Equipment does not match

Dereck, Tell us a little about what you envision the sound should be. What do you like, what do you think you're missing, etc. Also tell us about the type of music you listen to and the room/environment. And what are you streaming? Internet radio, mp3s, or CDs and high res files? All these play a part.

Just looking at the list of equipment, I would say that your speakers and preamp would benefit from a better amp and source but before we can recommend something we need to know where you want to get to. Sorry for the 64 questions. Dick

Thanks for the response Dick, i listen to Jazz and slow rock and a bit of country. I think the problem is the Audio research preamp is 125w while the speakers are 200W hence i am not able to power it up beyond a certain point. I use flac files on the cambridge audio to listen to music i don't have a CD player
thanks for your help!!

It is highly unlikely but possible that your pre amp and amp have a impedance mismatch but one I would investigate along with the correct toggles in place and that your room acoustics support the music your are playing. I will leave this with the more experienced hands. Could you be as specific as possible regarding the power suck ou and which point it occurs at.

Actually, that looks to be a pretty well matched system that should perform quite well.

The Rotel amp would seem to be a pretty good match for the speakers. The ARC tube preamp woudl also seem to be a good pairing. WHat is the input impedance of the Rotel? If less than 30000 kohm it might not be the best match for a tube pre-amp, but should still sound pretty good in that setup.

Whenever tubes are involved and sound heads south, always check and make sure the tubes are good and performing as they should. Either keep good spares to swap in and out to see which work best. Have the tubes tested if possible.

Next I would suggest confirming if speaker placement might be tweaked for better results.

Some more detail on what does not sound right exactly would help.

It could be equipment, but it's probably not. Could you please describe your room (dimensions, type of surfaces, rugs, etc.) and how you've positioned your loudspeakers and listening area.