Audio Systems: radio vs satelite radio, male voices, power amp

Question
Thanks for your informative response about the Tivoli and Bose Wave,the Bose is very expensive,and I played the Receptor at Best Buy ,you probably won't like it,Too much bass also,male voices don't sound right,I recently bought a Sangean pocket radio from CC crane a mail-order place in California that specializes largely in longe range AM ,have you heard of them? Anyway at first the Sangean sounded too flat but then I realize this is how voices are supposed to sound.The Fm reception is fantastic for a personal portable,anyway just thought I,d recomend it to you they make larger radios but they are all mono unless you listen to headphones.I am not interested yet in purchasing satelite radio.Also remember I told you when I ran my CD player through the power amp directly I noticed more detail in the sound compared with running it through my PS Audio 4.5 preamp,I tried the DVD player it sounds better but I loose the convenience of a 5disc player and remote volume comtrol for music,Do you know anything about DVD recorders and the differences in sound? I see models for as low as $79 up to over $300.

Answer
Dear Peter,

No, I've not auditioned either the Receptor or Sangean.

Yes, running a CD/DVD player directly through the power amp will clarify the sound because it avoids the preamp's circuitry. If that's all you're running then why a preamp?--except for (1) volume control and (2) running another component. A preamp is basically a switch box.

What's the old saw about the ideal rig--straight wire with gain?

You could try a DVD changer. They come in 3- to 5-disc models. Some are bound to have volume controls.

I have not yet cracked the DVD recorder realm. I've got a DVD ripper on my computer (a Dell firebreather), which I'm just learning. Baby steps.

Kindest regards,

Kevin