I have tried Adcom and was quite disappointed. Nelson Pass is a great designer, so it might be the preamp. A similar company, Rotel made preamp/tuner combos, and the ones I tried were terrible, much worse than the Adcom I had for a while. It even sounds muddy as just a volume control for my subs. A Preamp/tuner seems to sacrifice a lot. I would start here.
Also, CD players have improved the most over the last 25 years. My old Denon 1500, a "Stereophile" recommended one 25 years ago, really does not cut it anymore.
A really good budget one is the Onkyo DX-7555, for around $200-300 used. The remote has to be used to set the tweeter something or the other, and it makes a noticeable difference. I would also suggest a good phono cartridge upgrade.
Your term, "Lacking in bass" is relative. Music has a lot more bass now than it used too.
I assume you listen in your car. Compare that system to one 25 years ago and consider that the inadequacies of your home system are more obvious because of the comparison. I used to love my stacked Advents, but they sound pretty bland now. They have not changed. Everything else has.
Also, CD players have improved the most over the last 25 years. My old Denon 1500, a "Stereophile" recommended one 25 years ago, really does not cut it anymore.
A really good budget one is the Onkyo DX-7555, for around $200-300 used. The remote has to be used to set the tweeter something or the other, and it makes a noticeable difference. I would also suggest a good phono cartridge upgrade.
Your term, "Lacking in bass" is relative. Music has a lot more bass now than it used too.
I assume you listen in your car. Compare that system to one 25 years ago and consider that the inadequacies of your home system are more obvious because of the comparison. I used to love my stacked Advents, but they sound pretty bland now. They have not changed. Everything else has.