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My system is bright? I need help. thanks

Hi. it is my first time here in this forum. i would appreciate input and help from all of you. No sacrasm or bad langauge please. I had bad experience with other forums in that aspect. music loving people and audiophiles should be an elite, high caliber and classy community. This is rare to find today. Ok Down to the point.

My system
Musical fidelity kw 500 sacd player. I use the tube output.
Musical fidelity kw 500 integrated amp.
speakers:eggleston andra (not andra 2)
speaker cable: satori acoustic zen
interconnects: Nordost baldur and nordost quatrofil RCA
USe a dedicated 20 amp line with regular power cords(came with the gear) and a panamax 20 amp surge protector and filter.

This is in my family room so there is little room for treatment and moving things around.

problem: bright. the highs are killing my ears, after 1-2 hours of listening my ears start to hurt,sometimes 3 minutes. I have to turn the volume down. I tried postioning, it got a little better. I will try acoustic zen silver ref II may be it will help. The sound is otherwise phenomenal, i could be happy with more bass, but overall it is very good. Depth, tranparency, acuity and soundstaging are great. As for mids, i can see the person infront of me,I can hear the articulation of the tongue in the mouth before the words and tunes comes out. no kidding, but not for long because of fatigue.

I would really appreciate your input.
Scientist73
scientist73
listener57
730 posts
 
I don't know if it is politically correct to tell Scientist 73 that it's not rocket science.
But, your solution has me ready to toe in my own speakers as there has been a barely noticeable high frequency emphasis since my own speakers were faced straight forward (without my knowledge, officer) by the neatness police, just a few days ago.
The brilliant idea that suspicious looking solid bookcase sides are now reflecting more tweeter output just popped into my head from somewhere.
Didn't realize how reading books in a darkened library could be a strain on both the eyes, and the ears.
Maybe, it's rocket science after all.
cjsmithmd
38 posts
 
Scientist73,

The problem you describe is very common in my experience. The suggestions given in this thread are generally pretty good - I'm going to try the cd mat....

And it sounds like you are making progress within the constraints of your enviornment.

But one thing not mentioned here: have you every listened to vinyl? You might be pleasantly surprised.
d_edwards
204 posts
 
Mr. tennis has it right,

Your equipment although good individually does not make a good system, the problem you're having is perfectly described as a positive attribute in your original post;

"As for mids, I can see the person infront of me,I can hear the articulation of the tongue in the mouth before the words and tunes comes out. no kidding, but not for long because of fatigue."

Well this is "wrong" and not a positive, that "articulation" is more artifact than fact.

Personally I don't like the Eggleston's but you may prefer to soften them with a serious amplifier topolgy change. I would change the speakers to maybe a Dynaudio, considering the equipment you have now. The above phenomena is not a room acoustic issue, although room acoustics can still lead to fatigue in your case.

You system runs on a knife edge and it can be spectacular for fleeting moments but your system is supposed to play the music not be spectacular. It has to be backed down and improved.

Cables will not be enough and likely room treatments might only make it bearable for alittle longer.

Just my expert opinion based on personal experiences with systems like yours.
montytx
138 posts
 
Tara Labs Reference Generation II interconnects can be had for around a hundred bucks used. If that doesn't cure the nasties and you have played around with speaker placement...it's not gonna happen. If it helps, but still doesn't quite get you there, Tara Labs Ref Gen II, Master or Decade speaker cables might take you the rest of the way.

As far as room placement goes, I'd address sidewall reflections as top priority and try to take advantage of the room boundaries to give them a little more bass kick.

If you want to try the Tara IC, I have a one meter pair that you are welcome to see if they help. I would only ask for a 100 dollar deposit that I would naturally return upon return of the ICs. I'm not trying to sell them, just offering to let you see if they can help your problem.

There is nothing more annoying than listener fatigue.
merganser
216 posts
 
My $.02 on the matter. The MF gear isn't the problem. Try some MIT S1 cables all around and ditch the Panamax. Also, look into room treatments.
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