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New system has fatiguing, harsh high frequency sounds. How to fix?

I just purchased my first audio and home theater system (other than a bluetooth speaker or computer speaker system). I use it for listening to music as well as watching movies. It is a tremendous upgrade and I’m enjoying it. It has clarity and detail that I have never heard before. However, I notice a harshness in the high frequency sounds when listening to music.

I would like my treble to be smooth, sweet, soft, silky and gentle. Right now it is the opposite of that. It is annoying, screechy, metallic and harsh.

I am seeking a solution to that issue. From the little I have been able to find on this subject, it seems that room acoustics might be a big part of my solution. Is that true? If not, what is my next step? An equalizer? I can’t see many options for big changes in speaker placement. At most I can move them a few inches or change the angles.

My listening room is about 11.5 feet by 11.5 feet and square except for the doorway in the back corner which protrudes into the room 18 inches x 44 inches. In the room are a bookcase, couch, end table, media center stand (holding TV, center speaker, receiver, disc player and Roku), computer & computer monitor, my speakers (and rear speaker stands), a ceiling fan and that’s about it... I’m describing the room on the assumption that the room (or its contents) are relevant to the treble problem I’m describing. (However, throwing some thick blankets over my TV and computer monitor, as a test, did not change the issue.)

Here are my home theater components:

  • Computer monitor: WASABI MANGO UHD400 40" 3840X2160
  • TV: LG OLED65C7P 65"
  • Receiver: Sony STRDN1080
  • Disc Player: LG UP875 4K BLU-RAY PLAYER BestBuy SKU 5979504
  • Streaming Box: Roku Ultra streaming player (model 4660)
I mention the monitors (and their size) in case they play a role in reflecting sounds.

Speakers:
  • Front 1: Polk Audio RTi A7 floorstanding speakers
  • Front 2: Polk Audio RTi A5 floorstanding speakers
  • Center Speaker: Klipsch RP-250C Center Channel Speaker
  • Subwoofer 1: Polk Audio PSW125 Subwoofer
  • Subwoofer 2: Klipsch R-112SW Subwoofer 
  • Rear/Surround: Polk Audio RTI A3
Speaker Layout: 5.1 layout with two pair of front speakers and two subwoofers.

The front speakers are on either side of the LG TV on the front wall (and near the room corners. The front speakers are angled in. Minimum distance to wall is 10", but measuring straight/parallel from back of speaker to wall is at least 18". From side of speaker to wall is at least a foot (one side of room has 30 inches). There is only 3" between each RTi A5 and RTi A7 speaker.

The rear speakers are behind the couch at each corner and against the back wall.

One subwoofer is in the back corner. The other is midway on the other wall and angled toward listening area.

For music, I usually prefer listening in 2-channel stereo. The dual pairs of front speakers are awesome. (I initially started out with a 7.1 layout but I prefer this layout now.) The high frequency problem exists even in 2-channel stereo. It also exists if I use only 1 pair of front speakers.

Wiring
All speakers are bi-wired, except the center (and subwoofers), which don’t support it. (Not bi-amp’d, just bi-wired*.)

Speaker wire: Mediabridge 12AWG 4-Conductor Speaker Wire (100 Feet, White) - 99.9% Oxygen Free Copper - ETL Listed & CL2 Rated for In-Wall Use

* https://www.qacoustics.co.uk/blog/2016/06/08/bi-wiring-speakers-exploration-benefits/

Banana Plugs:
  • Mediabridge Banana Plugs - Corrosion-Resistant 24K Gold-Plated Connectors - 12 Pair/24 Banana Plugs (Part# SPC-BP2-12 )
  • Sewell Silverback , 24k Gold Dual Screw Lock Speaker Connector
  • Ocelot Banana Plugs, 24k Gold Plated Connectors, Open Screw Type
BTW, my prior speakers were the Edifier e25 Luna Eclipse. I thought they sounded good and I did not remember them having these harsh high frequency sounds. After listening to my new system for a week, I went back to those for a test and they sounded horrible in comparison. The harsh high frequency sounds are much worse, and every other aspect is worse as well. (That shouldn’t be a surprise given the price ranges being compared, but my incorrect memory had been that they didn’t have this issue.)
lowoverdrive
mattmiller's avatar
mattmiller
1,479 posts
 
Throw some pillows around the room and save your $$$. I think you should check out the Marantz NR1608 receiver 7-channels $749.

http://www.audioholics.com/av-receiver-reviews/marantz-nr1608

Or  If you could reach a little more the $1100 Cambridge Audio CXR120 :-)

www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en/products/cx/cxr120

Either of these should make for easy listening! Excellent sounding!


Matt M
erik_squires
15,667 posts
 
Matt is right, to at least experiment. Big puffy things around and behind the speakers are a great help, even on the floor. Try covering the TV. Also, try listening off axis. Some speakers are designed to be listened to with less toe-in.

Also, for professional, great looking and sounding help, go to GIK Acoustics.
mtrot
804 posts
 
Well, although I’m not generally a fan of Sony receivers, my guess is that a harshness as significant as you describe is not likely to be because of the Sony. That said, I have generally liked the sound of my Onkyo and Denon receivers. These new receivers at the price of the Sony 1080 generally only weigh about 20 pounds, and I just don’t see how they can manufacture them to have great audio at that price. They tend to have very light power supplies and current output.

Since you can return the Sony, it won’t hurt any thing to send it back and move up to a higher level receiver, along the lines of a Denon 4300 or the new Onkyo TX-RZ920. You could experiment with that before spending money elsewhere. If a higher quality receiver fails to improve the harshness problem, then I would next evaluate your speaker situation and, as mentioned above, room reflections(you have a lot of square inches of very reflective TV screen in that room).

I’m also not a big fan of most metal dome tweeters, and it appears that you have a lot of them in the system. Considering your high frequency goals of " smooth, sweet, soft, silky and gentle", you might be better served by speakers with soft dome or ribbon tweeters. Changing speakers will make more difference to your sound than anything else.

P.S., high end audio people will strongly advise against placing two sets of speakers right next to each other like that, on the contention that they will interfere with each other’s performance due to reflection and possibly absorption of sound, affecting the sound stage and imaging of the sound.


wolf_garcia
6,608 posts
 
I've found that the stuff the tweeter is made of is less important than how it's implemented by the designer…soft domes can sound harsh, metal domes smooth, etc. Also in the supplied pic you're very close to the speakers (and everything else{ so I imagine things get "shouty" in there due to proximity…it's a near-field thing where I bet a small monitor speaker matched appropriately with the sub would sound better, although not took as cool.
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,393 posts
 
I’ve found that the stuff the tweeter is made of is less important than how it’s implemented by the designer…soft domes can sound harsh, metal domes smooth, etc.

Totally agree with Wolf. Your Polk floorstanders have soft dome tweeters but may not have good synergy with the receiver.

You have several issues to address:
No need to have 2 pairs of front speakers.
Listening position is too close to large speakers.
Too much glass causing reflections in that small room.

I would start by using only one pair of front speakers, turn off subwoofers and dial in a good 2 channel image. Cover the flat screens for now, the goal is to hear if you have good synergy with your basic components.
You can’t hear the true sonics with all those speakers and reflective surfaces. Also, in a square room sound waves will bounce around causing harshness to mids and highs.




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