I found something interesting. I have two cd players connected to my system now, the ML 5101 and an older Arcam cd72.
The Arcam cd72 has a fuller bass, warmer midrange sound to it. The negative is that there is not as much musical separation.
The ML 5101 has more separation but less bass. The negative is that no matter which PCM setting I use the highs are too hot, to much sizzle which sounds good for about one song, then becomes grating.
For starters, I would try swapping cable across CD players and listen for a few hours. Water is a fantastic cable, but takes forever to open up (I have 3 XLR pairs in my system)
Update, I’ve removed the Audioquest Water interconnects from my cd player to my preamp. I still have the Water interconnects between the preamp and the monoblocks.
I replaced the interconnects from the cd player to the preamp with a pair of Audioquest Ruby cables.
I don’t know if this is a recommended move or not.
What I did find is that my system still has resolution but the brightness/sizzle at the very top is eliminated.
Can anyone explain if this move makes any sense, or are the different interconnects ‘fighting’ each other?
I would agree with @jazznut to get someone in, but the low ceiling worries me. Can you borrow a good pair of bookshelf speakers, which don’t go much below 60-80Hz, and see how they sound in the room? The speakers may be overpowering it.