is it time to tara down


Ive been a long time TAra Labs fan,air 1 from amp to preamp,the one aes on digital .ref gen 2 speaker cord,hand full of air power cords. Ive even got a pair of air 3 running my sub..problem is midrange is so pronounced,no mater what i do it over drives the whole sound field,,need some idears,on what cord to go to.im currently tring nordost moonglo on digital .but dont help..system is on here to check it out.getting ready to put arc ls25 mk1 in system..but would like to know what peep has used with system like mine,or close to it...NO DEALERS PLEASE,I WILL CALL YOU IF I NEED SOMETHING SOLD TO ME.
bbaxley2
It might be as simple (hahahahaha) as a speaker placement issue. Have you tried adjusting the position as the previous post suggests. It's cheaper than buying anything new. BTW I am a speaker placement salesman!!! I just wanted to be upfront about that.
i have tried alot of cables and there are very few that can be used together (imho)..

for ic's back to back (digital out, dac to pre, pre to amp)
xlo signature 2
i keep on back to this ic combo...even after tring some really $$$$ stuff..it is very, very, transparent with incredible extension and no coloration..
(sorry havent got tried the speaker cable or pc yet)

for a completely wired system
- audience ( works really well togther..really needs the pc to complete the package)
- soundstring (cables perform wwwaaay above their price)

disclosure.. i am in the medical sales by day and a closet cable junkie by night...
btw,

from what i have been told.. the harmonic tech digital is very good for "live" recording playback and thats about it..

btw, how do you like your cec tl2 ?
mike i really like it,had the cec 51 transport at one time and sold it to get,somthing else,you know how that is.i replaced a meridian 500 transport ,for this and really love it..got it cheap on ebay,i would like to go to the tl1 one day..ive used the coax and the balanced and they both sound great..i have a meridian 518 in the chain to a modded link dac 3..and wonder sometimes if i need the 518..i just wish i could get rid of this mid range glare..did alot of cable changing over the week end and it didnt help..so i guess im going to play with speaker placement..and maybe this is how its going to sound...wish i had someone that likes this stuff it would help. i hope noone got afended by my saleman remark.im a laydown when it comes to a good sale..and go figure im a sales person to
thanks for the comeback on the cec...

what is the reccomended postioning for your speakers? would also look there and maybe bring them 1/3 out if the wife and space permits and move your listening position closer..

btw, have you experimented with power cords ??? i had a similar situation and it turned out to be the pc's (cumaltive effect).
I have finally just switched from old Tara Labs cables (RSC gen 2) to Signal Cable's Silver Resolution cables and I am loving them. I am no expert with all of the different cables out there, but I am really enjoying both the power cord and interconnects. They give a lot more clarity and focus to the music. The 2 great things about these cables is that they sound clean and fast and they are affordable. Here is a link to their page.
http://www.signalcable.com/
yea mike been doing pc thing for a while..i have tara labs air on digital and vh audio flaver 4 and 2 running every thing else im going to play with it this week end
Just a guess but from looking at your system picture you may have too much toe in? I agree with Mikesinger on moving the speakers away from the wall. The glass top coffee table in the center of the triangle probably does not help the mids either. good luck, Al
Adasilva
i covered the table with a blanket,did help ,i took my speakers and faced them forward with no toe end,and unhooked my meridian 518 from transport and dac,and it made a world of differ.i think my speakers are to far apart now that they have no toe end,,,wonder how far apart they should be..in pic they are 13 feet apart from center of each speaker..and 2 feet 9 inches from back wall,and sitting in my listening position,is 15 feet from center or looking at the tv.i dont know if this helps ,,but any feed back is needed
It's funny that people comment on the small table and not about the bare walls. I doubt that you want to cover the whole wall with acoustic material, but some fabric decor (for high WAF!) in strategic places might do some good for mid and treble emphasis/brightness.
You may need a second person to move the "panel" across strategic spots that seem to reflect towards the listening position. It will be a long trial and error session but it's a good start. Only after solving that basic problem should you look at equipment and/or cables for additional enhancement.
First reflection is likely from the side walls, which I can't see clearly in the picture.
You can "see" the first reflection with... a mirror... From the listening position, the mirror will reflect one of the speakers and what's a straight line for light is also a straight line for treble frequencies.
Front to rear bare surfaces will also have some resonance, most likely in the midbass region (based on the dimensions you mentioned).
Absorbing material can be as simple as a blanket, a framed cross-stitch or decorative oriental scrolls. You can buy accessories that are made for audio use, but they don't have the WAF of a nice decor that also does the job.
In the extreme case you can cover the whole wall with acoustic foam, as I've seen in one installation. The result of that particular room was too "dead" for my taste. You could clap your hands near the speakers and hear no echo whatsoever - eery... Perhaps too sterile for simulating real-life sound retrieval, which is the ultimate goal of a home sound system.
Bottom line is that you have to experiment and determine for yourself when it's "too much of a good thing"... Invite some friends for a pizza and beer listening session and you'll speed up the whole process. That's known as the "attack of the audio nerds"... :-)
Sit at your listening position and have someone move the mirror close to the side wall until you see one of the speakers. That's a spot of first reflection. Try now putting an acoustic absorbant on that spot on the wall and listen again.
Since you have two speakers and two side walls you may find multiple such spots.
This is only for mid/treble frquencies. You still have to dampen wall to wall resonance, usually apparent around 50-60 Hz.
I took a look on your system link and figured that the only problem component you have is MSB.
I've heard the same annoying upper-mids burst and I've heard many other complains about this unit in the system.

Try using different DAC.
as far as for positioning the speakers... contact the manufacture or check for reviews of your speaker and see how they are designed to be set up...

since you have to share the room try to get as close as you can to the recommended positioning and experiment.... btw, a laser level and tripod ($30 @ costco) and it has made a world of difference with my speaker setup...it really allows you to dial them in (1/8" makes a huge difference and dont forget to get a matched level on each speaker)
marakanetz,i did use my dvd player and it was about the same,i put a blanket over stereo stand ,tv and all,hung some pillows on the wall behind me,and it tamed it down alot,serus was fun to talk to and helpfull. i found this stuff on ebay and will give them a try,there cheap enough.http://www.atsacoustics.com/cat--ATS-Acoustic-Absorption-Panels--100.html.the msb was modded by dan wright and its pretty good.