So Much "Harshness"


In perusing the various boards, both here and elsewhere ("we toured the world and elsewhere")one theme that seems to be prevalent is "my system sounds harsh" or "this cd player seems harsh", etc.

Why are complaints of "harshness" so common? Are people selecting the wrong components based on dealer demos where the "brighter" components sound better due to additional detail? Is it caused by a taste for music which is intentionally mixed bright to be heard better on transistor radios? (The radios are gone, but the mixing tradition lives on, doesn't it?) Are they simply listening louder than their systems will tolerate without deteriorating? I think this is pretty common. It costs a lot of money for a system that will deliver audiophile sound at high volume.

What do you think?
chayro
Along with power and EMI/RFI issues, speaker room interactions can be the culprit. Personally, I find music to be harsh or fatiguing if the bass isn't right.
I agree....harshness...is mostly a power problem. Troublesome as it takes some experimentation to rid.

I suggest the foundation should always start with dedicated 20amp circuits....and then some good shielded power cords.

One caveat....your equipment especially the front end...cannot be midfi although there are exceptions. There's are plenty of dacs and players for 1K that sound very good.
i think some people prefer a bright sound. just consider all of the current production componsnts and speakers.

manufacturer's design for the maximum resolution. unfortunately many components have imbalances in frequency response.

if you consider that 20 + years ago, harshness was not a problem, evn though the ac and the room may have been a problem, the obvious reason for the current complaints is the pursuit of resolution and the components available to satisfy that demand.
Mrtennis,
I bet you would be hard pressed to find anyone with totally analog gear system that complains about harshness.

20 years ago we did not have computer based electronics that cause the hash on the AC line as we do today. Damn near every appliance we use today, to make our lives simpler, have a micro processor built into them.

Most EMI/RFI noise originates with in our own homes.
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