How do you connect your atc´s ? bi-wiring?
My passive 20's are the old kind with no biwire posts ('95 model). I run monster cable from the power amp to the binding post - no spades on either end but everything good and tight.
The reason I warn you about extreme volume attenuation is because if you listen close near field (0.5 meters sitting at a computer workstation) then you will get about 91 db SPL at for 1 watt from the speakers. If you listen at 65 db SPL then you are talking 2.5 milli-Watts to the speakers. If you source music is really good or excellent from a raw recording and uncompressed (say 60 db of dynamic range) then the lowest audible signal (in theory) is 2.5 nano-watts.
These signals are starting to get very small - you may be bumping into non-linearities of electronics and or speakers at these levels.
There should be attenuator trim pads or something like that go between your Avocet and Bel Canto S300. That way you can run things with the volume contro at 2 O'clock instead of 8 or 9 O'clock.
Sorry if this is all ho-hum to you as you know all this already.