It is very difficult to get the sound that will make you happy by just buying expensive gear and hooking it up in whatever room that you have available. Think of the advice that you would give a beginner who had bought a new expensive bass guitar and had your complaints.
My first suggestion is to find someone who has a system that you like, and try substituting one piece of your equipment at a time. Also, listen to your equipment through headphones. If it stinks on phones, it will not improve in a room hooked up to speakers. I once hated a friend's very expensive system, and using the above method found that his very well reviewed (Audio Research) line stage sounded terrible. We substituted a 79 cent Radio Shack volume control instead of the line stage, and the grundge went away. Do not be intimidated by brand names. Some very expensive designs are poor matches in the "real world" for much of the equipment out there. Even same brand equipment can be so scale (gain) mismatched that it is operating at its design limits (sounds stressed) rather than at its optimum (sounds open). A dealer should know by experience what combinations work well together. Unfortunately, few dealers have the technical background to understand WHY. A few bucks spent on a competent technician can get one off the equipment swap bandwagon, and actually solve and demystify many problems. Do not, however, be alarmed if the technician prefers a Zenith radio, after all- good taste is not his job. Good luck.
My first suggestion is to find someone who has a system that you like, and try substituting one piece of your equipment at a time. Also, listen to your equipment through headphones. If it stinks on phones, it will not improve in a room hooked up to speakers. I once hated a friend's very expensive system, and using the above method found that his very well reviewed (Audio Research) line stage sounded terrible. We substituted a 79 cent Radio Shack volume control instead of the line stage, and the grundge went away. Do not be intimidated by brand names. Some very expensive designs are poor matches in the "real world" for much of the equipment out there. Even same brand equipment can be so scale (gain) mismatched that it is operating at its design limits (sounds stressed) rather than at its optimum (sounds open). A dealer should know by experience what combinations work well together. Unfortunately, few dealers have the technical background to understand WHY. A few bucks spent on a competent technician can get one off the equipment swap bandwagon, and actually solve and demystify many problems. Do not, however, be alarmed if the technician prefers a Zenith radio, after all- good taste is not his job. Good luck.