Need cable to soften brightness just a little?


Would appreciate some hand holding on solving a small problem. I think a different cable interconnect might be what I need. Right now I am using Blue Jeans interconnects.

Have three new variables in our TV Stereo system.
New Oppo UDP-205
Musical Fidelity A3cr Preamp
Pioneer SX-1050 Stereo Receiver (bypassing it’s preamp)

Still in use is the Arcam SR250 AV Receiver.
Speakers are floor standing Spendor FL-6.

I am an opera lover and classical music devotee and like really good audio. The Arcam SR250 is just perfect for ordinary tv watching, but I soon found out it can’t equal the musicality of a good stereo receiver, so I rigged up a way of using my Audiomat Arpege tube amp for musical program listening.   But  I just found a better use for the Arpege and decided to replace it with the Musical Fidelity Preamp and the Pioneer Receiver.   The Oppo is just a few days old as well, replacing an Oppo BDP-83SE.

There is a big improvement in clarity of spoken dialogue.
Everything sounds brighter and clearer and there is an unmistakable sense of power from the much more powerful Pioneer.
Musically it is harder to evaluate. At first there was a feeling of “wow, major improvement”, but on further listening it feels a little bright. Might be the sort of brightness that causes music fatigue.

How do I take just a little of the edge off the brightness without losing the wonderful clarity I’m getting?

And how to go about figuring out which of the three is causing that little bit of edginess.


128x128echolane
Hi Echolane,

I'm someone who's very sensitive to fatigue issues and was about to start my own thread on this topic when I stumbled across yours.  What you're saying about your system's upgrade in resolution and accuracy being accompanied by fatigue problems, very much mirrors my own experience.  I've found that even the smallest bit of tinkering can be very disruptive for system equilibrium and that major configuration changes--what many audiophiles would consider to be a "better" sounding and more detailed rig--can be a very painful listening experience for me.  I can offer a few suggestions here, but am also looking for feedback myself.

Like others, I suspect that it will take some time for your system to stabilize and "burn in," especially as you've made three major component changes!

Since we're talking about the synergy of a completely-upgraded system, you might want to take a look at  the other cables in addition to the interconnects.   

-- What kind of speaker wire do you use?  Your Spendors---do you biwire them or use jumpers?  I've found that biwiring with Mogami 2921 creates a more forgiving, laid-back sound. 

--Your power cords? I recently purchased some Cardas Clear-M and they really helped tame the brightness in my system caused by the introduction of a new streamer.

-- Do you use Wifi or ethernet cable?  I found that that Supra Cat8 was much better for fatigue problems than generic ethernet.  

--Finally, as for ICs, I've found Cardas Quadlink to be the most musical and least fatiguing of the several that I've auditioned. 

With respect to the major components, I have Spendors as well, but used in conjunction with a tube amp and a non-oversampling DAC. As you might gather, I've had to take a lot of steps to create a more smooth-sounding audio signature, since  my  sensitivity limits me to a mid-fi approach.



Thanks, auxinput for info on HDMI Audio.   And the compliment on the Musical Fidelity!  It was wasted at my computer.

It never occurred to me to try the Arcam’s digital outputs because I’ve always preferred analogue.  Which gets me to thinking....I don’t believe I’ve ever tried the Arcam’s audio analog option either.  Maybe the Arcam can sound better than I’ve given it credit for sounding.  I will need to do more experimenting !!.  For sure, the Arcam does not sing for me, but maybe I can I prove it some.

 I have plenty of RCA interconnects I can cable in to try analog outputs for audio quality, but I will have to buy a digital cable to listen to its digital audio.  It looks like Arcam will accept digital coax/RCA (I didn’t see S/PDIF).

PBS did me a favor today by broadcasting Tosca, a  Live from the Met offering, giving me a chance to listen to music via a different source from the Oppo.  There was less of a difference between the Pioneer and the Arcam, and less brightness.  The Oppo is now the prime suspect for the source of some excess brightness.

hegelsjh, to answer a couple of your questions, I do bi-wire them
 Slendors.  My speaker wire is custom and I paid a premium for it, but it’s too long ago to remember any details.

what DAC are you using?

i have no power conditioning anywhere.  When things settle down, i plan to get involved with that.

The only Ethernet connected device so far in my TV room stereo system is the Roku Ultra.  I’m using Cat6a from Blue Jeans Cable.  I will be attaching Ethernet cable to the Oppo as I intend to use it to support streaming.  

I am soon to be adding an SSD inside a Naim Uniti Core to enable streaming.  I’m hoping the Oppo will allow me to include my TV system in the streaming network.   I’m a complete novice to the streaming world and have barely a clue so far.  I’m terribly worried I’ll be disappointed with the audio quality, but at the same time hoping I will be pleasantly surprised.



Having owned a Pioneer SX-1080 (and an SX-780) since new, I can tell you from experience that these receivers sound more on a bright side even when they’re new and can be very fatiguing, especially at higher volumes even if/when paired with neutral speakers. Old age doesn’t seem to make them brighter but tends to hollow out some of the lower octaves. Easiest (and cheapest) solution is using the tone or filter controls/switches and see if those help. Depending on how bright they now sound to your ears, I doubt you’ll be able to compensate for their sound character/voice by switching cables. Some try putting a thin tissue paper on the tweeter to tame the brightness. It’s free so worth a try.
Echolane, I'm having a difficult time envisioning how all the components in your system are being swapped out and interacting without first drawing a massive diagram on my wall ; )

Let's go back to David's point about the differences between the two Oppos. Do you still have the 83 so that  you can see how it works with the Pioneer?  And secondly, is there a standalone DAC anywhere in your system, or is/was everything played through one of the Oppos?  If you don't have a standalone DAC, then the Oppo switch is a major sonic  change for your system and could very well be the source of the brightness.  For a DAC, I use a Metrum Onyx and before that an MHDT Havana, both of which are non-oversampling, since my ears are very prickly in response to to certain types of digital processing.   If you do isolate the Oppo as the problem area, then you might want to consider a good power cable rather than the stock one and then swap in some smooth ICs for your preamp and amps.