Help. System sounds thin and bright or harsh

Just tried Musetec 005 dac (already broken in) fed by Oppo bdp 105 via optical out (cd) with dac fed straight into the Pass Labs X250.5 (by passing Modwrighted tubed output) (jc2 headed back to Parasound for repair) Unfortunately my 105 does not have usb audio output.

Far from best set up. Waiting for Benchmark LA4 to be shipped.

BUT....First impressions: sound is cleaner, fuller if not a lil recessed compared to what I had before especially with the oppo feeding the amp directly. (unlistenable) there's a deeper soundstage...voices don't glare as much. And there's more pronounced instrument separation.  This is all very promising. Hoping new pre amp will bring more low end and smooth out the top end.  LA4, though, is said to let the source and amp shine...no fixing the sound.  CDP might need replacing...then gotta pin down streaming.

But can listen to this while waiting for the new pre

Focus on cables and their replacement. Stay away from bright sounding cables that have silver wire. Don't buy the ones that are advertised as highly revealing as this can put you over the top, especially if your components are considered to be high definition, you may end up with too much of a good thing.

Update.

Seems like the bright sound gremlin was lurking in the Pass Labs amp.  After new dac and preamp I finally unhooked the Pass and stuck in my older Nuforce V3 monoblocs that were just collecting dust.  I'm very surprised how good they sound with the dac and pre It;ll be interesting to see what a difference a repaired Pass amp can make..  Oppo 105 is acting as a transport..  Not done by a long shot yet.  Chasing a warmer bigger sound.  Pro Ject Transport may be next as its gotten lots of praise in these forums. 

What’s broken in the amplifier that causes it to sound bright?

A dealer suggested a failing power supply. Something is off with it for sure.