Newbie with "bright" system

Wemmessie. Since you are now experiencing a slight "dullness" to your sound after room treatment, may I suggest a detailed, brighter, & airy but very smooth ITC? Thanks, I knew you wouldn't mind. Anyway, try Silver Audio Hyacinths. I have had great success with them running from my DAC to Pre Amp.

Sorry Mraybeck, I must defer to the infinite wisdom of other members, I am and for the immediate future committed to solid state. I think though, as a practical matter, you should wait on cabling until after the pre.
Chris

Thank you very much everyone. Wow, I'm offline for awhile and return to this great advice. I used to dabble in hi-fi (mid-fi actually) in HS and college. School and work requirements forced a hiatus. However, I am now re-entering through the back door of Home Theatre (perhaps one of its benefits to HE audio). I just added to 4B ST for two-channel and bought the Arcam (used) a couple of months ago. These changes really floored me and have now sent me on the quest.
I live in a small apartment and my stereo is in a 15'x12' space at the end of the main L-shaped living space. So, I unfortunately do not have room (or money) for a separate 2-channel system and room treatment options are very limited. The floor is carpeted and there is a lot of soft furniture in the space. The walls are plaster and there is a marble fireplace at the first reflection point for my right speaker. I know, far from optimal, but there really is nowhere else in the apartment I can move the system. I have experimented with speaker placement and toe-in with some success.
The rack is an industrial metal-wire rack with flat feet (no cones) and I am not using any dampening/isolation devices. I am using a Monster Power HTS-3500 for my CDP and receiver (pre), but not the 4B ST.
So far, I am leaning towards some HT truthlinks as an interim change until I can afford a decent rack and then a pre. For the time being, money is pretty tight, so I hope to make incremental, high-value changes through research and the experience I have found on this site. I'm grinning with the knowledge that my modest system has a LOT of room for inprovement. Think of all the CD-pulling, listening sessions I have to look forward to after each upgrade! (helps ease the wallet sting:)
Any additional insight/suggestions on the path of musical fulfillment are warmly received. Any advice for this 'yung grasshoppa' on how to keep this hobby from becoming a financially-draining obsession that alienates me from all friends and loved ones - or should I just make peace with this right now? Happy Listening, Mark.

Mraybeck: Considering what your components are resting on at this time, I would (in your position)invest in Vibrapods at $24.00 per set of four and discuss with Craig @ Vibrapods how you can incorporate the Pods with your wire rack. The Pods and an inexpensive sheet of MDF may cure your sonic problems for very little money. Investing in cables, components etc. when your electronics are situated as they are will not have anywhere near as great an impact on the sound for the money spent as inexpensive isolation devices will. You have not even heard what your current setup is capable of as the source player and the other components are being hampered by vibration. Start with the CD player and your investment should be well under $30.00 including the platforms. If you happen to have a Maple cutting board hanging around then use it in place of the MDF. I am using more sophisticated isolation products right now, but will never forget what the first set of Pods did to my system (when placed on the source) and I still use them on a second mini system and now on the new CD burner with super results considering the small investment. I like to get the most out of what I have before moving on.

Mraybeck, in answer to your question--there are a lot of fine preamps out there that you'd be happy with. I've enjoyed the BAT gear that I've owned, but there are many others that would work well. Classe and Pass Labs come to mind as two that you can probably find in your price range. But back to what I said originally--if all you're looking to do is take the edge off your system, used cables are a cheap way to experiment. I agree that stands and isolation devices are important in a high-end system, but I'm not sure they will address the brightness problem as well as cables and interconnects will. Good luck.