What does "good" sound like?

With your wife expecting and short on cash at this time...pick up a cheap passive pre-amp. The Creek passive can be found here used.

For even less money (only one input though) you can pick up one of these brand new.

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatran&1100925770

Your amp an speakers should work well with passive I would think.

Dave

TVAD- My sarcasm was not really directed at you, but the hobby. Agreeably a high quality acoustic recording is the way to go to evaluate a system. But A LOT (!) of music is poorly recorded and/or heavily processed. When I listen to THOSE recordings I would prefer not to notice the tone is shrill, the soundstaging is flat etc. It makes the experience irritating rather than enjoyable. So to my ears... "good sound" is enjoyable sound, and a quality system may not always be the best way to reproduce that music.
I know what TSTAN is talking about with the guitars being set back. Higher resolution components, including cables, layer and deepen the soundstage. Typically on rock recordings the guitars are set back and this tends to take the bite out of them. Some times the whole recording is pushed back and you get a presentation that sounds like AM radio.
TVAD-If he buys the music you recomend and it sounds good (as expected)- then what? You proved a good recording sounds better on a better system. What's the next step?

"I don't listen to what most people listen to on here".
It is "apples and oranges".

Ozzie sounds better with the Adcoms, but I can really hear the pick on the strings on "One quiet Night" better with the more expensive amps.

'one should be able to listen to whatever one wants, and it should sound "good"'.
If anyone has a system that provides detail, tonal, and spacial quailities of recordings AND makes the poorer recordings enjoyable, I need to know more.

Just don't make this guy give up his hard rock!

As far as passive preamps- they are highly detailed and dynamically challenged. Great for acousic music. Exactly what this guy doesn't need.

Here's my advice: If you like the Adcom get an Adcom.
Don't put a component in your system again unless you hear it first -with the music you like. Don't buy recordings just to see if your system sounds good. It's the music that should sound good. As far as the bass for movies you can add a powered sub.

If you don't take my advice you will become an AUDIO-GONER.
I think you may already have the bug.

Joekras, you make very valid points. I don't believe any system can fulfill all the requirements. If someone has such a system, please chime in. I know that my system reproduces live music very well, and that's how I can tell the components are synergistic. I also know that my system loves to play Metallica and Radiohead at high volume, but it doesn't much like Heart's "Greatest Hits", which always sounds better on my GM car stereo. I certainly don't advocate someone switching music styles to build a system.

What sounds "good" is entirely too subjective a question since answers will vary as much as the weather.

The responses I've gotten were what I was looking for. As far as swithcing music, I won't do it. But....if having a little different variety of cd's around to showcase my system, so be it. You know when a friend comes over, lol? I think in the end I'll sell the Aragon, but not just yet. It's not that I dislike it, it has it's strong points. I also wonder if I'm not making the old Adcom out to be better than was in my head. It's been like 4 years since then. I'll wait unitl I buy the house I'm looking at so I'll know what the final room set up will be, and until I get the new dvd player. That way I'll eliminate most of the variables. Thanks for the help.

This may sound sexist but, its the same as asking someone what they consider to be a good looking woman. Many guys go nuts over Julia Roberts but, I wouldn't give her a second look. My taste is more cheeky with strong thick thighs and buns. Some people like bright highs and a forward sound and some like laid back and warm. Just like saying "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder". You have to find your own reference sound....