Smooth Highs and Deep Bass

Siltech Royal Signature series cables are very smooth and have notably good bass. They have wonderful tonal richness & also sound dead quiet. Finally they have heirloom build quality.

Lowrider, one thing that could be contributing to the "digital edge" you are perceiving, and also to the high degree of cable sensitivity you’ve described, is a ground loop between the CDP and the preamp.  A simple experiment that might be worth trying is to temporarily put a cheater plug on the power cord of the CDP, to defeat its safety ground connection.

If that seems to help, my next suggestion would be to remove the cheater plug and put a suitably chosen Jensen Transformer (ca. $275) between the CDP and the preamp.

Good luck.  Best regards,
-- Al
 

So my decision to mention the PGS is based not simply on my desire to push my personal fave, which it isn't, but to bring to your attention a cable that many audiophiles agree has a smooth top end. Will they work in your system to smooth your top end? That I can't tell you. But the cables reputation, and also my own experience with it, suggests that it might be one cable worth considering in your quest. And in the endless sea of cables and cable choice, isn't it good to get a few suggestions where you might start your search?
mani-2

That's all I'm asking for.  Thank you for putting it into such a concise comment.

Al, your troubleshooting input is always most appreciated.
Now I'll review my procedure:

My CD for testing highs from a CDP is LvB Symphony no. 7, Karl Bohm/VPO, DG 1972.
I also use the Haydn string quartets (Kodaly Quartet) on Naxos.

- did an A/B between Cardas IC and Blue Jeans IC (Cardas smooth highs, BJ harsh, unrefined).
- removed CDP from pwr. cond. in rack (which is shared w/ preamp), used cheater plug and put back in rack AC receptacle.
- did A/B between same ICs and holy cow. No more "digital edge" from the BJ cables.

With my Cardas, the DG VPO strings sound warm, but lack the lowest 1/2 octave (the limitation of the cable).
Using the BJ cables, (they are more extended than Cardas), but the massed strings are quite listenable, actually an accurate presentation of the DG recordings of that era.
Obviously, BJ is more transparent, as advertised.

Thanks so much, Al. Maybe the Forum members should put you on a retainer, I'd gladly chip in.
But I would like the ground loop explained if possible. I'll give details on my power setup;

I have a 20 amp dedicated line, amp is plugged into wall separate from rack.
For components, there is a Blue Circle Passive passive pwr. cond. plugged into the wall. Since it has no surge protection, a Furman power strip with filtering is plugged into the Blue Circle. Then all components plug into the Furman.
 Do you think the problem is that all components are in the power strip?