This may sound like beating a dead horse but I would blame the Audioquest cables for the "lack of shimmer" in your system. The Martin Logans are incredibly transparent and I never realized how much so until I replaced some very pricey Audioquest Cobalt wires with Nordost Blue Heavens. I would even go as far as to say that there is some sort of bad interaction between AQ cables and ML speakers. No need to go overboard on cables, just get something a little more neutral.
Martin Logan vs. Thiel
I have a pair of Martin Logan Ascents and I'm in the mood for something different. I'm missing that tweeter sparkle you hear on cymbols etc and was thinking of making the move to a Thiel 2.3. I've heard that they image and offer as much detail as the Martin Logans. Do you guys agree? I know people say they may sound bright in some systems but I'm running Goldmund and Classe so I don't think that will be a problem, but will the Thiels image and soundstage like the Logans?