Help Finding my system bright...

I tried the signal cable digital cord on my Trivista DAC. After a week it still sounded so thin and cold (non-musical to my ears) that I got rid of it. The Signal cable magicpower on the other hand made my amp seem dark and sluggish. You probably have stock cords or something similar around...if you have not already tried alternative powercords.

Cheers,
Soren

I used to own that amp and it was anything but bright I can tell you but I wonder if the speaker is having a weird interaction with it

in other words maybe it is just component matching (that old bugaboo)

Lots of good advice above. Just to chime in on the Plinius amp. I have a similar amp, and it is a dark-sounding amp. Totem speakers, I presume not bright. The two matched up together are supposed to give a warm sound.

Verdict - speaker placement and room are the culprits, unless you are looking for a *very* warm sound.

I agree with you ryder. What do people think about the lack of preamp thing? I had all of my electronics(not my cables) on my fathers forests, and it sounded very warm and full. I am starting to think its not the lack of preamp but my power cables. Today I replaced my power cables with the stock, and found it much more musical and warmer. All these varibles and comparisons are killing me haha. But yeah I bought the power cables about a month ago so I am trying to cash in on that 30 day return policy, Thanks mogalsvs for your input, you could have saved me a couple of grand..

One thing for sure, with any change you make in your setup you need to be patiient. I realize you're running out of time with a 30 day return policy. I find that a system and cables need plenty of time (days) to sit untouched, turned on 24/7 if possible, and frequently playing music in order to reveal what it will eventually become sonically. Waiting and patience is difficult but crucial as the sonics generally change slowly and gradually as everything settles in. In addition, I have always used integrateds and once had seperates. My research of other's experience tells me that in most cases a preamp helps rather than harms and lack of a preamp in more cases than not is not optimal.