Quote Originally Posted by pomko
Hey! I just got my system put toghether consisting of a pair of Paradigm studio reference 100's floorstanders, Acurus A200 stereo amp, Acurus LS11 line stage preamp and a Nad c541i CDP. My wires are audio research gold rca's ($20) going from amp to preamp and ixos rca's ($40) to the cdp. Speakers are biwired. This is my first system I have put toghether as in the past all I have owned was either mini-systems and/or receivers with crappy speakers.

Now my question is with the sound, of course. At quarter listining levels I love the sound, nice and clean but bass is lacking. When you turn it upto halfway bass is kicking but the sound becomes harsh and not as easy on the ears. I figure the problem lies either in my wires or my preamp. I dont think its the amp since it puts out 200 rms at 8 ohms and the cd player is just a cd player.

Does anyone know which rca cables make the sound a little warmer while at the same time adding more bass maybe? I would go out and try a whole bunch but there are few to none professional audio shops around my area so I would have to by offline, unless Monster cable is an option. I'm looking somewhere in the sub $500 range. Any suggestions would be appreciated by those who also experienced little bass and harsh sound at high volume. Thanks guys
Cables are not the problem and new expensive ones will not help anything except the store's profits.

Let your speakers break in, they will probably get better with time. Also, it might be a issue of positioning. Where are they now? Against a wall? Out away from the wall? In a corner? Proper positioning will probably make the biggest difference in sound and can have dramatic effects on bass. Move them around and see if that makes a difference. Pull them out from the wall a little, put them closer or farther from a corner or even push them closer to the wall. Try and see. Might solve your problem.

Also, what kind of room acoutics are you dealing with?Do you have hardwood floors and lots of bare walls or do you have carpet with lots of plush furniture and rugs? And, how big is your listening room? These things can also effect your speakers.

JSE