Thanks to all of you for your thoughtful responses. A lot of my troubles are definitely room-related. I have a couple of -2 to -4 db dips at the 80-100 Hz range and some +5 db spikes in the 1.5 KHz and the 5-6KHz range. Moving the speakers closer to the wall alleviated the lower-frequency dips somewhat- unfortunately, I don't have an RTA, so its painstaking work! So, my next question is, what exactly are ASC tube traps/frescoes and where would I find information on them? Depending on their aesthetics, they may or may not be a viable option for me. (My wife already thinks I have gotten away with murder because I use Sound Organization shelves instead of a big, honking entertainment center!) Again, thanks for your responses.
Alleviate brightness by using tube pre?
I was wondering if a decent pre-amp (I was thinking Anthm Pre-2L) would alleviate brightness when hooked up to my Acurus A100. Currently using the Acurus RL-11 pre, with Cambridge Audio CD4SE and PSB Straus Bronze speakers. Really, my problem is an extremely bright room (hardwood floors, 20 foot ceilings etc.) - the same gear sounds wonderful to my ears in a smaller, carpeted room. So, would the pre-2l help combat what are essentially room anomalies? Thanks!