what's my problem?

Try DH Labs digital and interconnect cables. Will be an inexpensive fix. Lots of choices on speaker cables...

1. Bass response is something that definitely improves with break-in. After a few weeks, you might
even feel like you have a new system.

2. No doubt -- separates will give you better sound.

3. Some speaker manufacturers do a great job with
speakers with fewer drivers, sacrificing the low end
for greater clarity in the mids and highs. As you go up
their line, they try to add bass and somtimes the result
isn't pretty. Then, as you go higher up the line, the bass
gets better. Bass is hard to do properly. Sometimes
no bass is better than bad bass.

4. IMO, Upgrading to a speaker that handles bass the way you like will yield greater dividends than wire and cable expenditures.

5. Just as an experiment, go listen to B & W speakers.
These are the perfect speakers to see what I'm talking about. You'll notice, as you go up the line, the major
improvement is in the nature of the bass. It gets tighter
and more detailed.

6. Why try to accomplish this with a wire when you
can purchase a speaker that can give you the capability of better sound. Start by upgrading your speakers
and then see if you still want expensive cables.

7. The chanes are: As you get further into this hobby,
you are becoming more demanding and your ear is
becoming more critical. So, you're demanding more
of your system. The sound you "imagine" is much
more detailed and sophisticated than it used to be.

Now, you must feed the monster.

First look at your electrical outlet. Replace if in doubt w/ a new one. (2) A good power cord to your Unico. DIY $40/Beldon 83802. (3) Replace interconnects/spk. wire. (4) Let equipment break/settle in. (5)Change tube/s in Unico.(6) Decide if spks/amp have synergy. If your spks. need power and are "laid back" they may not match well w/ a laid back amp. May have to try a more forward/lively/brighter spk. such as JM Lab/B & W and such others? Good Luck! Bill

The Type 4 speaker cable, while not crap, certainly is a colored cable. It really humps the upper bass in many systems, and midrange can be congested.

And I agree, run (don't walk) over there and yank the Monster 400's. Give them to someone you're obligated to be nice to but really don't like.

Replacing the stock tubes can give you much higher clarity and air (especially if you seek out some good NOS or top current production tubes), but this is not a priority in your situation. Consider it down the road once things are settled in and you start itching again.

I agree with other posters that changing the power cords is beneficial - I would do this before fiddling with tubes. I would call it a toss-up whether to experiment with the PC or speaker cables first, but the interconnect is a definite #1 priority.

And as everyone has said, break it in. A few weeks of almost constant playing may change your reality substantially.

Mike

I think you answered your own question when you said the speakers are too large for your room and the bass is boomy. Excessive bass energy could definitely give you the perception of less midrange clarity and lack of air and extension.

In fact, it's probably the only explanation that would lead you to dramatic feelings such as "I'm going crazy" and "I'm in audio hell". Your equipment is high quality and would not generate that bad of a sound without some ancillary issue. While your cables could be better, I seriously doubt they are the primary cause of the problem.

What's the solution? Well, you said yourself that your system sounded better with the smaller NHT model. I would borrow some smaller speakers designed for your size room and see how they perform with your new Unison. You should also get a Radio Shack SPL meter and a test tone disc to further confirm the excessive bass energy in your setup. Lot's of eqipment sound flat/neutral on a test bench, but inroom measurements are the only ones that really count.

Good luck