2. speakers
  3. 156237-140986

speakers or room???

I have a nagging problem with a frequency spike in the midrange that I especially notice in acoustic piano (jazz and classical) and sometimes vocals. I have heard this in different speakers including SF Venere 1.5, Dynaudio Emit 20, Martin Logan motion 15, Zu Dirty weekend, and various other 2-way designs. I have not had this problem with Polk Lsi m703 3-ways, and some 2-way DIY towers that I built a few years back. Back in the day when I was still using an MXR graphic eq, I would roll off  the 250 - 500-1000Hz sliders 3-6-3 db for a more balanced sound. I stopped using it because it introduced it's own coloration to the sound.

My listening room is a small family room adjoining the kitchen for a fairly open space about 15 X 30 with a cathedral ceiling in the family room portion. The flooring is oak hardwood with 8 throw rugs in various places. I would describe it as being fairly lively, although the kitchen island, cathedral ceiling and a fireplace create some asymmetrical surfaces.

So me thinks it could be:

a. speakers, especially 2-way
b. the room, too lively, not well treated
c. my hearing going wonky at age 67
d. all of the above

Any and all thoughts, experiences would be most welcome.

Current system:
Hegel H80 or Primaluna Prologue depending on the mood
Tannoy XT8 speakers


dtapo
dtapo OP
73 posts
 
OK I found a tone generator online and using my Sony noise-cancelling headphones, I discovered a few things about my ears. My total range of hearing is from 25Hz to 12.2 kHz, although the extremes are barely audible. There are a couple of hot-spots where it gets almost painful at 2500 and 4100 Hz and around 3000 drops out considerably. I also noticed that there were volume differences between Lt and Rt at certain frequencies. So that's one thing. I haven't had a proper hearing test in 30 years.

Next, I'll run the sweep through my speakers (after my wife leaves} and see what that turns up.

Thanks for all the ideas and comments so far.
b_limo's avatar
b_limo
2,277 posts
 
Bummer đŸ˜•

Has anyone had any luck with a professional ear cleaning / wax removal help with this?
wolf_garcia
6,711 posts
 
I've used the simple ear wash system for decades...put the hydrogen peroxide based goo in yer ears, let it burble for 10 minutes or so, douche it out with several squirts from the rubber squeeze ball...do it all again if needed...works and is safe.
dtapo OP
73 posts
 
I also listened with headphones to 2 tracks which present the problems in my system: Chopin waltz in C# by Nina Postolovskya which was recorded without the use of compression or EQ, and Can't Find my way home by Blind Faith where S Winwood's voice creates some earsplitting tones near the end of the song. On headphones, these 2 tracks present  similar problems, in the form of hot spots but to a lesser degree. It seems like my listening room amplifies these anomalies.

I realize some recordings can induce weird resonances into a system/room, and everyone's hearing is different, including the recording engineers. In my case it's beginning to look like my hearing contributes to these problems, but also my room. I'm beginning to look into room treatments now.
More to discover