Please help with system synergy and imaging

I think there are too many electronics in the signal chain, including the cables, which have all kinds of things going on in them (inductors, etc). Do you have any other cables around? Also try running the CD player into the amp directly (use a recording that won't overload the system since you do not have volume control in this case) and see if this doesn't do it.
It's possible also that the player needs more break in, or that the recordings just don't have the information you're talking about. Also, mind you, many good audiophile recordings are 'laid back' in the first place. Good luck!

Pretty much all your equipment has a laid back sound so what do you expect? Ditch the L1 preamp and go with something like a Blue Circle or Cary and the MIT cables are definately taking some of the zing out of your sound. First get some non-networked cables (acoustic zen/audioquest/tara labs/etc.) then experiment with a few preamps until you find one that has the balance that you like.

you should be able to get to "row m," at least, by exchanging the mit wire with something on the more transparent (NOT the company) side. don't know your budget but i'd look to tara rsc's or, better, ism's, if the latter are in your range. - cfb

Get rid of the MIT's and do not run the Cd player into the amp directly without a volume control.

I would lose the mit cables first. I tried some with my virgos and they shut down the upper range in a big way. I was trying the mit 750 spkr and the mit 330 i/c. For my virgo/pass labs system they were the worst cable's I've used.

To spice things up, you might try some cheap silver cables with that setup. I have not heard them, but the dhlabs are supposed to be very good cheap silver cables.

I had great results with nordost red dawn, spm, quattro-fil and the virgo's. Their ultra transparent nature really brought out the imaging magic of the virgo's. They also help to offset the resolution loss of tube gear. You can get into red dawn for 200 per i/c.

A cheaper setup would be to go with acoustic zen satori speaker cables and silver ref i/c's. Those lose some detail, but have a nice harmonic warmth to them.

A really cheap setup would be harmonic tech truthlinks and analysis plus oval 9's. Those will give you a very 'coppery' warm sound and will tend to shut things down a bit. In my system this combination did surpass mit by a healthy margin.

Joekras, I have owned much of this gear in the past.All of it is extemely musical,but I'd have to agree to dropping the MIT. I sell the Omega Mikro cables.If you would like a good price on their cable,please contact me. I believe they would work well in your current system.You have a 30 day money back guarantee to fall back on,if they don't.Good Luck! Tom