How to tame the midrange???

Looks like you've nailed it down baffled.You sure have a sea of choices out there and you don't seemed baffled too me. If you have a way to listen to different tube preamps, this could give you an idea. There's still no better way than hearing them in your own system however.

If you still want transparency without making things overly warm or cloudy. I would look at some single ended, OTL, pure Class A and no negative feedback preamp designs.It's so much easier to hear what each tube is contributing to the sound.When there's no negative feedback used.

Technology has progressed to a point now.Where you can find a terrific Dac without breaking the bank. I suggest trying some of the Dacs out there with a return policy. I would start below $1000 retail and maybe move up from there if needed. You may find your satisfied without spending more.

Cables..well that's something you have to decide what's best for you. I don't believe in spending tons of money on cables myself.As long as it doesn't degrade the signal with poor connections , corrosion or broken center conductors... I'm a happy camper. I for one think your headed in the right direction changing the components first. Even with Radio shack interconnects your going to hear a major difference in the component swaps. I'm willing to bet I could secretly swap out the cables in some of the fellow agoner's systems with Rat Shack cables and they wouldn't be the wiser.LOL Try not to get caught up in this cable stuff and listen for the differences yourself.

Now let the fun begin! :-)

Gmood1....thanks for the final push in the right direction. I have at least two good high end stores nearby, so auditioning gear should not be a problem. I hear ya on the cables thing.......can't wait to do some comparisons with some borrowed cables. Thanks to all who responded.

Gmood is in my experience wrong and will only make your system brighter, and its a waste to have two preamps in any system. B&W makes for one of the finest multichannel systems on the market and using only two channels when listening to music is a waste of your investment.

The Carver prepro is pretty mediocre and primitive and the Denon 3910 could be out of spec (its seems a good deal I come across on their digital output frequencies are) which will make it harsh as a transport, you should never use the analog outs of any DVD player BTW. You can have your Denon checked for its digital output frequency (it would be a warranty repair) and sell the Carver and atleast get an Arcam....but only one brand of prepro will truely fix your problem based on the info you have given.

Having setup about 20? B&W surround systems with Meridian, the grain in the midrange comes from the tweeked up treble for the hard of hearing. To their credit B&W has made this peak in treble very deliberate and very fixable. Meridian processors(any), their treble tilt control (-4 to -6)perfectly reverse the treble grit and grain caused by the jumped up sales floor treble and I have to say this combination is superb. You will have a new speaker, it makes that much difference.

The hardest part about owning the Meridian is people here who haven't heard it won't think its better than their two channel system. I will tell you Gmoods advice will only change your grit into glare. Because its a speaker amplitude problem, not a an electronics issue like you might think. Your cables are not adding grit either.

"I listen to Comcast Music Choice digital music channels quite a bit through their Motorola box. I think that makes a stronger case for adding a good DAC. I am new at this and rely exclusively on Goner's advise. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated."

I know this maybe obvious but your prepro should be a great DAC?, that is one of its 5 jobs! No? Upgrade your prepro and upgrade, DAC, Pre and overall sound at one time.

the path less traveled......

"the grain in the midrange comes from the tweeked up treble for the hard of hearing"

HeHe, thats nice of them to build speakers for the hard of hearing....wondering why they don't use this in their ad copy.

Dave

Baffled: You have so many things to try along the way. And I suspect you will discover huge refinements as you seek to determine the original problem with the midrange anomolies. Rather than guess with so many changes, what I would suggest you do is try to find someone in your area, maybe an A'gon member, with lots of experience in speaker placement, differences between cables, line stages and DACs. Someone who also understands the benefits of power conditioners, room treatments and isolation would be an even greater asset.

I have befriended a couple local A'gon members and they have thrown so many ideas and suggestions my way that have lead to major improvements in my system. And they were right on from the start so I did not have to try things over and over to get them right. Such relationships become great friendships and both sides learn much from such an exchange. It's a great feeling to help out another audiophile.

A good relationship with a dealer too is a good idea but they will most likely steer you to the products they carry.

So indicate where you live and maybe someone here will offer to come over and give you some tips and who knows where that might lead.

John