Wheres my week link????

I agree with Jdombrow as I'm a big fan of AC line conditioning, dedicated circuits/lines, cryo-treated lines, etc., but proper AC line conditioning and tweaking has everything to do with the lowered noise floor, pristine sonics, enhanced soundstaging and imaging, minimizing / eliminating negative sibilance, etc..

It sounds like what you are experiencing has everything to do with equipment that is incapable of faithfully reproducing the rise and fall of a musical note in or near it's entirety. Some of the MacIntosh gear is notorious for this.

The common buzz for this is 'fast'. For example, you want a 'fast' amp that has the ability to meet the fast rise and fall times of a given note that also illuminates the intertransient silence between the notes.

Very few amps can properly meet this demand for speed and there are certainly some that fall way short.

The result is that the dynamic punch is gone, no PR&T, no excitement, one note leads right into the next, and you almost feel that the tempo of the music has slowed in comparison to another system.

I would suggest demo'ing a few different amplifiers to start and doing a search on Agon for fast amps.

The problem is not limited to amplifiers only, but that's as good a place as any to start.

-IMO

My friend who is a stereo salesman always teases me when I'm not happy with my system. He says-" you should forget about high end and buy all Mc components.

He was only partly kidding because he says they are more forgiving.

If he's right I might like your equipment and you might like more neutral and more resolving components.

Ed

The problem is clear: your CDP is lacking detail and dynamics. I would ditch the universal (good ones are very expensive) and get a very nice redbook player that has plenty of detail. I am very familiar with the 8260 and it isn't detailed but soft and forgiving so I would forget Marantz and look at something like Audio Aero Prima (which I own and love) or Cary 303/200 or even a Rotel 1072 if you want something less expensive. Your amps and speakers will sing in full chorus if you feed them a good signal that has detail and dynamics to start with.

After the CDP change, I would swap out the 207 for a McIntosh 2-channel amp like the 352, 252 or 402. You will get much better resolution with a 2-channel amp than a multichannel one, no matter the brand. There is magical synergy between Mc amps and Mc preamps so keep them together.

Also, what does your room look like? Is it full of furniture? Is it carpeted? Is there a rug? If you remove some "stuff" from the room, the sound will immediately be more dynamic. Don't overlook the room treatments - they have a surprisingly large impact on the way you'll hear the music. You can do a room analysis with a Radio Shack meter and test CD (remember to correct the meter's curves) to find your problems and go from there - it's best not to do it blindly. If you want more info on this, ask me.

The 802N has huge potential and McIntosh amps are an incredibly synergistic match but you have to start with a good source. B&Ws have similar needs as JM Labs - both take some work to make them happy so you can't just slap any equipment together and hope it works. Check out my "system" page if you are interested in more details. Take heart, you don't have far to go before good sound reigns.

Arthur