Guitar lacking bite, vocal lacking presence


I need some suggestions on how to improve my system.

Guitar sounds too woody and need some treble bite. The vocal reproduction
does not have enough presence.

I also built some of  my speakers but non of what I do could make the system sounding a little forward.  It's too laid back.

My hearing at high frequency is not very good so that could be an issue.

System:
Speakers : Thiel CS2.4
Preamp: Pass XP10
Amp: Sim Audio W7
DAC: Ayre QB9
Speaker cable: Acoustic Zen Hologram II
Interconnect: QED reference 40 XLR

Any help would be appreciated.

 

 

andy2

@OP Nothing in your equipment list suggests tonal imbalance, so its probably your ears.

Noise induced hearing loss usually manifests itself as a notch or notches between 2 and 4k and up to 6k - right in the presence band.

As others have said, get an audiogram done and you will know.

Post removed 

Invest in a measurement mic @andy2

 

This - MiniDSP UMIK-2 and use the Moving Mic Method and that should give you an RTA of your space from your seated position and should give you an idea of how your speakers are coupling with the room and how that is affecting your guitar bite and vocal presence loss. I think you'd find the 800Hz to 3kHz recessed when you do this assessment and that should correlate to the guitar bite loss 

OP,when I posted my reply ( first reply in thread) I hadn't seen that HORRIBLE power strip you've got there..I do agree with others that is is possible this could be the culprit...Do yourself a favor & at least spend a couple hundred $ & get a decent APC or Furman brand power conditioner/surge suppressor!!!

Attention to setup detail as described by @mrdecibel is critical to optimizing SQ.  I would start with his recommendations.  Your speakers are known to be musical but without the extended high end of others.  Therefore, your observation on treble bite is part of the design intent compared to let’s say Magico which bites sharply.  This is not a criticism for it is personal preference.   I did not see any description of listening position.  I have found your speakers to require a listening at least 8-9 feet from the front of the speakers for the bass and treble to integrate.  That is why I never purchased them since my room requires a closer listening position.  The wooly sound quality with lack of presence may be an integration problem.  Speaker placement and room treatment are also key in achieving a balanced frequency response.  I would experiment with distance from side and back walls, toe in, rake angle.  Focusing the drivers at ear level and toward your listening position may increase presence. There is a door very close to the right speaker.  This may give bass and dynamic “suck out”.  I do not know of a better way to describe it and I awaite the comments, but as the sound wave progresses out the door it is not moved forward toward the listening position.  Is that a heater or air conditioner between the speakers?  If off, it may be a good thing acting as a defuser but when on, I am sure all level of detail is masked.  Finally, go to a good Otolaryngologist and get a hearing test if you feel your high frequency hearing has diminished.  My wife asked me to go.  The physician’s conclusion was selective hearing rather than physiological.  Good luck.