Digital Music sounds too bright?

The blanket is not great.  Absorbing things between the speakers is not a good thing.  Better to have scattering.

Instead, I use two 1/4 round tube traps from ASC in Oregon.  I locate these next to the screen with the rounds pointing inwards.  The screen simply dissappears acoustically because the backwave from the speakers is scattered.  I've been doing this at shows too , even when there is no screen, locating them behind and inside the speaker lines.  Improves imaging.

Another critical thing is to have absorbers, like acoustic foam, on the side walls to absorb the secondary HF reflection.  Put a mirror on the wall and if you see the tweeter from the listening position, you need foam where the mirror is.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

BTW, brightness is not usually due to acoustics.  Its usually something else.  Most people go down the garden path using cables that act as filter, ferrite beads or blankets to snuff-out the HF sounds.  This is the wrong path to take.

Figure out what components are really at fault.  Usually excessive jitter from the source, whether computer or CD player, or poor preamp that adds too much distortion and has poor power delivery or even sometimes a bad DAC.  This is typical.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

The biggest problems with MOST digital are:

1) jitter from the source

2) poor digital filter in the D/A

3) format

These can all be overcome with the right choices, equipment and treatments.  Once you lick these and have a good DAC, it will beat 99% of the best vinyl out there.  Vinyl is just not capable of the dynamics of digital, or the extension high and low.

If you MUST play CD's (I don't anymore), then at least treat the read surface with something like Ultrabit Platinum plus, unless of course you have a transport that uses a memory buffer for playback.  Also, it is even more important if you stop the vibration during playback by gluing a damper to the top of the CD or spraying a rubberized coating.  These coatings have a significant effect on jitter. IF you have a platter-type CD transport, its not needed obviously.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

Like I said before, acoustic absorption between the speakers is not recommended.  Only scattering devices, also called diffusers.  Most speakers also need the reinforcement for bass from the backwall.

I have a system that achieves pinpoint imaging with a 65" screen between and behind the speakers.  I can get this because of the 1/4 round tube-traps next to the screen, the ultra-low jitter of my sources and the fact that I have zero ground-loops in my system.  No component is grounded to any other component, except through the AC power outlets.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

Shadorne - Eliminating ground-loops is a good idea.  Few audiophiles do it.  However, balanced alone does not get you galvanic isolation unless you have transformer coupling in the components.  You can get it with this:

http://www.empiricalaudio.com/products/final-drive

Also, it is good to understand that most preamps and DACs, including my own, that generate balanced outputs using solid-state output stage are not really technically balanced because it is impossible for the + and - signals to be exactly the same amplitude, particularly over a wide range of signal amplitudes.  The only way to get this is using a signal transformer.  Once you do this, the amplifier tends to sound a lot better, so ther are more benefits to a transformer than just isolation.

Jitter can usually be reduced more by using a reclocker, even though the DAC resamples and reclocks.

knownothing - You may get to hear my Overdrive SX at future shows, but I'm not doing shows much anymore.  It may be in another companies room.  I am looking to do a headphone amp next, so I may just be in the headphone area at some shows now.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

Shadorne - Ideally, balanced inputs reject all common-mode noise, but in reality they don't.  They will reject some however.  You will still get some ground-loop noise.  The best scenario is using a signal transformer.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio