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New system too bright.Will different cables help ?

I recently sold my 10 year old NAD system and upgraded to: Myryad Z140 integrated amp, CEC 3300 CD player, Castle Richmond bookshelf speakers, DH Labs T14/BL1 cables.
I liked the Castle speakers in combination with the NAD stuff, but now the sound is overly bright, I miss musical warmth. The NAD 502 CDP (1bit) connected to the Myryad amp sounded great. After selling it I first tried the Myryad Z110 CD player (matches the Z140), which sounded extremely harsh too me, even after some burn-in time. I returned it and then got the CEC, which in comparison sounded ok.
The resolution and detail of this system is certainly much better.
... But the sweetness and musicality is gone.
My question: Will different interconnects, dedicated power cables/conditioning do the trick, or do I need bigger speakers/subwoofer, tubes, external DAC or even a different amp ?
khm74
tvad
9,467 posts
 
Ask yourself when the brightness appeared, and perhaps you can narrow down the problem. Other A'goners have cautioned against using cables as tone controls to "fix" (mask) problems inherent in equipment, and I agree. You could spend many hours and dollars in a search for the Cable Grail, when a component swap is in order. From your post, it reads as though you did not detect brightness with your Myryad amp/NAD/Castle combination? Once you put the CEC player in the picture the brightness appeared. Perhaps a different source would bring the musicality back.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
That's why tone controls were invented.
kchahoc
85 posts
 
Is it with all music or just some?
ozfly
887 posts
 
As Tvad suggests, you may find there is nothing you can do to compensate for the component that is causing the brightness. That would be a good place to start.

Having said that, I once owned a Bryston / Thiel combination and loved it except for the brightness. Once I switched my speaker cables to MIT, everything came together. If it's easier to switch out cables than to replace the source of the brightness (or if you like everything about the source except for that), try some MIT's to see if they make a difference -- you can normally try before you buy so there should be no risk if you find the right dealer. I've had excellent luck with Joe Abrams, but don't forget your local dealers.
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