Whats my weak link?

B, I'll add a fourth item to my previous comments:

4)If the connection between CDP and DAC is via coax, try experimenting with different cable lengths. In particular, if the length of the cable is in the vicinity of 1 meter or 3 feet, change it to either be very short, say 8 inches or less, or make it approximately 5 or 6 feet. See this paper.

Regards,
-- Al

B_Limo,

What, i believe, John (Jmcgrogan) and I (and a lot of others) are trying to tell you is this: "Stop what you're doing and start thinking about the big picture!".

Forget about your room, as important as it is, for right now and think about your components. You like the KEFs in Steve's system, so you bought them. You've heard what the KEFs were showing you in Steve's home, and you hear what the KEFs are showing you in your home.

Besides the sound's interacting with the room's acoustics, the speakers are giving you the music that they're receiving from your components. They can't give you gold from iron.

You said that your components are not as good as Steve's, and that Steve has taken them even further with his mods. Turn on the light bulb, the KEFs are showing you that your components aren't up to making music like Steve's components.

Now quit buying speakers and start comparing Steve's components to yours and spend your money upgrading those pieces that can't handle their share of the load.

You need to sit down and be honest, and come up with what you can spend and take the time and spend wisely. By components I mean every piece of your system from the wall to the speakers.

Chuck

room acoustics...everything else is second...good luck

Take a break. Read Jim Smith's "Get Better Sound."
Tackle one issue at a time. You will have a new appreciation
for how things fit together.

Be patient... the most satisfying sound is not assembled
quickly, or easily. It is a journey that takes many twists and turns,
over (literally) a lifetime. Make it fun...keep it fun.

Start with the book!!!

B limo,

I second Al's headphone suggestion. A few year's back, I decided to build a system I could retire with. I had (and still do) a pair of Sennheiser HD 600 cans, and Musical Fidelity X-2 can amp.

The cans were sounding much better that the system at that time. Now, that isn't the case at all. Cans give you a good baseline to measure your progress with.

That said, I believe you still don't have your speakers situated to give their best performance. It looks to me as if you have them located on the long wall, where they can't get any help from the corners of your room for good bass response.

Do you have the manual that came with your speakers? See what KEF reccommends for placement.

If that doesn't help, there were lot of good suggestions made previously here. Room treatment can tame many problems, but lack of bass response isn't usually one of them.

Good luck, keep trying, you'll get there.

Dan