Are There Improvements that Can Be Easily and Quickly Made Without Buying More Stuff?

My experience with internet ratio is not very positive. Degraded SQ (even with Flac) and the non-interactive mode of music playing are the two areas keep me away from them. I knew with the premium member you could upgrade to hirez music but I still doubt the comparability of the SQ from the streaming service like Qobuz, Tidal, etc. You might want to try the streaming music to sense the differences in SQ.

Secondly, upgrade to a DAC that allows upsampling. There is still a open-ended debate on whether upsampling actually renders better SQ but my limited experience is somewhat positive. You could do this using software (I know you do not want to upgrade the equipment)  I had purposely upsampled 128 kbps AACs to Flac files ten times in size and found the SQ is improved. Not night and day but if you have owned a high-revealing system, the upsampling may bring you surprise.

I've heard various accounts of very noticeable improvements to sound quality by moving furnishings around, or moving a piece of furnishing in or out of the room.

IF your sitting close to the back wall, move your seat forward.

IF you're using a high back chair, move you head forward.  Or, use another chair.

Been busy with all the ideas.

Made a new hole in the back of my equipment cabinet for power cords. All power cords are now separated from interconnects.

Checked and cleaned all connections. Found a loosened RCA connector in one speaker and tightened it.

Moved one speaker and am trying different toe in angles. This could be the key to better sound.

@waytoomuchstuff and @terry9 ​​​​​and @defendert My back wall is 29ft from my listening position, with furniture, counters, cabinets etc. between it and me. My bass and sub-bass is very very good when the recording is good. So that’s not a problem to fix except to change all recordings played to good ones.

@boomerbillone Yes, I regularly clean my ears. I have been missing the highest frequencies since I was in my 20’s. Sometimes with a very high note on a piano I hear the hammer hit the string, but not the note.

@lanx0003 My next step will be to subscribe to a streaming service.

@roadwhorerecords I’ve got the glass of bourbon right next to me.

So far, I think the sound is better. Vocals are more pronounced…the music is more airy…the sound waves from the 2 channels are meshing better…there’s more decay so there’s more of a sense of space. I’ll keep trying little changes in the location and direction of my speakers and my chair height to try to find the sweet spot. I understand that just a few inches or degrees can make a difference.

p.s. - had a grouse walk by the window today while I was changing things.

Thanks to you all!!!

Only play music that sounds good on your system. Amazing improvements.