Thanks to all for you answers.
So I connected the Onkyo to the Carver via line-2 out, after turning the knobs on the back of the carver way down. I could only listen to radio in this setup, but it definitely feels like a veil has been lifted! It was the most striking when listening to a piano piece. Switching back and forth between the 2 setups (with or without speaker-to-line adapter) made clear that the adapter was the culprit.
Any recommendations for a good preamp to match the carver and the mirage? Ideally, I'd like it to have optical inputs. The budget would be up to 400. I mostly listen to 2 channels music. Thanks!
So I connected the Onkyo to the Carver via line-2 out, after turning the knobs on the back of the carver way down. I could only listen to radio in this setup, but it definitely feels like a veil has been lifted! It was the most striking when listening to a piano piece. Switching back and forth between the 2 setups (with or without speaker-to-line adapter) made clear that the adapter was the culprit.
Any recommendations for a good preamp to match the carver and the mirage? Ideally, I'd like it to have optical inputs. The budget would be up to 400. I mostly listen to 2 channels music. Thanks!