2. amps-preamps
  3. 1033262025

Sibilance how do I get rid of it?

Hello
I am currently experincing a problem with sibilance in my system,I must admit I know that unless I set up a overly dampened ( lack of Hi's ) set up, I'm almost always going to have some degree of siblance,I listen to mass produced commercial cd's so I know that this is atleast 40% of my problem , and my listening room 26'x14'x8' is relatively live,,lanolium floors..no dampening,,etc,,
But somewhere in the back of my mind I hear "you need to do careful system matching,
My system consisits of:
Cal Aria MkIII CDP
Conrad Johnson Pv10a Pre
& Conrad Johnson PV 14L Pre
Llano A100 SS Amplifier
Dynaudio Contour 1.3 2 way's "GLORIOUS Midrange and Presence"
JPS Labs superconductor FX Ic's
Tara labs Time and Space with TFA Return speaker cables
Transparent Power Plus Power cord &
MIT run of the mil powercord on the Llano power amp
I have no power conditioning whatsoever except some hospital grade junction boxes in which I have the CDP & Pre's hooked up-AMp straight to the wall.
Now I have experimented with various IC's and speaker cable Discovery,Cardas,Transparent..etc
I don't want to address this problem thru cable choice
I have changed the tubes in the CDP as well as the PreAmps
the Jps labs provides me with the transparency speed and extended Hi frequencies,,and resolution, but with noticable
sibilance could it be the Ac line conditioning or lack of it that is introducing the stridency and graininess to the sound? if so where can I start?
What brand power cables offfer the best shielding or get's the GRUNGE out? I've heard good things about coincident
I knwo that I should ( and AM in the process of)addressing the room itself carpet is in order and some accoustic paneling to kill the early reflections,should I do this first? then get the ac conditioning? has anyone had any experience with Marigo Powercords, shuyanta, Coincident etc.
Please offer me your suggestions
braab8
braab8 OP
56 posts
 
thanx for your many responses,I will try these and see what becomes of it,Mbhcid,could you tell me more about these upgrades? I vaguely remember someone talking about this before, what is wrong with the current rectifier's in the CDP? and the Pre?, do you say change Ps ? (power supply?)
please follow up ,,, in short I guess the best way to explain it is it sounds almost like the amp is showing (allowing me to hear) too much resolution in the 3k-15k region this is the only way I can explain it...which translates into Grainy hash what do these powercords do in effect,,,clean the AC and inturn,,allow more resolution?....please help me understand this
thanx in advance
Jeff
estrnad's avatar
estrnad
117 posts
 
Upgrade the power cord to your CD player if possible. A PS Audio Lab II for instance. It makes all the difference. Also, set your CD, pre, and amps on vibration isolation feet/stands. Also as suggested upgrade your AC outlets to audio grade, cheap at $50 bucks each from PS Audio.
esun
32 posts
 
I have to agree with the respondants above that mention room treatments. Yes, AC problems will contribute to sibilance, but before you take any really elaborate electrical measures, you really should get a big carpet. Also, try putting some kind of material on the wall behind the speakers and between them to dampen reflections. These don't necessarily have to be audiophile wall treatments, sometimes a wall hanging tapestry or something like that will work. Experiment with speaker placement too. Those contours have tweeters with excellent dispersion and should be fine pointed straight ahead (no toe in) this will also reduce sibilance. Try experiment ing with different listening positions as well (higher lower, forwards backwards.) If this does not solve your problem, you should start working on AC problems and experiment with cable.
audiomax
166 posts
 
This is a tough one to solve. Nothing in your system can I point a finger at except possibly the solid state amp and the silibant and harshness from your software. A switch to vinyl front end would definitely help.
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
Ezmerelda, Rives, and Esun are correct. You have a good system in a terrible room. Nothing you do to the system will be correctly quantifiable or justifiable before you address the room. A $200,000 system would probably exhibit the same problem in that room. Do a simple experiment: With a helper or two, try to carry on an intelligible conversation across your listening room for a while, separated by a distance about equal to your listening distance. Then relocate to your living room and try it again. Then ask yourself whether you may have experienced a reduction in effort and an increase in comprehension once you and your party moved out of the basement. Nothing in your whole system, other than the source material, has a greater influence on what you hear than the room. Start there, and you'll likely end there. Best of luck, keep us apprised!
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