Does having an object inbetween the speakers bad?

Tboooe, from my experience trying different interconnects will greatly enhance a good system, increasing transparency etc but will not transform an inferior one. I try to select gear that is known to offer a large three dimensional soundstage. Unfortunately I have had gear in the distant past that only offered a 2D sound in the same room. The culprit can be just the preamp, power amp, or both. Replacing this undesireable gear was a revelation for me. By no means am I suggesting your gear is inferior but you would have to come to your own conclusions maybe after trying everything else including some of the above suggestions.

thanks Phd. I totally agree with your post. I am actually in the midst of upgrading both my preamp and amp. My shortlist is currently Classe, Ayre, and BAT.

Taboooe, your shortlist is excellent. I especially like the Bat. I understand this amp is a zero negative feedback design and has only two gain stages (a very good thing!). Build quality is about the best I've seen & should provide the sound your looking for.