Plato's suggestion is a good one. If this just came about all of a sudden and haven't changed any components recently, this is a sign of AC related problems. It is possible that there was an increase in noise / interference / RFI on the line. In my experience, this type of situation manifests itself in just the way that you've described i.e. a reduction in warmth and liquidity with a more harsh, brittle sound. A lack of air, separation and black background are also further evidence of this. Either way, if can diagnose and correct this problem, please post your findings and what you did to fix it. I'm sure that others may be curious and you may help them to recognize a problem that their system is also suffering from. Sean
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