Why does it sound less dynamic?

I second the point Mmkwf made about the cable between the transport and dac - it is without a doubt the single biggest improvement in cabling that I have ever made and I've made a bunch. BTW I have been using illuminati for several years now and couldn't be happier.

To Fpeel: Here's a cheap idea for you to experiment with-will cost you less than $10. Buy some large zip lock freezer bags and some sand. Fill the bags up with sand and put them on your transport, dac, pre and amplifier(s) (unless they already weigh a ton anyway-I'm dealing with budget equipment here). I think you'll notice some interesting improvements-I've got that Diana Krall cd as well and like "Hit that jive, Jack" as far as listening for the other guys in the band singing, separation of voices etc. If you like what you hear with the sand, I'd also highly recommend vibrapods-they are cheap and very effective. Good isolation is key to getting maximum performance out of your equipment, whether it's good budget gear or super high end. It may actually appear to sound "less dynamic" but in many cases, I agree with the above posts that the supposed dynamics is really distortion that you're hearing.

Hi Bemoptil23; You've essentially thrown out your "old" system and started a whole new one sort of "all at once"-- and without any auditioning? As you need a base to start from, I'd suggest building your system around your SFL-1 pre-amp (is it still your pre-amp?) and SF Power 2 amp with good ICs between them. These two components should match well electronically. BTW, forget that totally unprofessional comment in Stereophile about the Power 2 being "boring", ie read the rest of the review carefully, and consider that this amp was placed in their Class A rating; also there are three other Stereophile reviewers that use the Power 2 or 3 as their reference(s). There are also many other reviews that say this amp is excellent. Short term, get rid of that remote control thing to keep the pre-amp/amp connection simple. The component that I would most suspect of causing a problem sonically is the Panasonic DVD player, ie sometimes DVD players are poor CD players, ie try a recommended Rotel or NAD (or better) standard CD player. Don't have much else to say-- again, you just need to start somewhere, and I've always believed that the Pre-amp/amp are the heart of a good system. BTW, the SFL-1 can sound soft,warm, and romantic with Mullard tubes, but dynamics are sacrificed somewhat. As suggested above, make sure all your tubes are good. System building can be fun, but time consuming so be patient too-- you've got some good equipment to work with. Best of Luck. Craig.

Thanks, especially for the last poster. I have a SFL-2, not the SLF-1. I still would like to have the remote volume capability, especially because of the extreme swings of volume that occur with certain CDs. Do you think that this volume box, which was claimed to be nonintrusive, does affect the sound that much? With the Nak amp, it still sounded fine. Nevertheless, I get this feeling that the DVD player is what is dragging down the set up, after all, it is the source that I am complaining about. All my other sources, I am satisfied with. By the way, I do not have a dedicated power line nor do I know the sequence in which my equipment has been set up. I reside in an apartment, therefore, what I get from the outlets, is what I have to deal with. Regretable, but is the truth. I do not want to run extension cords, even if I did find out which would begin the sequence in the power grid. I guess that some people really rewire their whole house wiring around their stereo needs. That makes me feel like I am a peanut size audiophile:) Thanks once again for all the great comments!

Hi Bemoptil23; The SFL-2 is the best pre-amp SF ever made IMO. I auditioned one for a week, but didn't keep it because of excess transformer hum. I liked it's sound even better than the Line 3 (I use a Line 2 though). I just suggest not using your Creek volume control temporarily, ie until you work out other music quality issues, then add it back in later on-- but I'd sure want to try your system with just a simple pair of ICs between pre-amp and amp w/o the complexity of the vol. control. Sounds like you're on the right track. Cheers. Craig.