Muffled vocals from Totem Sky & Musical Fidelity M5si

[rab]

I have a pair of Totem Sky driven by Musical Fidelity M5si. Right from the get-go the sound has been muffled, particularly with vocals. I hear this with vinyl, CDs, and digital sources. I have tried more break-in, probably at least 60 hours at this point, but it does not seem to be improving. Is this a bum pair? Or maybe a bad amp pairing? I’ve tried different placements, but the issue is quite pronounced in any configuration. I bought the speakers and amp as a pair and so haven’t been able to try them independently of each other.