I desired tube influence, and chose the tube/ss setup to power up the speakers. I went Chinese for the preamp, and had some minor defects to fix, but it's cheaper than CJ, Mc by a ways. I had had Klipsch before and wanted something different yet classic; hence the Walsh drivers. I'm not disappointed. With the glass behind the speakers there's a lot of sound reflected back, which maybe flattens the soundstage front to back, I dunno, but from a distance it sounds like a concert hall. Sideways, the soundstage is enormous. All in all, a great room with a view for listening. All the glass is double paned but actually laminated safety glass works better to keep the noise in/out. My last purchase was the McCormick, an upgrade from my Sumo Polaris II. I listen to classic rock and jazz for the most part. IMHO, San Diego has the nation's best jazz station, 88.3 KSDS. Any suggestions for "next"?
Nice set up! Of note, I have a 55" Plasma centered behind my Walsh 2000s. I would still like to hang thick curtains over the TV that can be drawn back for TV viewing, but, like you, I am not sure I need to do that. But I, too, have little in the way of soundstage depth. Hmmm. Maybe those curtains are a good idea after all!