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bright up "warm sound" speakers

Hi,
My system is too warm for my listening taste. The low to mid bass seemed to be muddle, and the high are not as detailed as I would like to hear. I would like suggestions on how to "brighten" it up a little and not breaking the bank. I mostly listem to acoustics music, opera, classical, blues,very little POP and some Jazz.
Here is my system:
Sonatina II
Musical Fidelity A3CR Amp
Proceed Pre preamp
Jolida CD100 (stock tubes)
Audioquest Midnight speakers cables
Audioquest Lapis interconnect
BL1 interconnects
Listening room is 14 X 18 ft

Someone had suggested to replace speaker cables. What do you all think? If you think what I have right now is the best it can sound, then I can live with it. But if there are improvements (not breaking the bank) to be made, then please fire away. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
jeanluc07
aball
2,016 posts
 
IME, it is hard to correct sound with cables. They just don't quite do it. If you still want to try it though (cheaper than a different amp or CDP...), I like the Nordosts in general and find that they lend a more "detailed" sound (not brighter). They cover all price ranges. I head an all Proceed setup a few years back on Paradigm Reference 100.2 and thought it was too cold and detailed so I suspect your CDP or amp is not to your liking. Good luck - Arthur
sdcampbell
2,136 posts
 
Interconnects and speaker cables can yield minor changes (usually very minor) in the perceived frequency balance of a system, but the single factor that most often contributes to lack of highs is the listening room and its acoustic characteristics.
t
You did not describe how your room is furnished, but if you want to add more high frequency emphasis to the overall sound balance, you might try adding some harder or more reflective surfaces to the walls or floor of your room. Alternatively, if your room has a lot of heavy furniture or drapes, you might try removing some of it.

There have been a number of threads on this topic over the past several years, so you might find it helpful to peruse the A-gon archives.
swklein
136 posts
 
I'll second trying Goertz or Kimber interconnects or speaker cables. You might also want to try Zu.

Scott
jdombrow
371 posts
 
It might be something as simple as speaker placement.

If you want to try some inexpensive experiments, find someone who has other cables and tubes that you can roll in. Faster and cheaper than buying things and returning them if you don't like the results.

JD
goinbroke
105 posts
 
My suspicion is that Sdcampbell and Jdombrow have got it right. Muddy midbass and highs lacking detail sounds to me like the description of a room that is less than optimally arranged. Before spending alot of time, effort and money on equipment/cable swaps, be certain your speakers and listening chair are positioned appropriately for your room. Proper placement will do wonders to clean up muddy midbass, and a slight amount of toe-in can add a surprising amount of sparkle to the highs. Also, don't forget to 'help' the room with a few acoustic treatments, as needed.
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