Hello bgchz! Is the Intel on the other side of the wall from your equipment? If so, turn it on and off while you are listening and see if it makes a difference. It might. A 25 foot run of balanced cable is no big deal. Pro sound outfits run 100 foot lengths of the stuff commonly. I've put systems in two auditoriums and have used very long runs between mixers and power amps (which are ALWAYS near the speakers with short speaker cables). Happy diagnosing!
Placement of Components
I've read that the ideal placement of components is on a side wall (not between speakers). I am wondering if this applies to turntable set-ups only or across the board to all components? I am guessing that having a turntable between the speakers will degrade the sound quality due to the vibrations that the turntable cartridge picks up from the speakers? Would a streamer have the same issue if it was placed between the speakers?
I am running a Musica Pristina A Cappella III > Denafrips Terminator + > Asthetix Calypso Eclipse Preamp that are are on a side wall on a basic Salamander Archetype rack and are connected using a 25 ft. XLR runs of the World's Greatest Cables ( about $100 on Amazon) to Audio Mirror Reflection 45 SET mono blocks into Cornwall IVs. There is also an Intel NUC running Roon in the next room. I am wondering if the long run of my modest XLRs are limiting my sound quality and I would be better of placing my components between my speakers and buying higher quality XLRs. 25 ft. runs of high quality XLRs are prohibitively expensive but I could swing one or two meters of higher quality XLRs (i.e. Cardas, Kimber, etc.) if it makes sense to place my components between my speakers.
Or maybe it's just six of one; half a dozen of another? Any thoughts from those of you that have experimented with both set-ups in a balanced system would be appreciated.