Audioquest Water XLR Interconnects

I'm finding that the Audioquest Water XLR interconnects sound different then the Cards 5-C XLR interconnects.

Maybe everyone can help with the below statements?

1. They sound clearer or brighter then the Cardas cables

2. Seems like the bass is lacking and system doesn't have a warm sound anymore

3. Musicals and live recordings sound more open, while many average recordings are sounding shrill/harsh

4. Almost reminiscent of my Thiel speakers 3.7 I used to have

5. Almost like a double edge sword.... clearer sounding on good recordings, and harsh/edgy sounding on average recordings

Can anyone help explain what I'm hearing, or what is going on?

Thanks.....

Does anyone know if the B&W 802d (first generation) were considered a bright speaker?

Would anyone suggest unbalanced from cdplayer to preamp, then balanced from preamp to power amps?

Or, stay balanced throughout?

my cd player, mark levinson 5100, has 7 PCM filters:

fast minimum phase
slow minimum phase
apodiz fast
hybrid fast minimum phase
brickwall
fast linear
slow linear

I'm unfamilair with the concept of PCM filters. Would any of these settings take the edge off of my issue of brightness?

I've heard that my 802d's are a bright speaker. I auditioned a pair of Focal Sopra 3's and thought they were equally as bright.

Any suggestions for a neutral speaker that are as full range as these other two and capable of filling a room with sound?

UPDATE… so this is what I’ve found thus far. I’ve gone back and forth on now 3 filters and can reproduce the same conclusions.

HYBRID FAST MINIMUM PHASE
I’ve found this filter to be very resolving especially on vocals. Allows any sibilance to be more prominent. However, after about an hour of listening, I start interpreting the filter as harsh/bright sounding, almost grating. Reducing the volume helps but removes the bass of the music I’m listening to

FAST LINEAR
This filters seems to calm the upper end down some, but at the same time feel like i’m losing some of the resolution in the vocals.

APODIZ FAST
I thought this filter calmed the ‘sizzle’ down from the HYBRID FAST MINIMUM PHASE filter. Seemed to allow the system to be played at moderate and louder volumes eliminating any listener fatique. Thought this is a filter to consider. Had my wife listen to this filter on several recordings, A/B comparing it to the HFMP filter. She felt it made the sound more 2 dimensional, ‘deep’ sounding, un involving.

Does any of this make any sense?

Which one would you suggest to try next?

thanks in advance…