Hello! I have a similar sized, small room, and I can assure you that some affordable acoustic panels would be my first concern towards improving soundstage and imaging. Without them, you will never know how good things can sound in there. The foam you mentioned is cheap, but not very attractive. I would suggest some cloth covered, 24" x 48" panels such as the ones from Acousticmac for around $40 each, or some DIY ones for much less is you have some free time. The next thing I would do would be to pull your speakers out into the room a bit more...They appear to be too close to the rear walls, and you should not need them that close seeing that you have a powered sub to enhance the bass. You might also try getting your sub out of the left corner and moving it somewhere between your speakers.
Once you try those affordable "tweaks", then consider upgrading your amp or pre-amp. The RB-1080 is a strong amp, but not well known for it's soundstage or imaging abilities. Keep an eye open for a JOB 225 amp on the used market if you can stretch your budget around 15-20%....Great amp! Enjoy!
Once you try those affordable "tweaks", then consider upgrading your amp or pre-amp. The RB-1080 is a strong amp, but not well known for it's soundstage or imaging abilities. Keep an eye open for a JOB 225 amp on the used market if you can stretch your budget around 15-20%....Great amp! Enjoy!