auditioned the speakers with the amplifier in dealer showroom and it sounded perfect to my liking. it sounded warm, transparent, lush midrange, very detailed bass. now build the same setup at home, with same interconnect and speaker cables. only difference is dealer uses Marantz cd player and i am using Meridian. set it up in bedroom and first impression is slightly bright than in dealer showroom. just move it to living room (open area, no sidewalls) and it sounds unbearable bright. no bass, lean midrange, bright although never sharp and harsh. my living room is almost identical to dealer's showroom (also very open and no sidewalls). still dont understand why there is such a big difference.
Time to go area rug shopping. The bare wall behind the sofa is not helping either. You could hang a large acoustic panel in a plain color there. If the bass is thin a sub would be next on the list.
