Help. System sounds thin and bright or harsh


Hope this isn't redundant tried to post in Tech Talk

Just moved my system to a new home/sound room and it still sounds harsh and a bit thin despite supposedly "warm" sounding Harbeth 30.1 speakers. This issue is not new and I had put the blame on the old listening room.  Can't figure out what the problem is. I listen loud at 80dcbl or higher and sit nearfield about 8 feet from the speaker plane. (sound is thin and bright from afar as well) I have experimented in both homes with speaker placement, toe-in and the like. Speakers are placed a lil over 3 feet from the rear wall and about two and a half feet from side walls.  I feel something is off. Perhaps a component or two that is known to be tipped up in the highs and a lil bass shy?? Also, I leave all solid state components fully powered up 24/7. (not the tubes)

System:

Modwright/Oppo BDP 105 disc player  (all mods with tubed power supply and pricey NOS tube upgrades throughout)  Looking to replace once the harshness/bright issue is nailed down.

Parasound JC2 Preamp

Pass Labs X250.5 Amp

Harbeth 30.1 stand mount speakers

Puritan Labs PSM 156 power conditioner. (less "edgy" sound with it in system)

System is run all balanced with fairly costly Cardas interconnects.

All input is welcome. Thanks in advance.

Happy listening.

 

 

cymivka

Got time to attack this situation today. gonna start with pushing speakers back against the wall, though most advise that Harbeths need space around them. Dont want to collapse the depth of the sound stage. Will also play with moving the listening position. Gonna also try changing out the amp as I have access to nuforce 9 mono blocs that will accept balanced feed. Gotta track down Pre and cd player if these other "fixes" havn't exposed the problem. ( tried the second set of balanced outs on the Parasound and one channel, the right, was clearly louder than the other...still bright, though.) Not sure about a bass null since the problem followed me from room to room.and through a myriad of speaker placements.  I feel like if an expert or fellow, experienced a-goner was in the room, they'd be able to help pinpoint the problem. Just about everyone says its hard to make the 30.1's sound bright.   Just may need to upgrade many parts (front end for sure)..ad subs or even new speaks. If I had to make a wild guess I'd point an accusing finger at the Modwright,.  Thanks all for your suggestions. 

Yes, subs as are NOT out of the question as I think its pretty common "knowledge" that two are needed for proper two channel set ups. I've been reading that for years now.

Mofojo     Very curious about your R2r dac choice????   Denafrips??? Ive checked out a few based on another discussion I had about possibly ditching the Modwright or using the Oppo digital outs as a disc transport since the Oppo plays everything. You may have made a recommendation.. (didn;t see any pics on your profile and I hope to upload pics of my system soon) Pretty sure I want to a stand alone dac as the technology seems to change fairly often.

Thanks.

 

I suspect it’s the room. Throwing money at cables, other speakers, and so forth, seems ill-advised. And don’t some audiophiles just LOVE to spend lots of money in in their pursuit of Nirvana?

Perhaps contacting one of the acoustic panel companies for a consultation would prove to be beneficial. One of the most effective and economical improvements is SQ I’ve made was to assemble 2’ x 4’ x 6" bass traps for the front corners on my rather "bright-sounding" listening room. The 6 Owens-Corning sheets cost about $100, wood for frames about $35, and some inexpensive white burlap about $40. I plan to make a few more thinner (2") panels for first reflection points, and perhaps elsewhere.

Room treatment is on the agenda.  I went through this in the old place with stacking four foot bass traps in corners behind the spks and a massive wool and canvass behemoth behind the couch and an absorber on the wall just behind the seating position. Overdamped to say the least for the 30.1's. Had been trying to tame Harbeth slh5's that were just way too boomy for my apartment. With the 30.1's I took out all the treatments cept for the trap behind the couch and the absorber behind the seat and found I liked the sound much better. Going to try simple cloth or rug options in this new room just as a test once I determine that all the components are performing up to spec.  I've already checked out treatments for the first reflective points on the side walls. Wanna keep it simple and relatively cheap.

Someone mentioned toe in.  I barely have any at all. Adviser at Fidelis that distributes Harbeths said to point them directly at me with hard toe in.  No bueno in this room.  They are not firing straight out but I can see all of the inside walls on both spks.  Not sure if many have purchased the "Get Better Sound" book by Jim Simith.  It's loaded with all sorts of "free" tips...many which I am just up to tackling and sdI still am having problems..