The cd player dimmed the highs and made the lows sound slow, not in pace with the music, and had no attack at all.
Boy, you got hold of the wrong tubed CD player, bub. I wish you could come to my house, or to the homes of three audio buddies to hear how tubes will faithfully and accurately reproduce crystalline highs, and tight, fast, punchy bass.
You owe it to yourself to investigate tubed equipment further. You haven't yet heard what they can do.