Thank you for all of the advice. I have been away and unable to respond.
GMood1....thanks for your comments. You confirmed my suspicions that a DAC, tubed preamp, and seperate two channel is the way to go. Others had the same advice. I just needed to hear it from others with more experience before I start shopping.
Dave......I am happy to know the Sunfire sounded good in your system. It is the one piece of gear I was most suspicious of. I think you and Larry hit it right on the head with the "cumulative" theory.
rrsclyde.....Thanks for the heads up on Music Choice. I will be dissappointed if I cannot run that through a DAC. Gotta check on that one.
Owl....I have dedicated lines and a new electrical service right down to a new transformer at the pole. I will try conditioning if all else fails.
Mikesinger......nope, not a trick question thread. The Radio Shack cables were left over from some car audio projects. I do not want to buy I/C cables until all of the final components are in place. The speaker cables are MIT-2. They came as a package with some speakers I bought. I know they are not the best. I will replace them with something more suitable when I do the cable thing. I am not so sure I could hear the difference cables would make when the existing components seem to be so poorly matched. I am using balanced cables to the amps. These were made by Blue Jean Cables. I assume they are good enough. Please correct me if I am wrong.
So, it seems that this is a good time to take the gear to the next level and hope to solve the original problem along the way. Here's the plan:
1) Buy a good DAC. I do not see the sense in doing mods on the Denon DVD player to try to make it sound like something it's not (a good CD player). I can add a DAC now and a better transport later (if needed). I like the flexibility aspect.
2) Buy a good two channel tube preamp and seperate the two channel from HT. This is a change that everyone seems to agree on. I think the tubes would tone this system down a bit and get closer to the warm sound that I probably prefer anyway.
3) Better I/C and speaker cables. A no brainer really, but I am saving this for last. Until I have all of the final pieces in place I will not know what kind or length cables I will need. I have probably logged 1000 miles in the past month just moving stuff around.
4) I am really saving room treatments for dead last. The use for this room is evolving over time. It was supposed to be dedicated HT, but I am over that. I will be adding furnishings that will soften the room a bit. Once that is all done I will see where treatments are needed.
I know this all sounds "matter of fact" but I am really just thinking out loud. It seems that if the "cumulative effect" is what is causing the harshness, then the answer lies in wholesale changes as Larry suggests. I am trying to make these changes while following a systematic upgrade path and then follow through on the basics. Anyone who has read this far must certainly have an opinion. I would appreciate your feedback before I start shopping. Thanks again.
GMood1....thanks for your comments. You confirmed my suspicions that a DAC, tubed preamp, and seperate two channel is the way to go. Others had the same advice. I just needed to hear it from others with more experience before I start shopping.
Dave......I am happy to know the Sunfire sounded good in your system. It is the one piece of gear I was most suspicious of. I think you and Larry hit it right on the head with the "cumulative" theory.
rrsclyde.....Thanks for the heads up on Music Choice. I will be dissappointed if I cannot run that through a DAC. Gotta check on that one.
Owl....I have dedicated lines and a new electrical service right down to a new transformer at the pole. I will try conditioning if all else fails.
Mikesinger......nope, not a trick question thread. The Radio Shack cables were left over from some car audio projects. I do not want to buy I/C cables until all of the final components are in place. The speaker cables are MIT-2. They came as a package with some speakers I bought. I know they are not the best. I will replace them with something more suitable when I do the cable thing. I am not so sure I could hear the difference cables would make when the existing components seem to be so poorly matched. I am using balanced cables to the amps. These were made by Blue Jean Cables. I assume they are good enough. Please correct me if I am wrong.
So, it seems that this is a good time to take the gear to the next level and hope to solve the original problem along the way. Here's the plan:
1) Buy a good DAC. I do not see the sense in doing mods on the Denon DVD player to try to make it sound like something it's not (a good CD player). I can add a DAC now and a better transport later (if needed). I like the flexibility aspect.
2) Buy a good two channel tube preamp and seperate the two channel from HT. This is a change that everyone seems to agree on. I think the tubes would tone this system down a bit and get closer to the warm sound that I probably prefer anyway.
3) Better I/C and speaker cables. A no brainer really, but I am saving this for last. Until I have all of the final pieces in place I will not know what kind or length cables I will need. I have probably logged 1000 miles in the past month just moving stuff around.
4) I am really saving room treatments for dead last. The use for this room is evolving over time. It was supposed to be dedicated HT, but I am over that. I will be adding furnishings that will soften the room a bit. Once that is all done I will see where treatments are needed.
I know this all sounds "matter of fact" but I am really just thinking out loud. It seems that if the "cumulative effect" is what is causing the harshness, then the answer lies in wholesale changes as Larry suggests. I am trying to make these changes while following a systematic upgrade path and then follow through on the basics. Anyone who has read this far must certainly have an opinion. I would appreciate your feedback before I start shopping. Thanks again.