soix also i talked with dr lee at acoustic zenn, ask if there could be a problem with the wow II's since i got rid of the tara labs for the same reason. he told me not to tighten the interconnects to tight this will alter the headroom and clarity and he was right, just fyi.......
That’s very interesting, especially as I too have AZ interconnects/cables and probably over-tightening myself. Is this a recent issue or has it been present the whole time you’ve had this setup? Only other thought I have is swapping tubes in your preamp. Best of luck, and please keep us posted.