New system has fatiguing, harsh high frequency sounds. How to fix?


I just purchased my first audio and home theater system (other than a bluetooth speaker or computer speaker system). I use it for listening to music as well as watching movies. It is a tremendous upgrade and I’m enjoying it. It has clarity and detail that I have never heard before. However, I notice a harshness in the high frequency sounds when listening to music.

I would like my treble to be smooth, sweet, soft, silky and gentle. Right now it is the opposite of that. It is annoying, screechy, metallic and harsh.

I am seeking a solution to that issue. From the little I have been able to find on this subject, it seems that room acoustics might be a big part of my solution. Is that true? If not, what is my next step? An equalizer? I can’t see many options for big changes in speaker placement. At most I can move them a few inches or change the angles.

My listening room is about 11.5 feet by 11.5 feet and square except for the doorway in the back corner which protrudes into the room 18 inches x 44 inches. In the room are a bookcase, couch, end table, media center stand (holding TV, center speaker, receiver, disc player and Roku), computer & computer monitor, my speakers (and rear speaker stands), a ceiling fan and that’s about it... I’m describing the room on the assumption that the room (or its contents) are relevant to the treble problem I’m describing. (However, throwing some thick blankets over my TV and computer monitor, as a test, did not change the issue.)

Here are my home theater components:

  • Computer monitor: WASABI MANGO UHD400 40" 3840X2160
  • TV: LG OLED65C7P 65"
  • Receiver: Sony STRDN1080
  • Disc Player: LG UP875 4K BLU-RAY PLAYER BestBuy SKU 5979504
  • Streaming Box: Roku Ultra streaming player (model 4660)
I mention the monitors (and their size) in case they play a role in reflecting sounds.

Speakers:
  • Front 1: Polk Audio RTi A7 floorstanding speakers
  • Front 2: Polk Audio RTi A5 floorstanding speakers
  • Center Speaker: Klipsch RP-250C Center Channel Speaker
  • Subwoofer 1: Polk Audio PSW125 Subwoofer
  • Subwoofer 2: Klipsch R-112SW Subwoofer 
  • Rear/Surround: Polk Audio RTI A3
Speaker Layout: 5.1 layout with two pair of front speakers and two subwoofers.

The front speakers are on either side of the LG TV on the front wall (and near the room corners. The front speakers are angled in. Minimum distance to wall is 10", but measuring straight/parallel from back of speaker to wall is at least 18". From side of speaker to wall is at least a foot (one side of room has 30 inches). There is only 3" between each RTi A5 and RTi A7 speaker.

The rear speakers are behind the couch at each corner and against the back wall.

One subwoofer is in the back corner. The other is midway on the other wall and angled toward listening area.

For music, I usually prefer listening in 2-channel stereo. The dual pairs of front speakers are awesome. (I initially started out with a 7.1 layout but I prefer this layout now.) The high frequency problem exists even in 2-channel stereo. It also exists if I use only 1 pair of front speakers.

Wiring
All speakers are bi-wired, except the center (and subwoofers), which don’t support it. (Not bi-amp’d, just bi-wired*.)

Speaker wire: Mediabridge 12AWG 4-Conductor Speaker Wire (100 Feet, White) - 99.9% Oxygen Free Copper - ETL Listed & CL2 Rated for In-Wall Use

* https://www.qacoustics.co.uk/blog/2016/06/08/bi-wiring-speakers-exploration-benefits/

Banana Plugs:
  • Mediabridge Banana Plugs - Corrosion-Resistant 24K Gold-Plated Connectors - 12 Pair/24 Banana Plugs (Part# SPC-BP2-12 )
  • Sewell Silverback , 24k Gold Dual Screw Lock Speaker Connector
  • Ocelot Banana Plugs, 24k Gold Plated Connectors, Open Screw Type
BTW, my prior speakers were the Edifier e25 Luna Eclipse. I thought they sounded good and I did not remember them having these harsh high frequency sounds. After listening to my new system for a week, I went back to those for a test and they sounded horrible in comparison. The harsh high frequency sounds are much worse, and every other aspect is worse as well. (That shouldn’t be a surprise given the price ranges being compared, but my incorrect memory had been that they didn’t have this issue.)
lowoverdrive
I've owned an Onkyo and used Polk speakers and it sounded good with no brightness... but maybe kosst_'s knowledge is better than my ears
And for a cheaper version of my two channel HT suggestion, and more so if you cannot return the LG disc player: a Yamaha AS 801 2x100 watt amplifier with optical, coaxial and usb digital inputs, plus the somewhat cheaper Harbeth C7ES-3 speakers.
Unfortunately unlike the Oppo the LG player cannot quite serve as a pre amplifier because it does not have a digital input (apart from a LAN networking connection and a USB that will only take memory sticks but not computers).
Why did you not buy better speakers and buy a smaller tv? Sound, as you are not happy with, is more annoying than a smaller tv. It's only a tv. In that room the tv is too large. Have you attempted to use the eq in the sony to address the harshness? That would do more than anything else that's been mentioned.
I think the OP’s speakers are fine, if that’s what he likes.

Dealing with room acoustics will make everything better. If the monitors are just used for music selection, maybe an iPad or Android driven music server would help. At least that way when playing music you can cover everything up.

I have to shake my head at some of the thoughts in this thread. It seems like the desire is to spend lots of money to solve simple issues is strong here. This is why I think so many audiophiles should make at least one pair of speakers in their lifetimes. It would completely reset their expectations of money and value.


Best,

E
So much to comment on, so little time :-)  I see lots of solutions that swap pieces and throw money at the problem.  I'd first do some trouble isolation.  Step #1 would be to adjust speaker placement and angle to see not only if you can fix it, but if you can at least change it.  For example, moving the speakers off axis a bit might give you a HF decrease where you sit.

In the overall context cables and dragon-toothed plugs are a total waste of money.  Focus on the basics. I tend to agree that you likely have too much stuff, of too little quality, with too small a room, but proceed logically, step by step.

Can you borrow some components to substitute in?  I would substitute in a different source (CD/DVD) and see what difference THAT makes, next a receiver.  I am not up on current receivers, so i wont comment on brands - i live at the other end of the spectrum. In the old days NAD made some nice stuff, as did Rotel.  In that room you need less than 20 wpc, except maybe to drive a subwoofer for movies.

I also tend to agree that the first order effect is likely speakers, followed by speaker-room interaction.  I know you were asked, but why do you have four sizable speakers? Concentrate your fire!  Get smaller, higher quality speakers that you can position idally - and maybe move for music vs movies.  If in fact you have a 100% return policy, i might go in and ask - within the period, to listen to a bunch of smaller speakers of high quality and listen for "musicality". On quick back to back comparisons the louder or brighter speaker always wins - and will torment you ti; you;re "praying for the end of time to hurry up and arrive" - a notably bright album I'll add :-)

To get an objective view of what;s going on maybe you cna find a local audio geek with a doppler or pulse spectrum analyzer. It puts out wide spectrum noise and then measures the in-room response. You find out if you really do have a rising high frequency, and then you ask the store "why?"  They wont know, but it outs you in a good place :-)

If i had a  small room, and I;ll date myself here, I'd have a  NAD 3020 and a pair of Met-7s, with some active subwoofer stuffed behind a table. Or similar.  Maybe something designed since man landed on the moon, but you get the idea.