new at this...which amp?

Having owned the B&W CDM9NT they can be a little bright (Not harsh) unto them selves.

I purchased the 9NT to set up with an Adcom GFP 565 and GFP 555. Due to problems with the Adcom gear as it had been sitting in storage for a year and a half, I changed to a B&K Pre and a B&K ST2140. 140 watts was pleanty of power for my needs. I had my Adcom gear for 12 years in that time it gave me excelent service.

That said system synergy is of utmost importance.

1) I would seriously consider upgrading your CDP. Garbage in garbage out. Your reference to harshness is also a little vague but I am guessing that it is the highs not the mids or bass. This is more than likely digital glare caused by a lesser quality CDP.

2) Although I think a cable upgrade would help your system overall, I don't beleive that it will cure your problem of harshness. With the 9NT I have had good luck with copper cables. Silver can be a little brighter in the highs due to its better high frequency response I recomend staying away from silver with B&W speakers.

3) The room is also a component even though you have had the system in three rooms have you ever used room treatments. Again I will mention system synergy.

In closing demo differend CDP's in you system first. It can't hurt and you may find that is the answer to your problems.

Michael

Me too...sort of. My suggestion is the same as many here have offered. Check the cables you are using. B&W speakers- regardless of what you think of them, are really revealing of the contributions components bring to a system. I Love this about them, even if it has meant a little more experimentation. I am not familar with the 9nts models, but I have 1nts. My own experience has been that they can sound harsh when under- powered or when at the receiving end of a bright source or interconnects or cables. They sound bright where brightness is evident! In my system they do not sound the least bit bright or edgy, and they have given a much better account of recordings than I got from the their 600 series sibling... and this from a system I would consider less capable than yours.Really, I wonder if just changing out the Denon source for anything else for any amount of time wouldnt serve to show you the difference a little change could make?

It's really hard to get so much advice, isn't it? Maybe more than you bargained for! The difficult thing about audio is that all the individual pieces have to work together. If you are like me you put together a system one piece at a time, when you could afford it. Some of the best advice I ever got was this: the speakers are the most important device because they produce the sound waves that travel to your ears and they translate all the electrical signals (good and bad) into sound. The next most important piece is the source component,in this case the CD player because this is the beginning of all the electrical signals. GIGO. All of the other pieces are of diminishing importance compared to these two. That is where you want to spend your money. In my view, the following pieces fall in order of importance: speakers, source, pre-amp, amp, interconnects, speaker cables. Each one is dependent upon the other. My Classe CDP is not the most expensive, accurate, revealing or detailed, but it allows me to forget that I am listening to a disc and it sounds so beautiful. My Dynaudios allow me to forget that there are speakers there and I can listen to them for hours. After all, its only about being able to listen to music and forget about all the equipment in front of you. Turn the lights off. Do you like what you hear?

Wow, If I could get my local dealer to give me the level of attention I have gotten here I would have whipped this problem by now. Thank you one and all for the good advise. I called two local (Wash DC) high end stores to see about a home demo for amps, CDP, and cables. Both stores said they would sell me anything in the store with a 30 day store credit policy on returns. I asked if I could buy a floor demo or open box item and return for a full cash refund in a day or two and they both said no. So much for "try before you buy". There is a "used" high end dealer about an hour from here. I may try there this weekend. I am becoming more convinced that cheap cables and CDP are the culprits. Not discounting the " it's the room" advise. I just do not know anything about how to "fix" a room, so I will start with what I know ( spending $$$$)!
I also have two other ideas. One brilliant and obvious....the other maybe just plain stupid, but must be done to satisfy my curiosity. Good idea....go to the uppidy B&W dealer in town and listen to speakers similar to mine just to see how they are supposed to sound when they are set up right with good components. Could be a real eye opener. Bad idea....(maybe)try swapping real crap into my system ( interconnects, amp, CDP ect.)just to see what crap sounds like. If it sounds all too familiar, but worse, I may find that the whole thing is a "I have been listening to crap" problem. The good thing about this approach is that I already own plenty of crap to experiment with!
I filled out a "consultation form" at usedcables.com. Waiting to see what they reccomend.
Any ideas for a good CDP? How much should I pay for one without going overboard? Also, my current CDP is a DVD player too. Is that OK or should there be a seperate unit for CD and DVD? Your advise is appreciated.

Another question....if I do decide on a new amp, will I get cleaner sound and more volume with a 300 by 5 amp using the speakers crossovers, or two 150 by 5 bi amped? Taking into consideration the extra cost for electronic crossover and cables, is bi amp worth it? The goal is LOUD and CLEAN.