+2 @audphile1 , In my system, to my ears, silver was brighter and harsher. I use all copper cables and with a resolving system that is important.
Do You Ever Get Glare/Raspy Sound on High Pitched Female Vocal Lines?
I sometimes get a harsh glare or slightly raspy sound on female vocal lines when they sing loud, high pitched notes. It’s hard to explain the sound exactly, but if you’ve ever experienced it, you’ll know what I’m speaking of. Two examples are Norah Jones, Don’t Know Why at 1:57 with line “You’ll be ON my mind”. The other is Michael Bluble’s Quando, Quando, Quando featuring Nelly Furtardo. Her line “I can’t wait a moment more, Tell me quando, quando, quando” at 1:53 is another good example. This happens at moderate to fairly loud volume levels.
Trying to determine if it’s coming from the midrange section or quasi ribbon tweeter, I’ve disconnected the speaker jumpers from one while keeping the other jumped and found it occurs in both the midrange and the tweeters. I’ve also swapped out two other DACs and have bypassed the preamp by going directly to the amp from the DACS, but it makes no difference. It doesn’t sound like clipping distortion or typical speaker breakup. I’ve even inserted 1 ohm resistors on the Magnepans and while it reduces it a bit, it’s still there. I can also hear it to a somewhat lesser degree on my old Theil 1.5s and KEF KS50s at fairly loud, but not crazy volume levels. Both of those speakers are driven with 400 watt @ 4 Ohms and a 300 watt @ 4 Ohms amps respectively. I can’t imagine that I’m clipping the amps.
Does anyone else have this occur on their systems? Any ideas on what’s going on here?
My system is Magnepan 3.7x speakers, PS Audio Airlens, Stellar Gold DAC, PMG Signature preamp & BHK 250 amp, streaming Tidal.
+2 @audphile1 , In my system, to my ears, silver was brighter and harsher. I use all copper cables and with a resolving system that is important.
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That has not been my experience. My DH Labs all silver cables are no bright or harsh, as I've done comparisons with them and copper interconnects. |
Hello again @stevehardy1 , you said:
This was what I heard with silver plated speaker wires. Made my ears hurt and tire of listening. I find the Kubala Sosna line of all copper cables smooth. Emotion is laid back and rounded . Elation is full spectrum and clear and resolving. Midrange is glorious, full and meaty. Realization and Ovation are on another level completely, Tube gear defeats glare and harshness as well, but to me generally at a cost of resolution and speed. I said generally everyone! And I do not discount the room especially first reflections, glass and hard floors. You might be pleasantly surprised. And the synergy of matching cables is not to be overlooked. Take care! |
Yes silver plated wires are known for being bright or harsh. Not so with pure silver in my experience. |