What gives? CD’s, Solid State?

Give the system a chance to break in and make sure speakers are set up optimally, etc. first before passing any final judgements.

At that point if it is tube sound you still crave, then by all means go for tube amplification. If you can get by on just vinyl and forego all the good things that are available with modern digital playback systems, then do that to.

My recommendation is to be patient for now, get things broken and tuned in properly, give your ears a chance to adapt also perhaps and see what you really have first. A tube DAC with the CD player is another good option that might take you towards your tube sound nirvana without wholesale changes perhaps.

I've about given up on CD playback (and it is WAY better than it once was). Yes, if you get a TT (any TT) it will be better.

I've been struggling for a few years now, trying to get a digital front end that is as pleasing as my vinyl rig. It's not that I WANT my vinyl to sound better, that's just the way it has been. I would love to enjoy the convenience of digital and have it be just as pleasing, but I haven't got there yet. I just ordered a PS Audio DL III that will be arriving tomorrow, and hopefully it will sound good; many people claim that it sounds very "analog", but every time I've heard that claim about a digital product, it turns out to be bunk. I'm beginning to think that it will take thousands of dollars for a DAC to get anywhere near the tonal accuracy and smoothness of vinyl, if that's even possible at all with standard Redbook audio.

Now that Lindisfarne and I have initiated a digital vs. analog debate....