Help with first cable upgrade.

Less than $500 but $200-300 would be preferable.

You might consider these for interconnects:
https://stagersound.com/silver/Amazingly good, transparent and uncolored.As for your Sony CD player: weak link,but if the transport is good, (and it has a digital output) a decent outboard DAC will make an enormous improvement.

Performance Audio is the cheapest on Canare 4s11 bi-wire speaker wire I've seen at $1.16 a foot with free shipping UPS with a $20 purchase, don't know how they can do that and make a profit. 

If your speakers are a little bright put some felt double taped around your tweeters. Cymbal felt for cymbal stands from a drum shop work well cut into 4 pieces, may look funky but can break up aggressive beaming  highs and it's cheap.

Thanks Paul.  With all the recommendations to try Canare and the price point, I'll have to give them a shot.  At this point my plan is to get the Schiit Loki+ and some Canare cables.  If it still needs a tweet at the point I'll try the felt idea.

Maybe I should move this to the digital forum but wanted to follow up regarding the CD player.  The player I was using is the Sony S530D.  I ended up finding 2 others in the closet.  A Toshiba XR-30 and a Sony DVP S700.  I tried all 3 with the following CD's.  Handel/Water Music - Bob Marley/Uprising - Some Wilco, Alabama Shakes Cream.

Both the Toshiba which is just a transport (without digital out) and the Sony S700 sound better then what I've been using.  They both are actually very close but the Sony sounds a bit more detailed to me and with tighter base.  I think the addition of the Schiit Loki and some Canare cables might make the difference I'm looking to achieve.  I'll follow up once I start tweaking and will keep the felt and isolation spring ideas on the list of things to try.  Thanks all!