Anyone have experience with using de-esser for sibilance in home audio system?

CD only. No horns. Tweeters are soft-dome. Recently I also started experiencing sibilance when listening to music on YouTube via inexpensive PreSonus monitors in our home office, which hasn’t always been the case. It was this development that led me to conclude my hearing is at fault.

If my logic is faulty I’m open to other interpretations but swapping out cables, transport, dac have had no effect. Nor has closing drapes and draping fabric over other hard surfaces in room

I had my hearing tested last spring and was told it was better than normal for someone my age and that nothing in the test data suggested a link with sibilance

This has been going on for a year, now and I’m pretty darned frustrated

Right -- I can’t definitively rule that out. They both have lots of glass but as I mentioned, shutting (lined) drapes has no impact. They both have 10.5’ ceilings. Listening near-field with PreSonus monitors.

Believe me, Dave; I’d be very happy if it turned out to not be my ears! But nothing I’ve tried so far has had any effect. I haven’t swapped out the Hegel yet but will tomorrow, when a Heed LaGrange is scheduled for delivery. I’m also considering a Vincent hybrid integrated.

@mammothguy54 , @mashif 

Thanks for the links!

@antigrunge2 

My dac has no volume control... 

@audiorusty 

Pretty much all vocals. Used to be just female soprano vocals but it's no longer gender-specific. This is one reason I suspect my ears. 

I looked at de-essers on Sweetwater. Some are fully encased and mounted horizontally; others have only front plate and mounted vertically. 

Not interested in software. 

@onhwy61 

Thanks for the clarification.

Can you recommend an EQ? 

I've read 5 - 8 KHz is correct range but others say 3 - 10 KHz.  

@noromance

It can be associated with tinnatus, apparently.

@erik_squires

Don’t have my headphone amp set up, currently but I do hear it through earbuds.

@bojack

Where is it in your signal chain?

The only time I tried such a product was in my guitar rig and it was really noisy but that was many years ago.

@erik_squires 

I will check when I have time but I'll be astonished if i don't hear it with headphones. 

@audiorusty 

S, T and P but S is by far the worst. No high pitched ringing, just ssshhhh.

@asvjerry 

Had hearing checked a year ago, when I first became aware of problem. I was told my hearing was better than average for my age and that nothing in the exam suggested a link with sibilance.

I could get it checked again. 

@asvjerry

My best, and best for the prognosis....Jerry.

Thanks!

@clustrocasual

Weiss makes a DAC with a de-esser in it.

Yes; I’m aware of this but based upon reviews, I’m not convinced I’d enjoy its presentation -- not organic enough, I’m guessing. If I could buy one and return it (without a re-stock fee), I might try it out.

@lanx0003

In my case, it appears to be gear-dependent.

So far, I’ve swapped out everything but the integrated, with no change. I’m expecting delivery of another, today, so we’ll see.

@mashif

It is generally around 7-8k. I’ve found that speaker height and toe in can make a difference.

I’ve moved speakers around a lot, with some difference but not really enough to matter. I haven’t played with height. Did you move tweeter higher or lower than ear-level?

@erik_squires

Assuming you DO hear it through headphones, then EQ is the right answer instead of a de-esser, compressor.

Thanks for the clarification.

@baylinor

Instead I use the Loki max eq. Not often but it comes in handy with poorly sounding recordings. If that does not help, it surely would be your ears and just like tinnitus, the best way to deal with it is to learn to accept it, relax and enjoy whatever sounds you can still hear. Good luck to you.

I haven’t found my Lokius helps. I find it hard to relax and enjoy vocal music when it’s marred by unnaturally emphasized s’s, t’s and p’s. If you can, more power to you!

@erik_squires

OP: A hearing test would be very helpful. In particular, it is possible you have lost hearing everywhere BUT the sibilance range. In that case, instead of lowering the sibilance you may need to raise the surrounding frequencies.

Important distinction! Thanks for this.

@mammothguy54

Thanks for the suggestion. Panels are not an option in my listening area.

@audiorusty

Thanks for your comprehensive response. At times, I do hear a slight hissing and have so for decades but I hear no sibilance when people speak. Nor am I aware of any other sort of distortion of everyday sounds. Watching tv and listening to instrumental music are sibilance-free. By no means does the" whole world sound thin and tinny" and the hissing has not worsened in the period of time during which sibilance has become an issue.

I only notice sibilance when listening to music with vocals. The rest of the track will sound fine but most vocals exhibit exaggerated T’s, P’s and especially, S’s. I’ve directed a couple other forum members to tracks I find especially annoying and they’ve heard sibilance in those tracks, too. They attribute it to overly hot recording levels. This may well be true but I find it very difficult to accept that across many genres, most of the vocal tracks in my collection were recorded at too high a level. That makes no sense to me.

I’ve swapped out everything in my system except for the speakers and the integrated. I just took delivery of a different integrated. I’ll hook that up tonight and see it it makes any difference but like you, I doubt gear is to blame. I don’t have another pair of speakers but as I mentioned, sibilance is clearly audible on my desktop monitors so I doubt it’s my speakers. It’s possible that a warmer, less detailed amp might be less annoying to listen to, when it comes to vocals. I’ll have to experiment.

@mammothguy54 

I had no idea portable panels were available. 

@mashif 

No; sibilance doesn't change. In fact, I can stand right next to speaker and hear sibilance as easily as when I'm in the listening chair. 

I will try the "just above ears" placement. 

@clustrocasual 

I'm curious -- how might neurofeedback address perception of sibilance?

Yes; I’m aware the TMR is a Weiss dealer. I can’t afford that dac currently but I may indeed end up trying it down the road.

@raindance

That must be very frustrating. I will probably try a pro audio EQ, at some point.

@clustrocasual 

It has to do with where our brain puts attention on stimulus. It can be rearranged in priority and sensation.

This makes sense. I've come across a few comments by guys who've said once they became aware of sibilance, they couldn't "un-hear" it. Could be, this is what's happened in my case. At this point, I expect it, every time I encounter vocals. 

@clustrocasual 

Finally realized it's just moving in and out of consciousness over long periods of time.

Interesting. And to what do you attribute this movement?