Looking to get the best sound I can

I hope I'm posting in the correct section. My two channel audio system got an honest review from me tonight. I finally got to a point in my hobby where I realized that sound dampening is required. I strategically placed several acoustic panels in positions that removed most of the echo's and reflective sounds. The result was amazing in terms of imaging and soundstage however I also heard something else that I hadn't before; I may have realized the limitation of my system or perhaps the limitation of a system unit . The sound, now that the reflections are gone, is somewhat muted or sterile. I'm thinking that this may be due to the amp I'm using. It's a Jolida 302A. It's hooked-up to maggies 1.6QR's, a Simaudio Eclipse CD and a CJ preamp. I'm thinking the sterility is a result of the amp I'm using....? Is this it? It's the least expensive unit in the system and perhaps in this case you get what you pay for... What do you think?