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  My system's high frequencies hurt my ears
Well, to be perfectly clear it doesn't always hurt my ears but I've been getting a little fatigued at times and I'm trying to diagnose the problem. A few nights ago I was listening to a new 24/96 The Doors first album release and had to stop playback. I switched over to The Eagles Greatest Hits, 16/44, and found some happiness there but I wasn't completely satisfied. Perhaps some of this is psychological, maybe I was feeling a little extra sensitive, but I'm sure I've had some issues with high frequencies in the past.

Here's my setup:

Serving all music, ripped to WAV by Exact Audio Copy or downloaded via high rez sites, via Windows 7 computer running J River set to WASAPI output. Sending signal via USB to Audiophilleo USB/SPDIF converter to PS Audio Digital Link III DAC. From DAC using Nordost Baldur unbalanced RCA interconnects to PS Audio C-100 Control Amp. Speaker wires are Nordost Blue Heaven. Power cables are PS Audio Lab Cable from wall to PS Audio Duet Power Conditioner. From there I use another Lab Cable for the amp and a PS Jewel cable for the DAC. The wall plug is on its own circuit with nothing else connected. Speakers are my old but good Mirage 1090i's.

Aside from perhaps the age of the speakers do you guys see anything that stands out? I spoke to a technician from Mirage and he suggested I'm doing too much signal processing which could be a cause of uncomfortable high frequencies.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Robpriore  (Threads | Answers | This Thread)

04-05-12
  Responses (1-43 of 43)
Click title to read one, or click date to read all below it.

04-06-12   As i recall, some hardness of the metal dome tweeters in you ...   Photon46

04-06-12   I thought the speakers could be to blame but i called mirage ...   Robpriore

04-06-12   Have you tried adjusting toe out/in so tweets are not firing ...   Mapman

04-06-12   Have you tried adjusting toe out/in and/or speaker location ...   Mapman

04-06-12   I have them setup so the tweeters do in fact point directly ...   Robpriore

04-06-12   Fwiw, i think you most often have two choices when setting u ...   Newbee

04-06-12   Just switch out all that digital stuff for vinyl/analog and ...   Manitunc

04-06-12   Your front end looks great. you even have an amp, the c-100 ...   Vapor1

04-06-12   Total agreement with photon46. good luck   Needfreestuff

04-06-12   Imo, if your speakers have metal domes, they stand a very go ...   Jdoris

04-06-12   Just based on the comments it really seems like this is a sp ...   Robpriore

04-06-12   Rob, before changing anything, it may be easy to at least ...   Mapman

04-06-12   If you have had the mirage's for along time and this has not ...   Timlub

04-06-12   I heard these speakers years ago, and yikes, they were very ...   Bojack

04-06-12: Shakeydeal
So did you put all this together at once, or over a period of time? If the sound hasn't always been fatiguing and you have owned the speakers since new, I would rule them out as the culprit. So you can work bacwards from here and maybe decipher at what point something was added that upset the apple cart.

Shakey

Shakeydeal  (System | Threads | Answers | This Thread)


04-06-12   I wouldn't assume its speakers yet. i fixed a like issue wi ...   Davide256

04-06-12   The latest vandersteen 2ce signature ii loudspeaker balances ...   Audioconnection

04-06-12   Get some gik acoustic panels and treat the 1&2nd reflection ...   Grannyring

04-06-12   Had the mirage m1si from 1996/2009, tried all kinds of posit ...   Gshepardbuster

04-07-12   Before toeing out the speakers i listened to the doors soul ...   Robpriore

04-07-12   Try toeing the speakers in until the axis of the speaker cro ...   Newbee

04-06-12   I have tried blue haven and it is nice but it is quite brigh ...   Mike60

04-07-12   I don't buy the all digital front end argument. i've heard s ...   Joncourage

04-07-12   Robpriore, i think you have a simple problem which is caused ...   Daveyf

04-07-12   Some feel nordost speaker cables have a tipped-up frequency ...   Mrmitch

04-07-12   to repeat myself, yes, imho. that said, map and newbee are ...   Jdoris

04-07-12   So i toed in the speakers a few degrees and now have the twe ...   Robpriore

04-07-12   Without knowing specifically what your set up looks like it ...   Newbee

04-07-12   I'm having a bit of trouble with this. i have an isosceles ...   Robpriore

04-07-12   Ok my assumption that your listening position was further fr ...   Newbee

04-07-12   That's great news, robpriore. dramatic evidence for the imp ...   Jdoris

04-07-12   Likely speaker and/or room. i'd replace those cables with r ...   Wilsynet

04-07-12   Quit worrying about degrees and types of angles!!!! find a p ...   Tpreaves

04-08-12   Some acoustic panels look fine to good even to our spouses. ...   Grannyring

04-09-12   I'm not exactly sure what the problem is, but it might be ul ...   Fleib

04-09-12   They are 6 ohm. what size resistor and capacitor for 6 ohm?   Robpriore

04-10-12   If the speakers are rated at 6 ohms, it's a little tricky fi ...   Fleib

04-10-12   So i take the two resistors, twist together, and then connec ...   Robpriore

04-10-12   Twist together 1 resistor and 1 capacitor and connect them a ...   Fleib

04-10-12   Are you still suffering earbleeditis after your placement se ...   Jdoris

04-13-12   The tweeters are vapor deposited titanium dome, so i'm think ...   Robpriore

04-17-12   Update: thanks to an audiogon thread i had the pleasure to ...   Robpriore

04-28-12   This means you need a serious upgrade dude.   Ebm


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