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Need Help With a Bright System

My system consists of two NAD C 272 monoblocks, an NAD C 162 preamp, and an NAD T 532 DVD player. The speakers are Triangle Antal XS. My problem is that the system can sound pretty edgy and bright on many recordings, particularly rock and pop albums. One very noticeable aspect of this bright sound is edgy vocals that have exaggerated sibilants (i.e. ‘S’ sounds). I'm currently using a pair of Kimber Timbre interconnects between the preamp and monos, and Acoustic Research silver series interconnects between the dvd player and the preamp. I was using a pair of Kimber PBJs between the dvd player and preamp, but found the ARs to be warmer and better on the bass. The speaker cables are a pair of Straightwire Quartets, which I believe are plain copper. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get rid of this bright sound? Obviously I wouldn't like to lose detail while doing so, but I understand that this may be a trade off. I'm willing to make a necessary upgrade, but I just want to ensure that whatever I chose to upgrade will definitely take away a lot of the brightness that I currently hear in this system. I know that using a tube amp instead of solid state would make a huge difference, but what else can be done?
jwglista
newbee
4,767 posts
 
You might want to read a thread that just concluded a couple of days ago "Why am I experienceing listeners fatigue". There is much info therein which may be helpful. After reading thru it, follow-up with some detail about your room size and furnishings, speaker positioning, listening location, etc and folks will be able to be more specific in their comments or recommendations.
seandtaylor99
1,262 posts
 
First the room ... is it hardwood floor, or carpet ? What about drapes or soft furnishing ? Any large windows. Hardwood, large windows and lack of soft furnishings all tend to make a room bright. Clap your hands ... does the clap deaden quickly, or does it ring ?

I don't know what the audio quality of your DVD player is but a lot of less expensive CD players can be slightly sibilant, I think due to poor timing jitter at the DAC. My own experience of adding a reclocking DAC to a Marantz CD67SE increased detail AND decreased brightness all in one go.

If there's any way you could borrow a good reclocking DAC (e.g. Benchmark) and give it a try it might give you an idea of whether the source is the problem.

Also look at speaker and listening position placement ... I recommend www.cardas.com in the insights section under room setup.
miked510
6 posts
 
Do you have carpet or bare floors? How many walls do you have that are reflective, meaning no bookshelves, plants, knick-knacks. Do you have ceilings that can absorb sound?

Are the speakers toed-in, beaming straight to your ears?
French speakers tend to be detailed and fast, if you're patience, you need a good 200+ hours to settle down the top end.

I've owned JM Lab Electras for almost 16 months now, and the "edge" I use to perceive, now has burned into extended, but delicate top-end detail.
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