Dazzdax, you need to start from scratch again. This doesn't necessarily mean that you should get high and go to rock concerts again, but you *do* need to do some serious live music listening to get your bearings...
My system is nowhere near as expensive as yours. It is based on the infamous Technics DJ turntable and a Chinese made CDP which I use as transport. However, it is highly resolving, holographic, clean and extremely musical. No graininess at all. I listen to a lot of "junkie salsa", so the recordings are far away from perfect. My near field system can successfully play any recording of any musical genre regardles of its recording quality. This would be an impossible feat if it not were for synergy and proper tuning/tweaking of the system.
As a matter of fact, I recently found in the A-gon classifieds someone from Switzerland selling two sets of Goldmund cones($200 used). They're on their way to me...
And to answer the thread, I would say cable cooking is the single most important tweak.
