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

@cymivka "I'm itchin for a new front end..dac and MAYBE transport."

That could be the ticket.

Very interesting. Sound from the system in a test last night dropped out to there was no meat on the bones of the sound.  so bad I quickly changed tubes for the oppo output...still very anemic and brittle sound.  Decided to power the whole system down overnight. Nothing even on stand Transformer going hay wire capacitors overloaded.  Anyone experience this before???

I listen all day every day. I think that during the day when the Internet is busy, the streaming signal is thinned out. If you listen on a Sunday morning versus Thursday afternoon at 5 o’clock, I bet you’ll find your system sounds different. I can’t prove anything but I think that the people that run the Internet know what signals are important and what was urges music, and they thin out the ones that are music because they’re not as important as other files. There it is that’s my crazy theory

@raysmtb1 

I don't know who "runs the Internet" but there are indeed fluctuations in the quality of the music I get out of my streamer depending on day and time