I did not want to diss the Rega - I have not heard the combination together while you have. I find Rega a little overly polite and in general their gear tries to sound like tubes - but I would rather just buy tubes because SS trying to do it sounds like SS trying to do it. I felt that way about the Saturn CD player that had a bit of a reverberation/warmth to them but never really sounded quite right. But the stuff I recommended probably cost a fair bit more than the Rega too so you have to put that into perspective.

Rotel is pretty good - I just would rather see a bigger upgrade since every upgrade costs a lot of money if you start replacing things (with resale value killing you). I would hold off from moves like Rotel to Rega (or vice versa) and go into either different designs or upscale designs. Tubes would add a new element but they're a lot more work and he may not want that.

Still it could be the source causing the grief.