Trelja Thanks I actually heard that from a salesman for B&O in Scottsdale a few weeks ago. He said Amar cupped his hands over his mouth and asked Paul Klipsch how he was doing and Paul turned toward the wall and said he was doing ok.. Good story but not sure it was true.
Speakers sound best facing wall????
Should I complain? - After months of tweaking and testing various components, I found my perfect sound. It really sounds beautiful and genuine (I listen only to classical; and authenticity is paramount), and the stereo image is there, when speakers are turned away from me, facing the wall at 135 degrees. I am looking at their backs when listening,
So, I am really happy. Or should I? With that very odd speaker position, something must be very wrong somewhere???
Ever since I took on my old hobby again (it had been in neglect for 30 years), bought 2 different solid state amplifiers (a powerful and very well balanced Sony TA-FA3ES, and a lower quality Technics), 2 different cd players (Arcam and Cyrus), 2 different sets of loudspeakers (Heybrook Heylo and Tannoy Revolution), a Velodyne subwoofer, a power conditioner (Belkin) and 2 sets of shielded IEC power cables and interconnects, I have been battling a problem:
*****an ear-piercing treble*****
No matter how low I would adjust the treble on my amplifier, and no matter the combination of amps, cd players, speakers etc., their position, my armchair's position, that problem was still there... until I turned the speakers away from me.
Room acoustics? - Well, all my equipment is in my living room, which has a normal height, and an odd, asymetrical shape. See plan. The house is made of timber, and the walls are painted plaster panels, with 2 dozens glass covered pictures in wooden frames. The room is carpeted, and slightly emptier than an average living room (3 armchairs, 2 wooden cabinets and audio rack). The wall which the speakers are facing has a curtain. The speakers are 130cm / 4ft away from the wall.
If not the room acoustics, what may be causing the ear-piercing treble when speakers are turned towards me? - Dirty power that the power conditioner cannot cope with? Faulty tweeters (on 2 different sets of speakers???)? Should I worry, since I have my perfect sound with the speakers facing the wall? - Any advice appreciated!
So, I am really happy. Or should I? With that very odd speaker position, something must be very wrong somewhere???
Ever since I took on my old hobby again (it had been in neglect for 30 years), bought 2 different solid state amplifiers (a powerful and very well balanced Sony TA-FA3ES, and a lower quality Technics), 2 different cd players (Arcam and Cyrus), 2 different sets of loudspeakers (Heybrook Heylo and Tannoy Revolution), a Velodyne subwoofer, a power conditioner (Belkin) and 2 sets of shielded IEC power cables and interconnects, I have been battling a problem:
*****an ear-piercing treble*****
No matter how low I would adjust the treble on my amplifier, and no matter the combination of amps, cd players, speakers etc., their position, my armchair's position, that problem was still there... until I turned the speakers away from me.
Room acoustics? - Well, all my equipment is in my living room, which has a normal height, and an odd, asymetrical shape. See plan. The house is made of timber, and the walls are painted plaster panels, with 2 dozens glass covered pictures in wooden frames. The room is carpeted, and slightly emptier than an average living room (3 armchairs, 2 wooden cabinets and audio rack). The wall which the speakers are facing has a curtain. The speakers are 130cm / 4ft away from the wall.
If not the room acoustics, what may be causing the ear-piercing treble when speakers are turned towards me? - Dirty power that the power conditioner cannot cope with? Faulty tweeters (on 2 different sets of speakers???)? Should I worry, since I have my perfect sound with the speakers facing the wall? - Any advice appreciated!
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- 68 posts total
He said Amar cupped his hands over his mouth and asked Paul Klipsch how he was doing and Paul turned toward the wall and said he was doing ok.. Good story but not sure it was true. It is hardly surprising that Paul turned round fast when Amar cupped his hands to his cheeks! However, the way I heard the story it ended differently - I was told that this was the day that the "slap" room echo test was invented. |
PROBLEM SOLVED... but... Well, I solved the problem. It was really easy. I just had to connect a second integrated amplifier that only powers the tweeters. Then, reduce the tweeters' sound by 30-40%. Now, my speakers can face at me again and all sounds very normal and authentic. But why why why? - Here is what I have been through in the meantime, and I am still puzzled: 1) I bought myself an ultrasonic dog whistle with adjustable pitch. When I adjust it to the highest pitch, I can not only still hear it, but it is so loud that it is ear-piercing. Others either don't hear it at all, or hear it as a very soft sound. 2) I consulted an audiologist and he confirmed that my hearing is excellent... in fact, beyond his equipment measuring capabilities. My audiogram is almost flat, with a small peak at 2,000Hz. BTW the audiologist could not hear the dog whistle either... 3) I bought myself a calibration CD. Now, that was really interesting when it came to the various frequencies samples: a) With the default settings (whether using my Sony solid state, or a tube amp) I can hear all frequencies between 22Hz (earthquake) and 10,000Hz (not quite as high pitch as the dog whistle), and I hear them all at the same volume. Below and beyond that, I do not hear anything at all. b) With my preferred settings (with tweeters' sound reduced by 30-40%), I can hear all frequencies between 22Hz and 8,000Hz, and I hear them all at the same volume. Below and beyond that, I do not hear anything at all. So what does that mean??? My speakers (I tested Heybrook and Tannoy), and the rest of my equipment (whether solid state or tube), are supposed to reproduce sounds up to 20,000Hz... but that is definitely not true, since the highest I can hear from them is 10,000Hz (and that is still a lower pitch than my dog whistle, which is ear-piercing to me). So, if my equipment does not reproduce enough treble, I should hear not enough treble, right? - Wrong! - I hear too much of it, and I have to turn it down! Anybody understands that mystery? It is something to do with my audio system (or rather, with audio systems in general), since listening to live classical music never poses me any problems. |
Waryn, I find your observations very interesting . . . I am wondering . . . - Have you had similar experiences with headphones; that is, do you find most of them harsh and bright? - How do others find the sound of your system, now that you've reduced the treble to your liking? Do they find it overly warm and dull? - What impressions did you have about the Tannoys and Heybrooks when you bought them? Did they not seem bright at first? |
- 68 posts total