Oldschool1948, please do not jump to fast. Your new situation may actually be more accurate.
Rooms with to many hard surfaces create a high frequency haze if you will. With the addition of some deadening the room will sound as if it has a high frequency depression. It probably does not but you are use to all that brightness so from a relative standpoint the system sounds too dull.
You relate your mid range sounds better. Sit in your listening position and play something simple like a jazz quartet. Close your eyes and listen to the cymbals. My guess is that they are actually imaging better. They are easier to localize, more contained.
Live with it for a while. Try to get to a live venue where you can listen to an unamplified band so you can get some comparison. Once you get use to this probably more accurate presentation a situation like your old one will sound too bright. IMHE many are listening to systems that are on the bright side. The best systems usually sound a little dull to start until you sit and listen to the image and realize that yes, that is how a cymbal should sound.
If you want to be able to adjust the tonality of your system any way you want and since you are all digital anyway sell your preamp and get an Anthem STR, DEQX Premate, MiniDSP or Trinnov Amethyst.
Rooms with to many hard surfaces create a high frequency haze if you will. With the addition of some deadening the room will sound as if it has a high frequency depression. It probably does not but you are use to all that brightness so from a relative standpoint the system sounds too dull.
You relate your mid range sounds better. Sit in your listening position and play something simple like a jazz quartet. Close your eyes and listen to the cymbals. My guess is that they are actually imaging better. They are easier to localize, more contained.
Live with it for a while. Try to get to a live venue where you can listen to an unamplified band so you can get some comparison. Once you get use to this probably more accurate presentation a situation like your old one will sound too bright. IMHE many are listening to systems that are on the bright side. The best systems usually sound a little dull to start until you sit and listen to the image and realize that yes, that is how a cymbal should sound.
If you want to be able to adjust the tonality of your system any way you want and since you are all digital anyway sell your preamp and get an Anthem STR, DEQX Premate, MiniDSP or Trinnov Amethyst.