Njaudio,
I thought the 50se was cold and sterile too until I played with isolation. The sound is incredible when properly isolated. In other words, I found I could tune my systems overall sound and speakers according to what I placed under it. If I wanted a big and dynamic sound, then I put granite under it. If I wanted to soften the sound and tune it for beauty, then I would put wood, any slab of wood, and maybe a book under it...nothing fancy. Just experiment. That pre is great once you figure out how to make it respond to your liking.
I thought the 50se was cold and sterile too until I played with isolation. The sound is incredible when properly isolated. In other words, I found I could tune my systems overall sound and speakers according to what I placed under it. If I wanted a big and dynamic sound, then I put granite under it. If I wanted to soften the sound and tune it for beauty, then I would put wood, any slab of wood, and maybe a book under it...nothing fancy. Just experiment. That pre is great once you figure out how to make it respond to your liking.