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Less than satisfying sound with non-audiophile recordings

This is my first post here, I'd very much appreciate some input. 

I inherited some things from my father recently and combining what he had with what I had I to come up with the following:

Sony SCD-XA9000ES 
BAT VK-300SE (with new matched set SOVTEK 6H30PI)
Wilson Watt Puppy 5.1
Audioquest DBS 36v interconnects between Sony and BAT
Transparent Reference 2158XL speaker cables between BAT and Wilsons
PS Audio Premier Power Plant Regenerator

With well recorded material like Chesky the sound is quite good with a wide natural soundstage but the problem is with everything else. I'm not talking about 'bad' recordings but just average ones where the sound is best described as very limited in dynamic range and also sounding as if it is coming from a narrow tube between the speakers. Pop music is somewhat tolerable and old Frank Sinatra recordings are downright unlistenable. Also there are times with vocals the singer is up front but with other tracks from the same album the vocals are so recessed they seem like they are being drowned out by the instruments. I can't imagine the sound engineer intended this as the end product.

It's just frustrating to have such a limited amount of music to enjoy with this system. I suppose with a system like this its revealing nature leads to this kind of situation but it's so extreme I'm lead to believe it's more than this and there is something more fundamentally wrong in the system. One clue in this regard is the Sony is no longer able to read the SACD layer of hybrid discs and every once in a great while it has a problem even reading regular CDs requiring me to reload them so they can be read. Unfortunately I don't have another player to swap out so I can test this. Also I don't know where I could send the Sony to be serviced.

That's my situation, any input would be appreciated.

koenig
boxer12
8,656 posts
 
Welcome!
I agree with "kingdeezie". If those Wilsons sound narrow, harsh, or boring it is likely due to set up (positioning of the speakers in your room) &/or the lack of room treatment. Room treatment does not have to be extraordinary to get good sound. Check the forum & experiment around with just treating the 1st reflection points in your room after getting the speakers where you want them (no small task... they are heavy). As far as speaker placement is concerned, again check the forum for suggestions (IRT Wilson puppies) but suspect you'll want them at least 8' apart & a few feet from any wall (for a starting point), if possible.      
soundsbeyondspecs
132 posts
 
If you’re using the analog DAC outputs from the Sony CD player, it may be better to use the Sony’s digital output. This assures the digital signal is only converted once by the DAC’s in your integrated preamp/amps component.

Clean all connections from your Sony player and integrated processor/amps to the leads on your Watt/Puppies speakers with DeOxit Gold. 

If you suspect a prior owner tinkered with the Watt/Puppies, assure the internal speaker + and - leads were properly reconnected to the internal speaker drivers (this step also helps you rule-out out-of-phase speaker connections). 

 


 
koenig OP
1 posts
 
Thank you all for your input.

After taking it all in I've decided to tackle the problem systematically with the first step being replacing the Sony source as it's on the way to failing completely anyway. I'm going to replace it with a transport/DAC combo and see if that fixes it. If not I'm going to try using the DAC as a preamp into a power amp I have to see if that does it. By doing it this way I'll have removed the Sony and the BAT integrated amp from the equation so that if the problem still exists It'll have to be either the cables or the speakers. 

Again, I appreciate you all helping out a newbie.
james633
1,023 posts
 
Some simple toe out might fox your issue too. 
mesch
3,481 posts
 
I agree with upgrading with DAC and transport. I would think twice about replacement of the BAT integrated. What power amp do you have?
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