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Glare on Choral recordings, classical vocals

Dear all,

I'm hoping for some clarity on an issue of the quality of choral vocals in digital recordings. It's either my system or the recordings. There is a glare and harshness in the crescendos, and I wonder if it's natural room clipping in the studio or cathedrals in which they are recorded (the delay in some of these spaces can lead to a natural harshness and smearing of the sound), or if I have poor setup in terms of the DAC and/ or the preamp. I use a B&K PRO-10MC and a Schiit Bifrost Multibit. This setup has resolved any issues with digital glare except in the domain of choral music. Do I have to suck it up and consider upgrading to the Gungnir or another device? Should I consider a tubed preamp, maybe the Schiit Freya?

The problem is far less noticeable on vinyl, but most of my choral collection is in the digital domain. 

I've always had problems with the Tallis Scholars recordings on the Gimell label, which are almost always recorded in cathedrals. However, I did listen once to a Tallis Scholars CD on a dealer's rig with a Conrad-Johnson tube pre and Totem Model 1 Signatures, and there seemed to be much better resolution, though this was 20 years ago and I think my younger self was just blown away by the sound in general.

I've noticed that audiophiles and reviewers seldom write about choral music. Is it because they don't like choral music, or is it because it is just really difficult to record choirs well, therefore making choral music a poor choice to show off a system?

Any choral music-loving audiophiles care to comment on their experiences and solutions? 
 
Many thanks,


Paul
paulburnett
dweller's avatar
dweller
3,788 posts
 
This could be a room "mode" which is sympathetic to the frequency of the vocals. In English, this means that the sound coming out of your speakers may start to echo, or resonate, causing the blurring effect.
Try walking around your room clapping you hands and listening for echos. If found, place some damping material on one of the opposing walls to kill the echo. Keep at it until all echos are eliminated.

Another cause could be improperly designed ICs or speaker wire. Cheap speaker wire (actually, the insulation or "dielectric") will accumulate electrical charge and at some point release it back into the conductor. This will distort the signal going to your speakers and you will hear it.
Obviously this is more likely to happen in loud passages like crescendos.  
chayro
2,997 posts
 
Complex music, orchestral, massed voices, etc. is difficult on many systems. That’s why VERY few show demo rooms use this type of music, instead relying on much simpler stuff. The fact that you are getting glare on some crescendos may be due to the fact that you are overdriving the amp or speakers. If the music still glares when you turn it down, it sounds to me like it’s in the recording. Try listening through headphones to see if it’s the recording.
If that doesn't work, do what 95% of all audiophiles do - just listen to stuff that sounds good.  Sad but true. Denials to follow. 
erik_squires
16,152 posts
 
Room acoustics is not a bad place to start. Experiment with rugs, blankets and pillows, on walls and on floor between speakers.

If you find this helps, reach out to GIK acoustics for real professional help and products.

Best,

E
schubert
7,386 posts
 
Problem with Choral , which I love and live in its US Capital , is its both often poorly recorded and shows up any fault in system .

All advice above is good, try it all. Esp. as to volume .
The problem was solved in my system by buying a good DAC, my NAD C565, which was top of line with glowing reviews, was just compressing choral.
I bought the Cambridge CXC transport(one of my best moves) and a Rein Audio X-DAC, problem solved .
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,477 posts
 
Never had problems myself but are your tweeters old? Dried up Ferrofluid perhaps?

Also if your space is small and crowded especially around the listener or speakers then many early reflections can collapse the soundstage and make for a harsh sound
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