Speaker shootout update; aggressive treble eliminating some (fairly?)


I've been trying out speakers in a complicated shoot out, both bookshelves and towers — all in my home with my gear. I'm looking for speakers obtainable up to about $4k but could go up (or down) a bit if the right thing came along.

Basic facts: All speakers were run in at least 100 hours. Room is 27 x 14 x 6.5 ceilings. Powering with all QS tubes, 60w, NOS, tube R2R dac, and decent cables. No terrible reflection points; room not overly live or dampened. REL R 328 sub available but I did most listening without it.

Recent auditions, type:

Klipsch RP 600-M (budget singleton of the group)
Fritz Rev Carbon 7 mk II (bookshelf, 2 way, soft dome)
Focal 936 (tower, 3 way, inverted metal)
Martin Logan Motion 60s XTi (tower, 3 way, AMT)

Coming soon:

Salk SS 6M (bookshelf, 2 way, beryllium)
Dynaudio Evoke 30's (tower, 3 way, soft dome)

Let me speak just to the problems, rather than what was good about the speakers. So far, I've found the Klipsch, Focal, and especially the Martin Logans were all too bright — forward, aggressive, "turn it down" treble.

The ML's were the most impossible to tame and hardest to listen to on more tracks. (I did a lot of hanging of towels and other dampeners and other soft things to try to see if I could bring them to heel. I varied the recordings used. Changed cables/wires. No luck.)

The Focals were occasionally too bright; their bigger problem was a bit too much energy in my small listening space. They were better when I plugged their ports with socks.

I'm looking forward to how the next two speakers sound. The Dynaudio towers, I notice, are 10 inches shorter and half the weight of the other towers; not sure what that might mean, but it could just be right size for my space. I'm looking forward to seeing if the Salks bring more detail to the treble without also being too rolled off or harsh.

Hearing is very personal for physiological and taste reasons. However, if anyone has any thoughts about why I might be experiencing some of the phenomena I am (harsh treble, especially) based on my room or gear, etc., that might help me understand factors I'm not fully appreciating. Thanks.


128x128hilde45
@hilde45, it is good to see that you found a speaker that meets your needs so well.   You have pursued this project thoughtfully and have put in a lot of hard work.  In my opinion, you have assembled some really nice pieces that will serve you very well for a long time.  As time permits, a bit of work on your room will pay additional dividends.  Nicely done!
Doing all of the up front evaluation work also allows one to appreciate the final decision that much more.  Looks like the hard work paid off. Congrats!  
@decooney 
@brownsfan 

Thanks to you both. I had good guidance from both of you on different phases of the process. Invaluable.

FWIW, I mentioned in my note to Jim Salk that I loved the speakers but there were moments that they could be a little bright, and he said they make them for a flat response but depending on the rooms they're played in, this can happen. He's sending me a couple small resistors which he said could be added if I wanted just a bit less of those highs.
Sure thing @hilde45. Fwiw, maybe hold off on the resistors for a while, and a little more time on the speakers (drivers, and caps on x-over inside). And, the tube change on the DAC might get you one splitting hair closer to taking a tad bit of the brightness off. You are getting closer now, the rest is fine tuning and some fun listening! 
@decooney You were the only one to suggest that a change of tube in my Orchid MHDT DAC might help -- and it has already. I ordered a TESLA 6CC42  ($24, Ebay) from Ukraine and it took a couple weeks to get to me but *right away* it took the edge off without sounding rolled off. Perfect tweak.