Audio Research and Counterpoint sound very revealing. They will probably still be an upgrade from NAD, but may not be what you are targeting - which sounds like more of the CJ, Quicksilver type of sound. Also, replacing your Audioquest with Cardas may help too.

I've said from the beginning in my first post that if the problem is equipment related that I would look first to the preamp. I stand by this recommendation. I think that its worth stating again, though, that you need to look for the RIGHT preamp, not a tube preamp. If the right preamp just happens to be tube based, that's the one I would get.

If you start with the intent to FIX a problem by throwing things like tubes, cables, AC products, etc.. into the equation, you will fail. Any time you don't use products as they were intended to be used, in context, you can't possibly expect them to do good in your system other than by luck or accident. Heres an example. A lot of people mention that you should switch from AQ to Cardas cables. Why? I have absolutely no idea. The right way to correct the problem you are having with regards to getting stringed instruments right has nothing to do with cables. In this case, cables can't fix the problem. If cables can't fix the problem, the only other thing you can try to do with them is cover the problem up. By installing Cardas cables in your system, you can hope that the cables will work in a selective fashion, targeting a frequency range that just happens to be a problem area in your system, and smooth the problem over for you; by design. Anyone who thinks something like that can work needs to give Cardas a call and run the idea by them. In all likelihood, they would tell you (while laughing), that would be a bad idea and that they design their cables to have a frequency response that is as flat as possible; just like everyone else does. I'm not saying here that cables don't sound different from each other; they do. The point I'm trying to make is that if you use cables to transfer the audio signal from component to component, you will probably be happy with them. If you get them for some other reason, you won't be happy.

FWIW, since you seem to be dedicated to buying a tubed pre-amp I will restrain my self from comments on most other things, and comment on that issue.

1) Be sure your selection is electrially matched to perform best with your amp, i.e. correct impedence values in both units.

2) Be sure that the unit you buy will give you long range satisfaction even if it proves not to be the solution to the problem you are presently experiencing. If it does, your in hog heven, if not you can go to the next possible solution, not backward.

If your budget allows, consider the Joule Electra LA100 III pre-amp. One is presently on the AG. (That is what I would do anyway.)

BTW, my most successful, initial departure from the classic upper midrange brightness issue was the purchase of a high end tubed pre-amp, and subsequently a tubed CDP, if for no other reason, that I could change tonal issues by just changing tubes. The next step was fine tuning set up issues, and very belatedly finding the right speakers (for me and my room) and the amplification for them. Took me many years and a lot of experiments. No quick fixes that I ever found.

A last, but long, comment. All of the recomendations about recordings being critical are right on point as I initially implied, however a couple of things to think about.

1) Most recordings are made with a prospective user in mind, i.e. deaf, dumb, and blind, a beginning audiophile with a mid-fi solid state system, an advanced audiophile (many who post here), and the SOTA folk who seem to listen mostly to sound effects, valuing such things as depth of image (specificity, transparency, resolution) VERY highly.

2) Consider, for example, that the recording recommended by Al, great as it probably is, may not help you tune your system. It will undoubted sound good, and unless you have heard it over a reference system, you really don't know what its true potential is. But, just taking those specific old recordings you have at hand, you can play them on your 'new' system and judge your progress in tuning out the upper mid-range brightness. My favorite reference disc is "Depth of Image" on OPUS 3. A simple miked recording of various music with a description of what one SHOULD hear on each cut. I heard this on a reference system. WOW! So it became my guide and helped immensely.

Good luck..........

Bojack,

A tube preamp may or may not rectify - lol - your situation. Multiple posts address the essential importance of the source material.

It would be interesting to document the sonic characteristics of your listening environment...audio-related anomalies can often be sourced, hehe, there.

Enjoy,

Sam