I would agree that the room is more at the core of your problem than the cables. This is assuming that you listened to the same speakers and electronics as that which you own.
I have Martin Logan ReQuests in my theater driven by a Krell frontend through Transparent Audio cabling (Ultra XL).
My room was initially untreated and the speakers were brassy and flat. Over the years I've both treated the room and advanced through a few different amp choices.
Treating the room made a huge difference. Moving from the Mark Levinson ML 334 to a Plinius SA 250 Mk IV made a noticeable difference to imaging and overall tonal quality. Recently i moved to a BAT VK250 with BAT Pak. That added a final three dimensionality that i didn't think could be attained.
The money i spent on treating the room easily had the largest return on investment. The amp tradeoffs were just icing on the cake.
I'd suggest two things...given all that :-)
Voice your room to determine optimal speaker locations. Use the Wilson Audio technique with a friend that has a good sense of hearing. (this is free)
Secondly, treat your room to manage side wall reflections, and bass absorption at room corners. Depending on how you watch for traps etc on the 'gon, you could do this for 2-3k$ and it will make your system sound like more than you paid for it. (as opposed to less than you paid for it)
Good luck.. this process is pretty fun. :-)
I have Martin Logan ReQuests in my theater driven by a Krell frontend through Transparent Audio cabling (Ultra XL).
My room was initially untreated and the speakers were brassy and flat. Over the years I've both treated the room and advanced through a few different amp choices.
Treating the room made a huge difference. Moving from the Mark Levinson ML 334 to a Plinius SA 250 Mk IV made a noticeable difference to imaging and overall tonal quality. Recently i moved to a BAT VK250 with BAT Pak. That added a final three dimensionality that i didn't think could be attained.
The money i spent on treating the room easily had the largest return on investment. The amp tradeoffs were just icing on the cake.
I'd suggest two things...given all that :-)
Voice your room to determine optimal speaker locations. Use the Wilson Audio technique with a friend that has a good sense of hearing. (this is free)
Secondly, treat your room to manage side wall reflections, and bass absorption at room corners. Depending on how you watch for traps etc on the 'gon, you could do this for 2-3k$ and it will make your system sound like more than you paid for it. (as opposed to less than you paid for it)
Good luck.. this process is pretty fun. :-)