Not happy yet

My vote: replace the CD player and improve the room environment - forget about the cables and power cords (you've got bigger fish to fry!).

First, the CD player. You don't have to spend thousands of dollars here. There are a host of really good players for a $1,000 (Thule, Arcam, Classe - used). My recommendation, though, is that you buy a good used transport and buy an inexpensive but good DAC (Perpetual Tech, Monarchy, etc.). DAC prices are coming way down. Over the past twelve months I've compared some very expensive ones with these less expensive ones, and the difference is becoming fairly small.

Second, the room. Your room conditions suck. I know this becuase my room was fairly similar to yours. However, I've made a number of changes that have dramatically improved the sound performance. Without going into to too much detail, go to the TAS website (www.theabsolutesound.com), access "Free Articles" and read REG's article on the eight ways to improve your speaker perfomance. This is a great article and will address the host of problems you are facing in your room. After making all the changes in my room I have improved the soundstage and frequency response. It's a striking improvement.

Good luck, and enjoy the music!

The Musical Fidelity is a good choice.Better than the Rotel.I have heard both in a room with Monitor Audio speakers.The A3CD is better.Do the CD wait a couple of months.Them go from there.
Cables can wait.

Somebody dis'd me with neg points and I think I know why. Last but not least pull out the CP-35 and up-grade to a cp-60 with external power supply. That's the cherry on the cake. Dinner is served:~)

What great responses! Thank you!

Can we focus on the heavy bass for minute (if it can be separated out)? I'd like to cure that first, if I have to choose.

The consensus seems to be replace the CD player first. Is that likely to affect the bass (as opposed to the highs)? I think of "problem" CD players as being too "bright", not too "boomy". Am I correct? I wouldn't object, my CD player sometimes spits out new CDs as unplayable (which they aren't).

Ditto for room treatment -- isn't this room too "lively"? Doesn't that translate to harsh treble? Or can it be boomy, sloshy bass also? BTW, my speakers are about 6 feet from back wall, 3 feet from side walls. Based on this feedback, I will try the speakers in a smaller, squarer, carpeted room to see what happens, and will work on my wife about getting a carpet.

I have experimented with cables (borrowed several speaker and IC sets from dealers while trying amp/pre-amps), and found that while I thought I could detect slight differences (maybe), they were far less than differences between different amp/pre-amp combos, for example, so decided to wait until other parts of my system were better, then listen to really nice cables. So right now my interconnects are Radio Shack's finest, and my speaker wires are 16-guage zip cord (I have 12-ga home-made also, when I can move my electronics closer to the speakers I will use those).

Based on the above logic (of elimination), I have been thinking/fearing that the boominess was mainly a speaker and/or power amp problem. The speakers are british (Celestion S-300), about 7 or 8 years old (I got them used in good shape). They cost about $1500 new, I paid about $700 3 or 4 years ago. They have a single small (6" or 8") woofer and a single tweeter. Very clear highs. They're heavy, floor-standing, with a full cabinet that has two openings (ports?) in the back. I think they are working hard in this room at higher volumes.

The Power Amp is new, I did notice that the other amp I demoed in my home(an Acurus 80)seemed considerably tighter on the bass, but I wanted to get rolling with something I could afford, and have another use in mind for this Rotel amp once I get a better one for the main system.

I will start with CD player and room treatment, because I trust the advice here. Just curious about the above questions.

Someone asked about budget. It's easiest for me (with the family and all) if I can bite off about $1000 at a time (probably that will be it for this year). I was thinking $500 to $1000 for a CD player (probably new/demo rather than used). Based on rep, I was thinking the Rotel RCD-971, but will listen to some of the others suggested here. Available locally: Rotel, Arcam, Rega, Marantz, and all the mainstream stuff (JVC, HK, etc).

I hope to spend $1000 to $2000 on the eventual power amp (which I may buy used, probably next year). The Classe suggestion sounds good.

I also hope to buy a headphone/headphone amp combo for under $1000 sometime in the next 6 months.

I hadn't grappled with budget for speaker or pre-amp replacement. I'm hoping to get better sound for the next year or two without going there. If/when it happens, I'm guessing speakers would be first, I'd hope to budget a couple thousand (shudder), but listening always seems to drive the budget up. I would want to learn more about pre-amps, would consider tubes based on what I've read at this site, but not sure. Likewise no firm budget for cables, which I would replace along with the CD and power amp.

Thank you again. Any answers to the above or further thoughts are appreciated!

- Eric

Equipment holder: Glen asked; it's a built-in wall cabinet The amp and pre-amp are stacked (amp on top), the CD and an old receiver (to be used temporarily as a tuner) are stacked (rx on top), and the turnable has it's own shelf.

- Eric