How can I solve the harshness of my system's sound

oh jeepers, not more hurt feeling in the land of hifi.

The Haflers I have owned are great for a commercial install because they were built very well and will last forever, where other preamps will cook. (I personally know of several ancient cheap Hafler pres running faithfully right now. 15 - 20 years in service 24/7 at a museum display is nothing to flip your nose at.)

Not taking any sides....

But, I agree with the idea that a piece of gear should not depend on cables to "fix" its issues. Changing the sound does not automatically mean making it better.
Taking a system that makes your ears bleed with harsh grain and trying to "smooth it" by wasting money on cabling is not the answer.
I think in trying to tune a system cabling is a very useful tool however. "Tuning" is not "fixing" as previously posted.
Finding a constant in your auditions is one of the rules I find many 'philes not adhering to. How many times have you heard someone say something like, "I just got my new amp and I love it....the dealer gave me a set of silver 5k IC's with it to try out...."
This scenario kills the purpose of trying out new equipment.

To try an experiment that may prove this to you, take all of your gear and place about 4 CD's on top of each component. Listen to a familiar tune. Remove the CD's. Listen again. Put the CD's back. You might find that it actually changes your system. I was blown away when a NAIM dealer did that to me when I asked him about cabling differences. What you have done is changed it. Has it improved?

A company trying to tout its product is not going to use a power cord that will make the component sound like dirt.

For the record, anyone who thinks Krell, Naim....etc is going to compromise on a power cord that will cost them 5.00 in manufacturing, is delusional.
It is a big business, but I will spend all that power cord money I save on software. :>)

There is one thing that keeps coming up. Your preamp. I would find a dealer that will allow you to audition some pre's in your home and try them out. (With the same cable that you presently use.)

So Bob, if I understand you correctly, your advise based on personal experience and wisdom is; to make a poor sounding componet sound good, change interconnects and power cables? Interesting, I thought you were being sarcastic since most responses on this thread agree with my thinking. Sorry, I didn't understand you were serious. My crack on your tire fix was meant tongue in cheek, playing off what I thought was the sarcasim of your post. Tom