Newbie System Question sort of long, sorry

Jetson, I hope you don't end up like Buckingham because he certainly went from newbie to diehard in a few short months. Heheh. Did you happen to take a look at his virtual system? A lot of time, research, money and labor went in to it.

OK, so you're looking for better lows and more sound envelopment. Actually, I've been on that very same trek myself. A few years ago I used Kimber PBJ interconnect and with the equipment I was using at the time felt it was a bit thin overall and tizzy up top. Changing to another inexpensive cable the Cardas Microtwin, transformed the character quite a bit. Highs became smoother and slightly rolled off, midrange and bass became fuller albeit a bit sloppy. I'm not sure if this is a move you'd like to make, but it's possible to affect the sound by changing an $80 interconnect.

If you're happy with the overall balance of the sound but want to add lower octaves maybe consider adding a sub. It does however entail more cost than replacing the PBJ and you also have the Wife Acceptance Factor to consider.

As far as sound envelopment I'd say experiment with speaker placement in relation to your listening position. Hopefully, if you can get it sounding better to the point your wife agrees, maybe she won't hassle you too much about the speakers being too obtrusive.

Jetson, I have a Brick Wall conditioner (which I no longer use in my main system)... I think it works fine with low-level components (CD players, preamps, etc.) but not so well with power amps (and hence, perhaps not so well with your integrated amp). You might try using the Brick Wall only with your CDP and tuner, and listen to whether the bass is stronger than before. In any case, if you haven't already done so, you might add a hospital-grade outlet (e.g., Hubbell) to your dedicated line. (And kudos for having a dedicated line!)

Zaikes is correct. I could be assuming the worst, and as we all know, assuming is bad. I use an Anthem Amp2, and do find it to sound more open without a LC. I think a listening test is in order. What I do is keep my favorite cds in and listen as much as possible for a week, make my change, then listen again for a week. I can usually pick up on changes right away, but find it takes time to interpret weather or not the changes are for the better or worse. I recently purchased a Monster AVS2000 and find things to be sharper when running through it. But hey, that's just my gear!!!

Good luck Jetson. Let us know what you find.

Jetson, IMO, you have chosen your audio gear with a budget and an excellent ear. The only thing I have not heard is your speakers. I can't help but think they must also be very good by the rest of your gear. I could improve on your system like others who think you need to spend $1000s more than you are probably not willing to do at this time. I am not a big fan of surge protectors, line conditioners, and so on. That has only been my experience. Gunbei has given you as much help as one can give. If you have a few extra $$$ to spend, I'm sure there is room for improvement. IMO, you have done a great job putting together a very musical system. If a few $$ comes your way, try some isolation devices. You may be surprized what improvement they can bring. Best to you in search for the love of music you are looking for.