My stereo receiver is a little too bright. Can a cable help me out?


I just had my vintage Pioneer SX-1050 refurbished.  I had a severe case of sticker shock when presented with the bill - oops!!  Which unfortunately pretty much forces me to use it. 

I will say It is sounding very powerful which is no big surprise because there is a lot of horsepower under the hood.  But the audio impression is that it’s also a little too bright.  The only way I know to tame brightness is with the right interconnects.  But I’m not experienced in that area.  Recommendations would be most welcome.


It’s probably important to know how I am using  the Pioneer SX-1050.  It is responsible for all audio in my TV system.  My choice of music is almost exclusively opera and classical.  

 I send the HDMI signal from my four sources ( TV-DVR, OPPO DVD, ROKU streamer and Pioneer Elite Laser Disc Player ) to my AVR, an ARCAM SR-250, and I send the respective analog audio signals to the Pioneer.  I am into opera and classical music and I didn’t think my ARCAM AVR sounded as good as I wanted it to, even though it’s ideally  suited to my needs, a two-channel product touted for its exceptional audio.  The audio is good but definitely not great.  Prior to deciding to refurbish it I had paired the Pioneer with a Musical Fidelity A3cr Preamp, using the Pioneer just as an amplifier, and I was getting very good audio that way.  But one of the goals of the refurbishment project was to feature the Pioneer and eliminate the musical influence of the Musical Fidelity preamp.   And now, after spending so much,  I wanted to hear how my now very expensive Pioneer sounded, so I pulled the Musical Fidelity Pre and attached my sources directly to the Pioneer.  Currently all the interconnects are Blue Jeans Cable.  Obviously I can’t spend huge amounts replacing cables for all four sources, so the DVD is priority.
echolane
I would use the controls yhats what they are there for  . You arent going to miss anything . Cables will make zero difference. Change your speakers if you have to. 
Millercarbon is spot on. I know because I owned 2 SX1280 receivers back in the day. My first upgrade was to purchase an Onyko preamp in maybe 1982. I used the amp in the Pioneer with the new preamp. I was
astonished at the difference. The preamp section in your unit can't be better than the 1280. I see these old receivers selling for top dollar on eBay. Bite the bullet and sell it. Consider buying a receiver like the Anthem MRX710. It's several generations old now so the price slips a bit with each new release. Sonically, it will blow you away! It's built like a tank and could anchor your main system. Good luck! Joe 
I think it's silly to sell your Pioneer and pick up a used AVR. You're looking to improve your 2 channel listening experience. As you know, an AVR is a multipurpose device and you've been there, done that.

Once again, use the tone controls and put more hours on the Pioneer. You could try the preamp into the receiver again as a test to see what sounds best.
I wouldn't get caught up in buying cables and new components. Give it some more time.

@jnovak I had a Pioneer SA-8100 integrated.  I found that the amp alone was very, very good.  The phono preamp, when taken from the tape outs was also very good.  The rest of the preamp was noisy and aggressive and just not up to the same level as the amp.  Actually, its power supply quit on me eventually, so I removed the phono preamp section, built a 24V low-power supply for it and put it in its own cabinet.  Worked very well until I replaced it with a Schiit.