Great thread . All the solutions are here . First set your speakers slightly off axis, this will lessen the glare . Second , allow about 400 hours for breakin . And unfortunately replace the consumer receiver with an audiophile grade product . I know because I have an Oppo and I replaced my THX rated receiver with a better amp . On the short though, maybe an economical tube buffer. Also plug the Pioneer straight into the wall with a decent after market cable . Cheers , Mike.
Need cable to soften brightness just a little?
Would appreciate some hand holding on solving a small problem. I think a different cable interconnect might be what I need. Right now I am using Blue Jeans interconnects.
Have three new variables in our TV Stereo system.
New Oppo UDP-205
Musical Fidelity A3cr Preamp
Pioneer SX-1050 Stereo Receiver (bypassing it’s preamp)
Still in use is the Arcam SR250 AV Receiver.
Speakers are floor standing Spendor FL-6.
I am an opera lover and classical music devotee and like really good audio. The Arcam SR250 is just perfect for ordinary tv watching, but I soon found out it can’t equal the musicality of a good stereo receiver, so I rigged up a way of using my Audiomat Arpege tube amp for musical program listening. But I just found a better use for the Arpege and decided to replace it with the Musical Fidelity Preamp and the Pioneer Receiver. The Oppo is just a few days old as well, replacing an Oppo BDP-83SE.
There is a big improvement in clarity of spoken dialogue.
Everything sounds brighter and clearer and there is an unmistakable sense of power from the much more powerful Pioneer.
Musically it is harder to evaluate. At first there was a feeling of “wow, major improvement”, but on further listening it feels a little bright. Might be the sort of brightness that causes music fatigue.
How do I take just a little of the edge off the brightness without losing the wonderful clarity I’m getting?
And how to go about figuring out which of the three is causing that little bit of edginess.
Have three new variables in our TV Stereo system.
New Oppo UDP-205
Musical Fidelity A3cr Preamp
Pioneer SX-1050 Stereo Receiver (bypassing it’s preamp)
Still in use is the Arcam SR250 AV Receiver.
Speakers are floor standing Spendor FL-6.
I am an opera lover and classical music devotee and like really good audio. The Arcam SR250 is just perfect for ordinary tv watching, but I soon found out it can’t equal the musicality of a good stereo receiver, so I rigged up a way of using my Audiomat Arpege tube amp for musical program listening. But I just found a better use for the Arpege and decided to replace it with the Musical Fidelity Preamp and the Pioneer Receiver. The Oppo is just a few days old as well, replacing an Oppo BDP-83SE.
There is a big improvement in clarity of spoken dialogue.
Everything sounds brighter and clearer and there is an unmistakable sense of power from the much more powerful Pioneer.
Musically it is harder to evaluate. At first there was a feeling of “wow, major improvement”, but on further listening it feels a little bright. Might be the sort of brightness that causes music fatigue.
How do I take just a little of the edge off the brightness without losing the wonderful clarity I’m getting?
And how to go about figuring out which of the three is causing that little bit of edginess.
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- 48 posts total
I agree with the comments on letting everything settle and break in as I own an Oppo 205. I believe your culprit here is the Pioneer receiver. Does your local dealer allow in home demos? Pick up a different amp that is already broken in and try that in your system....minimum 100 watts. Cheers and Happy Listening. |
@echolane: Definitely make sure your gear is isolated from vibration, but also, IMO, a tube preamp would most likely solve your brightness issues, while also enlarging the sound-stage and adding a realistic timbre and overall musicality to the sound of the instruments. They done always come with the best tubes, so roll in some excellent tubes if required; I recommend Genalex Gold Lion Supreme for 12ax7s. And give new tubes a healthy break in time. Mine changed a lot after 50-100 hours of use, and I didn't think they would. Hope this helps. Dave |
@echolane - I have been out of town all week on business and haven't caught up. For digital COAX cable, the Blue Jean Beldon 1694A is actually a very excellent cable for the money: https://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/digital-audio/index.htm 6 foot cable (minimum I recommend) is $20.75 plus shipping, so you can afford to experiment if you want. I use a slightly modified Krell S1200U 3D for my HT Processor (which can double as a COAX DAC). I use a highly modified/rebuilt Emotiva DAC with discrete Class A op amp stages for computer (no comparison - probably similar to a $1500-2000 DAC). |
- 48 posts total