upgrade what

Hi @bzawa – thanks for your post.  Without even seeing your room and system, I along with others think it may not be your equipment but the room’s impact on sound quality.  Here are some things to consider from personal experience:

Issue:  “a little bright and forward sounding”
Sounds like a tonal balance problem which can be a combination of decay time and frequency response mismatch to a target curve to spot when things are too long/short or too loud.  When bass decay times are shorter than those of mids/highs (i.e. due to a large open space / open concept homes), I’ve found that upper frequency reflections from untreated surfaces accentuate the brightness.  And the brightness can get worse when frequencies of about 1-3kHz are too loud relative to those below or above it as our ears are especially sensitive in this range.  A target curve can help spot “peak” offender notes above the target curve that are too loud and contributing to the brightness.  Lastly, the frequencies from a 1^st order reflection may be dissimilar in energy/loudness with too big a difference between the low midrange and high frequencies.

Issue: “lacks really good instrument separation”

This smells like an imaging issue where the singer/instruments may float laterally and aren’t locked-down so to speak. This is usually due to early reflection (0-10ms) asymmetry between Left and Right speaker reflections typically off sidewalls, floor/ceiling where sound is pulled toward the louder side.  Are your sidewall’s 1^st reflections the same distance to each speaker and constructed using the same materials?  I’m guessing ‘no.’  When early reflection issues are mixed with asymmetrical loudness between Left vs Right frequency response, the issues compound. 

Have you ever taken acoustical measurements?

the speakers are good, I would replace the amp.

I have the same Denon cd/sacd player.  The built in dac is really good.  Not at all bright.  It's not bright when used as a transport, either.

I haven't heard the amp or speakers. 

@hilde45 @kevinzoe @ghdprentice @erik_squires @buellrider97 @jastralfu 

I should have mentioned that I do have room treated: ceiling, first and second reflection points and in the corners. I will submit photos of my system when I return home. I have tried toe in or out. But that was a while ago. I'll experiment. Thank you all for your kind and helpful suggestions.

Bill 

It's the Focal speakers! You don't like the treble sound. Changing electronics/wire will not alter this! Time to sell the Focal's and get  different speakers.