wcc10, I'm surprised the discussion seems to focus on the sources and pre. Maybe the B&Ws are nor a good match for the rest of your components and/or room. Do you have a good set of headphones? If they solve your problem it is not the source components; maybe not the pre-amp either.Good point 2channel. Although the CM 5S2s put out a lot of sound for their size (I did have CM 6S2s for a while) I'm beginning to realize that this must be my next move. They sound good and more than one person has said they are OK for the size of the room. I did try another preamp that was a step up recently but didn't see enough improvement to warrant an immediate change. So I'm thinking some floor standers. See where that takes me.
No, I do not have any headphones. But that is a good idea to try! Thanks.