Vienna Acoustics and B&K make very warm, smooth gear, that's quite good, so it's odd that it sounded harsh and edgy. My guess is that the setup was horrible and that the system wasn't broken-in. These two things can make all the difference. The Sony and cables might have contributed to the...
"Better" is what everybody is looking for. With audio, it seems, it's a neverending process. I have a great system by anyone's standards, yet I keep thinking "Levinson Reference" and "Wilson." The key is to get the best sound for the money, and I have heard many four figure systems that sound...
I'm sorry to hear you heard no difference, Keith. Here's my thoughts:
First, as with automobiles, in audio, break-in makes a difference. Things usually get better, so try the Audioquests for a week or so and see if you notice a difference.
Second, for mid-fi systems there is nothing wrong...