B&W 703 - How to tame the highs?

I like the vein of this thread...many intelligent responses. Though it has got somewhat off topic, I like where posters like nrenter are going with this. Thoughts...

A softer warmer amp will help if you already have an amp that is slightly bright like a Rotel. The Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista would be a wonderful alternative that would soften the highs a little but still sound incredible. If on a lesser budget, go with a NAD amp or even a cheaper yet Harman Kardon 2 channel which has a warm sound. Of course, if you don't like bright highs but still want detail, get some Dalis or even smoother yet Dynaudio speakers instead.

I also have 703's and I'm experiencing the same problem as the original poster.

For certain types of music that don't involve too much high frequency information these speakers play wonderfully. A good example would be Eva Cassidy's Live a Blues Alley. For other recordings such as any Rock album that involves wailing guitars the music just starts to hurt the ears after couple of songs.

When it comes to using these speakers for HT purposes, I honestly can't find any fault - even if I try. It makes me wonder if designing speakers to reproduce movies and music requires a compromise in one to benefit the other.

But getting back to the original topic, I'm thinking of giving a pair of 805's a listen to see if their top end is smoother. I think the 703's are clinically revealing as opposed to musically revealing, that's how I justify the day&night difference the present on movies vs music.

I had 603S3 and had the same problem regardless of what kind of equipment I tried, so I got rid of them. Some people say you need to break-in for about 3 years. If someone has the patience to do that, it may be worth it. Unfortunately I didn't have that kind of patience.

When it comes to using these speakers for HT purposes, I honestly can't find any fault - even if I try. It makes me wonder if designing speakers to reproduce movies and music requires a compromise in one to benefit the other.

What you are discovering is Audio Compression...certain forms of music are highly compressed. Eva cassidy is not. Movies are not. This is why they sound good on your system.

Hyper compressed rock, pop and alternative is common these days and it will sound fatiguing. Switching to a less accurate speaker with laid back midrange and smooth warm sound may help...but it is a "band aid" not a cure...besides do you want to put a band-aid over the beautiful sounding Live at Blues Alley - just so you can play Metallica without having to cover your ears - the choice is yours...

See this Turn Me Up for more information.