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Digital Music sounds too bright?

If you feel your digital sound is too bright - I suggest you place a lightweight blanket over your tv screen or computer screen, if you have it placed between your main speakers. I did this and immediately heard a less edgy sound and improved separation between left and right channels.  I have a 55 inch screen between my mains (Tyler Acoustics). This easy and free tweak made a noticeable improvement for me. Hope it will for you too. 

(It makes complete sense that this will reduce some reflected sound. No one would ever recommend placing a mirror or window between main speakers, but a screen has the same effect. If you have a coffee table in front of you when listening, it also could reflect sound that undermines your speakers. Try covering it or moving it away). 
philtangerine
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knownothing
1,542 posts
 
Ok, so I noticed with a mid fi HT/2 channel system that putting a blanket over a 55" flat screen noticeably improved 2 channel soundstage for both analog and digital front ends in purpose built room. Soundstage with analog front end clearly better than internal DACs for Arcam receiver. Add an external DAC, soundstage improved sans blanket. Add external linear power supply? Better. Add good power cable for LPS? Better. With all these improvements in digital front end, blanket still helped. Add solid core quality copper speaker cables (21’), soundstage for digital and analog front ends now detailed and continuous side to side. BLANKET ON TV NOW DECREASES SOUNDSTAGE DETAIL. My experience tends to support many of the points made here, yet is hard for me to grasp what exactly is going on. Better imaging from speakers interacts differently with surface between them, and improving direct output crosses some point where blanket actually hinders presentation? Maybe try different coverings (default was thick fleece throw). Can see rabbit hole from here.

kn
audioengr
3,282 posts
 

Like I said before, acoustic absorption between the speakers is not recommended.  Only scattering devices, also called diffusers.  Most speakers also need the reinforcement for bass from the backwall.

I have a system that achieves pinpoint imaging with a 65" screen between and behind the speakers.  I can get this because of the 1/4 round tube-traps next to the screen, the ultra-low jitter of my sources and the fact that I have zero ground-loops in my system.  No component is grounded to any other component, except through the AC power outlets.


Steve N.

Empirical Audio

randy-11
1,913 posts
 
Agin - How much jitter reduction did you measure in the CD player?

You DID measure it right???
dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
Steve,

Common sense defies stressing the pitfalls of using absorption between speakers while advocating placing a huge reflective glass panel in the same position, but you're the expert.

Dave
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,467 posts
 
@audioengr

+1 Ditto

Since the measured performance of my DAC with Toslink is absolutely perfect and I have very few really high res files, I have opted for galvanic isolation rather than use the higher sample rate USB input of my DAC

So I have complete galvanic isolation using Toslink to the DAC and balanced out to the power amp.

Nice not to have to worry about the effects of cables and ground loops. However it needs a DAC with robust jitter rejection given Toslink is often the most jittery connection. For balanced I use Canare Star Quad cables.
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