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Getting rid of harsh, shrill treble

I cannot play my classical cd's at a volume where the midrange and bass come through without harsh, shrill treble, especially the violins. I have bookshelf speakers on stands and subwoofer in a small 120 sq. ft. room. I have no treble control on my pre-amp. I tried a Taddeo passive Digital Antidote II between my CD player and pre-amp with minimal result. I have a solid state integrated amp, will switching to a tube integrated amp cure this problem or is it my speakers?
classical_fred
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
>>Even the best CD players will give some minor digital "glare, brightness, or harshness" on these instruments. This is inherent in the digitizing an analog conversion process of redbook CD's.<<

Absolutely untrue. There are many players, some at "modest" price points, that do not display said characteristics.
dgarretson
2,601 posts
 
Agree with Tvad on this point. However it's more difficult to find a CDP with a glare-free yet detailed treble, than it is to find components that "resolve" the problem by rolling off the highs.
tobias
1,534 posts
 
The problem may be related to the AC supply. An isolation transformer for the CD player (eBay) would be a cheap way to find out. 125 to 500 VA would be a reasonable size. Topaz and Xentek are good names.
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
the room and the speakers are generally the guilty party
classical_fred OP
18 posts
 
Hello Tvad,
I am not an electrical engineer! How can I find out where my loudspeakers have impedance dips to prevent the same problem with a new tube amp? What is an impedance dip? Should I try replacing my speakers first and keep my amp? I have been reading reviews on von Schweikert VR1's; B&W CM1's; Joseph rm7 si Signature MK2's; Linbrook Sig Monitor's; Green Mountain Audio Europa's; and the Micro Walsh's 35 inches tall? Thanks for your time.
Classical_fred
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