Hey George, I've been following your progress as well. I am a long ways from finally but I have gotten the major kinks out. The two major changes are speaker placement and break-in. Placement of the speakers is absolutely crucial. I have a somewhat odd setup in that the speakers are not symetrically aligned. But the room isn't symetric either and I really like the sound in this configuration. Break-in also makes a huge difference, especially in imaging; well maybe that's speaker placement. Also, I, me, need to break-in, I've been listening to cheap-ass stereos with the loudness and bass turned up for so long that I don't like other setups. That's changing.
The RMX1850 amp, which I use to drive the bass, puts out 600 wpc@4 ohms. I still don't have a preamp so I am using the gain control on my CD Player as a master volume. I can comfortably listen to most CDs at full gain with this setup. The 40s just suck-up power. Also their sound is so clear that even loud it isn't harsh. The graininess is gone, I believe that that was just a matter of break-in. And either I have adjusted or the speakers have broken-in, but I don't hear a deficiency at the lower mid-range anymore. My guess is that it takes awhile for the cones to loosen up. I am going to replace my amps, and have been considering your rec on the Rowland 201s. If I go that route I am playing with the idea of adding a pair of subs and driving them off of the RMX for a just kick-ass Rock and Roll system.
I've benn working a lot, ~70hpw, so I haven't had any time for mods. The first thing I am going to do when I get time is build several pairs of speaker cables and then replace my ICs. After that a good new amp. Then I think I may get a pair of subs. I am not sure about the subs yet, the bass on the 40s is fine, but they have such an incredible mid and high range that I think a little extra kick down low could really make for a lively system. Fortunately, I live on an acre and a half of land. No complaints from the neighbors yet.
