Sssss...sibilance?


I am a music lover who has appreciated good quality two-channel audio for over 30 years. While not a technical expert, I have some familiarity with the concepts and equipment involved. I listen to a broad range of classical music (90%) and various other stuff like jazz (10%).

I recently revised my system by replacing vintage SAE amplicication with new ARC gear, as detailed below. This has provided wonderful results overall, with clear detailed and musical sound on a broad range of the music I listen to. I am generally very pleased with these results.

However, one thing that is a bit of an annoyance is that on vocals (mostly female) I now hear a definite and pronounced sibilance that seems to be over-emphasized. This does not appear to be related to any overall edginess or harshness in the system, as other music sounds quite natural and smooth, including higher frequency stuff like violins and piccolos.

In reviewing some previous threads on this subject, I did not get a very clear picture of this issue: in particular, it seemed that a number of observers were suggesting that this type of sibilance is caused by problems in the recording process and might even be expected as natural with improved playback system quality.

This explanation seems strange to me, as I am experiencing this phenomenon with a considerable variety of source material, including many recordings where there would not be close-miking of singers.

I would very much appreciate any advice or observations that might help me better understand this problem of sibilance, and possible approaches for improving the situation.

System:

ARC CD-1 player
ARC LS 25 Mk. II preamp
ARC 150.2 amp
KEF 105.2 speakers
Cardas cross ICs (xlr)
heavy-gauge stranded copper speaker cables
Powerpack II conditioner
Room: 14'w/20'l/10'h wood panneled with carpeting

northernfox

Showing 1 response by sean

You need to look into your AC system, your cabling and room acoustics / treatments. I also agree with Dave aka Sogood51. That is, my past experiences with SAE gear was anything but musical". I would categorize most of that gear as being "sterile" and / or much higher in potential for a sibilance based problem. Sean
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