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Why does my system now have shrill top end.

The equipment in my system (listed below) has not changed but I now find on both CD and Vinyl a high end shrillness to the sound (treble is very harsh) that has become very annoying, especially at high volume levels. I have no idea why this happened all of a sudden.

Endevour E-3
Pass 30.8
Pass XP 20
Esoteric K01x
Linn LP12 (Ortofon Black cartridge)
Linn Linto Phono Preamp
PS Audio P5 (Amp plugged in directly to wall)
JL Audio F112 v2 sub
OCOS Speaker cable (15 feet)
Pass XLR interconnect (Preamp to Amp)
Harmonic Technology Cable Magic Link (not current version). RCA termination

Any ideas?
proacman

Showing 18 responses by proacman

proacman OP
33 posts
 
Yes but this issue started in the Summer and now it is Fall so change in humidity did not have any effect.
proacman OP
33 posts
 
Thanks for the advice. I assume the ac cables do not degrade themselves.
proacman OP
33 posts
 
The only thing that was changed in my house is that we put a new kitchen in. As the system is in the basement and I use the P5 except for the amp I cannot figure how that would have made a difference but stranger things have happened.

In regard to aging equipment all the electronics are less than 4 years old. Only old items are the speaker cables/interconnects/power cables.
proacman OP
33 posts
 
Thanks everyone for the responses. I will try turning the kitchen lights off tonight and see if that makes a difference.
proacman OP
33 posts
 
Sudden and on both channels. And does not change when I move around the room.
proacman OP
33 posts
 
Not sure it would be room acoustics as there is no improvement as I walk around the room. The amp is plugged in directly to the wall and thus it is possible that ac noise is the cause but the issue is so pronounced and the P5 (only front end components plugged in) indicates a pretty decent sine wave and voltage that I tend to think not.

I would hate to think it is related to the Pass Amp as at 88 pounds it would not be fun to send back to dealer. 

proacman OP
33 posts
 
Anything is possible but both would have to been damaged the same way and I don't play the music that loud. And, as I don't have any equivalent quality speakers to substitute I have no idea how to test this.
proacman OP
33 posts
 

Teo_Audio: All of the kitchen lights were changed to LED bulbs so maybe that is it. Would turning the light switches off take them out of the loop or do I need to shut the breaker off. There is also the Refrig ice maker and the electric ovens but they are rarely on when I am listening. Heated floors were installed but they are off in the summer. That's all that was changed.

If the P5 won't tackle this problem what if any alternatives are there, besides having the kitchen rewired which is not an alternative?

proacman OP
33 posts
 
They all are on a dimmer.
proacman OP
33 posts
 

Unfortunately the problem is getting stranger. When I turn off all the kitchen lights and play a few songs that are very harsh and then turn them back on their is no difference. But, I plugged the Pass amp into the P5 instead of directly into the Wall and all the Bass was sucked out, as if the speakers were out of phase (they are not). Now this certainly makes no sense. Makes me wonder if the Amp is the issue. Have a five channel amp in my surround system that I will switch with the Pass to see if there is any difference in the harshness (and now bass).

Thanks for all your comments.

proacman OP
33 posts
 
Tried both multiwave and sine wave. No difference in bass (slight difference in sound stage). Output waveform is clean with low THD (versus input which is noisy).
proacman OP
33 posts
 
Will swap the Amp this weekend. If no change I will start looking at AC issues.
proacman OP
33 posts
 
Thanks for all the great suggestions. I turned off all lights in the house and it made no change. For the HOI I changed the power cord from a PS Audio AC5 to the stock cord that came with the amp and although it had no effect on the upper registers it seemed to focus the sound stage more. I guess this is left for another discussion.

I wanted to switch amps but the 5 channel unit I use for the surround sound room is much too heavy for me to easily move. Hopefully I can get a friend to help me and will report back afterwards. I too think it must be the amp but this test will tell for sure.
proacman OP
33 posts
 

To answer Almarg's questions, the Ortofon cartridge is the Quintet Black and it is mc. The OCOS wires have a red and black termination.

Sill haven't been able to switch the amps but hope to do so this weekend.

proacman OP
33 posts
 
Latest update. Changing the amp made no difference. So all I have left is the speaker wire, the power, the room or my ears. Since the speaker wire shouldn't change nor should the room I am wondering if it is my ears. Next step is to visit a local audio store (if I can find one). Then talking to my electrician about a separate power line,. Will keep you posted.
proacman OP
33 posts
 
Here is the latest update. I ordered treatment for the side walls and will report back. But wanting to make sure it was not my hearing I visited a nearby audio dealer (Audio Connection) with the same music in hand that sounds so shrill at home. And guess what, it sounds fine in their system. By the way, I listed to the Proac 48r, which I did not like, and the Vandersteen Quatro CT, which I liked so much I may buy them if I can sell my current speakers.
proacman OP
33 posts
 
I owned the Response 2 and 2.5 for many years. That is where the name comes from. And is sure is easier to spell than VonSchweikertman.
proacman OP
33 posts
 
As an overdue update, I was able to slightly mitigate the harshness by replacing the stock power cord that came with my PS Audio P5 with a PS Audio AC12.
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