I'm definitely an audiophile wannabe. I recall the first time I ever heard a really decent stereo at a friend's house when I was about 16. It was his older brother's and I was just bowled over by how good the music sounded. I'd never heard anything like it. Many years later and I can better afford to buy stuff but I still have to slow down and come to my senses sometimes!

Also, as I get older I'm not sure my hearing is able to fully appreciate the ultra-expensive stuff anyway. But I'm happy with my amp and with my speakers. I have a Yamaha CD player that seems decent and now to the TT. I asked my wife if she'd be offended if I upgraded, since she bought the TT I currently have. She said emphatically no. She's pretty cool about things like that. So now I'm excited about getting a new one and maybe I can get a few bucks on Craigslist for my old one.

Regarding the switch box you suggested above, if one input is the phono preamp and the other is the DVD/TV, why does this work when splitting the RCA inputs does not? In other words, why was the TT signal so weak using the splitters even when the TV was turned off?

I also need to learn about how to create/buy better quality CDs. I read some posts about some programs that do this and I need to research it some. I know very little about this stuff. When I first discovered i-tunes I thought I had hit the motherload, but then I read that the quality of the downloads isn't very good. Again, I just need to research this stuff when I get time.

Going through my old vinyls the other day is pretty cool. Not only is the format of the music cool, so is the album cover art and presentation. Oh well. I digress. I better get back to work. Thanks!