Getting rid of harsh, shrill treble


I cannot play my classical cd's at a volume where the midrange and bass come through without harsh, shrill treble, especially the violins. I have bookshelf speakers on stands and subwoofer in a small 120 sq. ft. room. I have no treble control on my pre-amp. I tried a Taddeo passive Digital Antidote II between my CD player and pre-amp with minimal result. I have a solid state integrated amp, will switching to a tube integrated amp cure this problem or is it my speakers?
classical_fred

Showing 11 responses by classical_fred

Eldartford,
I was thinking of purchasing a new Jolida JD1000RC 100 wpc all tube integrated amp, to replace the solid state MD-308, and hopefully alleviate this problem with violins. Your suggestion is probably what I need since I do not have perfect pitch, and I might avoid the sales process. My Jamo D-830 speakers have excellent depth to the soundstage, and midrange/bass notes come through like in the concert hall. It is the violins that are just too loud, overpowering the rest of the instruments. A treble control of some kind is probably what I need. If the Jolida has a treble control on the pre-amp section I will give it a try. I suspect it does not, based on the photos I have seen of it. Thanks for your help, I will have too begin experimenting.
Classical_fred
Hello Tvad,
I am not an electrical engineer! How can I find out where my loudspeakers have impedance dips to prevent the same problem with a new tube amp? What is an impedance dip? Should I try replacing my speakers first and keep my amp? I have been reading reviews on von Schweikert VR1's; B&W CM1's; Joseph rm7 si Signature MK2's; Linbrook Sig Monitor's; Green Mountain Audio Europa's; and the Micro Walsh's 35 inches tall? Thanks for your time.
Classical_fred
Tvad,
I have a Sunfire Super Junior sub placed between and slightly to the right of the Ohm's. I can't tell you how warm these speakers are getting as they break in. It is an incredible deep three dimensional soundstage, with plenty of bass, and warm non-harsh treble. You have to understand I have a 13'L x 13'W x 8'H listening room. This sound is the case, even on my very old CD's such as EMI label, Otto Klemperer discs of Wagner Overtures, Brahms Symphonies, etc. Archiv, with Reinhard Goebel and Musica Antiqua Koln used to be so harsh in treble I had to turn the volume way below realistic levels. I agree with Jb0194 that my CD's are the problem, but with different speakers and a tube integrated amp I have solved at least 50% of the problem. I had what is known as the magnesium midrange/bass cone ringing problem. If you don't believe me just Google "Magnesium cone ringing" and you will see. Many people, not all, experience this with both Jamo and B & W bookshelf loudspeakers. The Ohm Walsh talls use a polymer coated midrange/bass cone and tweeter. B&W uses an aluminum tweeter and Jamo uses a magnesium midrange/bass cone, making for harsh/shrill treble. I must admit that the Ohm's are not as detailed as my Jamo's or B&W's were. This is especially true on complicated orchestral passages where the entire orchestra is playing; but the deep three dimensional sound stage, liquid midrange, and warm treble are what I enjoy listening. My 26 year old son, a physics undergrad major, and masters in computer science and engineering says I am out of my mind and that I imagine a difference in the sound, however, I hear it loud and clear. I have forgotten my equipment now and am enjoying my music collection. The only equipment I still might replace are my speaker cables (I need an 8' run for each). What in your opinion is a "warm" speaker cable brand I might look into?
Thanks to all,
I will be speaking with John Strohbeen at Walsh Ohm this week. Maybe he can put me back in the concert hall, so to speak.
Gentleman,
Got a pair of Ohm Walsh Micro Tall's connected to a Jolida JD100RC integrated amp. I am in the concert hall!!:) Thanks for all your suggestions.
Tvad,
In another thread these speakers were recommended to me. I have not purchased them yet, but am auditioning them for 120 days to hear if I like them. So far so good.
Sogood51,
Have you listened to Jordi Savall and Hesperion XX on the
AliaVox label. It is a French label. "The Medieval Fiddle" ; "Orient & Occident"; and his 18th century recordings have incredible violin, warm laid back, yet detailed and clean, no shrill/harsh treble. Compare these recordings to Archiv digital like Reinhard Goebel and Musica Antiqua Koln, and the difference is like night and day. I have subjectively concluded that 50% of this harsh/shrill treble problem lies with equipment. The other half is one's source material. I only buy the expensive digital remasters anymore. The best classical ones can be found at www.acousticsounds.com.
Fred
Regalmal,
I spent $127 on a Taddeo device that goes between my Jupitor CD player and my tube integrated amp. The harsh, shrill treble is still there. Do you think this Magenta thing really works? Have you tried one in your system? I logged onto the Magenta site and read the Knutson review, apparently Stereophile gave it a good review as well. I don't want to drop another $250 into my playback system with little or no results. I am not buying anymore CD's unless they are audiophile quality. I think I am beginning to believe that the source is way more important than the playback equipment. The problem is that there is such a small selection of classical orchestral works in the audiophile quality CD market, I am talking about JVC xrcd's and Mobile Fidelity, etc. The only online stores that I have been able to find are Acoustic Sounds and Audiophileresource. Do you know of any other sites that sell classical audiophile CD's?
Thanks.
Eldartford,
Thanks for the info. Have you purchased any of the Blue Line CD's from artsmusic.de? I was wondering if they sound as good as xrcd24's.
Classical_fred