I agree with the others that have stated that you have selected components / cabling / speakers that are all on the lean side of neutral. Having said that, work with what you have, especially speaker placement. This can really sway the tonal balance but would affect soundstaging and imaging at the same time. It is sometimes hard to obtain the tonal balance that you want with good soundstage & imaging when having to go this route though.
My first suggestion would be to go for some of Jon Risch's DIY cables. The specific model i had in mind was the Belden based 89259/89248 Solid Stranded Twisted Pair ( SSTP's as i call them ) interconnects. Obviously, you would have to build these, find someone to build them for you or someone that was selling a used pair. Match these with a pair of Goertz MI-2 Veracity ( available from Alpha Core on a 30 day trial basis ) and you would have a system that offered full bodied sound with great transparency.
Bare in mind that ALL cables are system dependent and open to personal preferences, so my suggestion is no better than anyone else's and it might not be to your liking with those specific components in the system.
Another combo, without being specific, would be to use some Tara Labs or Cardas cabling. I think that the Tara would be better suited to what you are looking for, but that is a matter of opinion.
If you don't feel confident with a DIY based cable and / or want specific model recommendations from an unbiased source that carries many brands, you might want to try contacting UsedCable.com and see what they suggest via their on-line technical questionaire. They typically have a very good assortment of used cables that won't break the bank and seem to have their act together in terms of working with customers & making good suggestions.
Once you've reached this point, you can continue on and investigate the AC side of your system should you choose to do so. Depending on one's location, this can make noticeable differences in most cases. It may be well worth your investment to experiment in this area, especially if you live in a highly populated area, an apartment / condo or near an industrial area. Those that live out in the boonies may not have as much of a problem with highly tainted AC and may not experience as much of a benefit from such tweaking.
I only mention the AC part as i've found that "dirty" AC can add a layer of glare and harshness which can easily be interpreted as added brightness. Getting rid of this tends to smooth out the presentation and can result in what one considers a warmer presentation with improved "inter-transient silence" ( blacker background ). Sean
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My first suggestion would be to go for some of Jon Risch's DIY cables. The specific model i had in mind was the Belden based 89259/89248 Solid Stranded Twisted Pair ( SSTP's as i call them ) interconnects. Obviously, you would have to build these, find someone to build them for you or someone that was selling a used pair. Match these with a pair of Goertz MI-2 Veracity ( available from Alpha Core on a 30 day trial basis ) and you would have a system that offered full bodied sound with great transparency.
Bare in mind that ALL cables are system dependent and open to personal preferences, so my suggestion is no better than anyone else's and it might not be to your liking with those specific components in the system.
Another combo, without being specific, would be to use some Tara Labs or Cardas cabling. I think that the Tara would be better suited to what you are looking for, but that is a matter of opinion.
If you don't feel confident with a DIY based cable and / or want specific model recommendations from an unbiased source that carries many brands, you might want to try contacting UsedCable.com and see what they suggest via their on-line technical questionaire. They typically have a very good assortment of used cables that won't break the bank and seem to have their act together in terms of working with customers & making good suggestions.
Once you've reached this point, you can continue on and investigate the AC side of your system should you choose to do so. Depending on one's location, this can make noticeable differences in most cases. It may be well worth your investment to experiment in this area, especially if you live in a highly populated area, an apartment / condo or near an industrial area. Those that live out in the boonies may not have as much of a problem with highly tainted AC and may not experience as much of a benefit from such tweaking.
I only mention the AC part as i've found that "dirty" AC can add a layer of glare and harshness which can easily be interpreted as added brightness. Getting rid of this tends to smooth out the presentation and can result in what one considers a warmer presentation with improved "inter-transient silence" ( blacker background ). Sean
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