what's my problem?

At 86 db efficiency and a 3.6 ohm minimum impedance, Im afraid you may be low on juice. The Unico is rated 80wpc for 8 ohm -and- 4 ohm. If the suggestions above dont do the trick you might need to try an amp that is really suited to difficult loads. This might be what you need to "open up" the sound.

get rid of the monster cable interlink 400, it is about the worst interconnect on the planet ... just about anything will sound better .... upgrade the power cord on the amp too ... also give the amp more time to break-in ...

well, the speakers have been pulled out into the room as much as they can be. No room to pull them out any farther. I have another pair of cables that i could try...the MIT Tmax one wire (i think that's its name)...not sure if they're any better. Any suggestions on reasonably priced interconnects that might fit the bill?

Speaker stands are irrelevant (floor standing speakers)

As far as the amp is concerned, I'm not sure what to say. From what i've read, it's capable of running even fairly difficult loads (dealer mentioned this also). Further, it has had such high praise by people in the audio world that I cannot see it being at fault (although i could be gravely mistaken).

Further, despite the ratings of the NHT's, I have been told (by the dealer) that they are an easy drive. At one point, he tried to sell me an Alchemist Nexus integrated (i think it's rated at 35w/ch). He claimed that this would drive them properly. I would hate to have to ditch the amp as it's brand new (and was tough to find in my area)

At one point, i had a Roksan Kandy mkIII rated at 120w/ch driving them... didn't do as good a job as the Unico. Would the Simaudio I 5 fare any better? Should I go with separates? (ie higher power amp/ separate preamp)

should i keep the amp and find some smaller speakers that might match up more synergistically with the Unico?

After so many years of playing with audio equipment, I seem to have lost my way...(and my mind)

i'm in audio hell.

Hi Loose:
Give your Unico time to break in, before you do too much more. I had a similar experience, when I replaced my ADCOM 545 with a Musical Fidelity A3 integrated amplifier. It took about 2 months for the break-in to run its course and then, I just needed to upgrade the power cord and things are fine (frustrating though). Looking down the road, speaker placement , as opposed to amplifier load, may wind up being the toughest hurdle as the NHT's have side firing woofers. I run similar speakers (Acoustic Research 302 Classic Series. 85 db sensitivity ... designed by Ken Kantor/NHT) with both the MF A3 (85wpc) and a second pair with a NAD 320BEE (50wpc) and there is plenty of power. Sit tight and write back in a few weeks. regards, Rich

Please upgrade the Speaker cables and Interconnects. Kimber Hero and 8TC are nice for the price. The NHT speakers are very nice but I have found they like power to rock. After the above if you not happy you need to move to better speakers Maybe ProAc may have your sound. Please note that NHT speakers have a smooth laid back sound. You may like something a little more lively like the ProAc 's The other gear is real nice, so you could upgrade to a very revealing speaker like the ProAC etc. A Linn LP12 would also be a great source to add to this system.