By the way, the same thing happens with other stringed instruments. If you’re right next to a violin you’ll hear ringing noises that don’t sound very musical, especially when a note is dying away. You aren’t normally aware of those sounds because usually you’re pretty far away, and violins are designed to sound good at a distance. But microphones aren’t usually placed out in the audience where your ears would normally be, because that results in an unsatisfying recorded sound. Microphones can’t do the auditory processing that your brain does, so if the microphones are far away the direct sound of the instrument tends to be overwhelmed by hall reverberation. To make up for that they place the microphones very close to the instruments, but that means the recording captures sounds you don’t normally hear when you’re in the audience. I think that’s part of the reason people frequently complain about how violins sound in recordings.
Seeking advice on high kHz annoyance in my system
Some of my go to recordings for testing my system have always been classical piano. I listen for mid-range clarity, the audibility of the “action”
of the piano, e.g. hammer and pedal sounds coming through, as well as clarity
in upper register.
After recently making substantial changes to my system (see below), I hear (or continue to hear) an artificial or secondary ringing/buzzing (sorry, not a good description in the upper register of piano recordings.
Trying to isolate the issue, I hear this across a wide selection of recordings of the same Mozart piano sonata to varying degrees (all 44.1kHz/16 bit) regardless the pianist and recording. Although relatively newer recordings appear to have this artifact more than older ones.
Before I continue with my Quixotic search for the “final 10%”, I’d like to identify the cause and tame this high frequency annoyance.
My thoughts:
(1) My once golden, now 63-year-old ears? Unfortunately, I have no intention of visiting an audiologist during COVID.
(2) This was present in my previous system as well and I'd hoped to eliminate it through recent upgrades. It may or may not have been helped. Can't recall. It’s been so long since I’ve been to alive recital or concert, I don’t recall if the same annoyance happens live.
(3) My 21”x16”x14” room is untreated other than for rugs, book-shelving on a side wall and ordinary furnishings, paintings, etc.
(4) More noticeable at higher (but not excessive) volumes.
(5) Occurs through speakers and headphones (HD800s and Campfire Ara iem using Dave or Mojo)
(6) XLR and speaker cables are older Synergistic Research (Element and Tungsten). Using silver tuning bullets (no snark, please), and have not tried gray or black, which are said to darken the sound (roll-off?) slightly. Have experimented in the past and found slight differences in sound character. Will try this next.
Recently moved from BHK 300s and pre with Modwright-modded Oppo Sonica DAC and Fidelizer Nimitra Signature server as Roon core to my current system:
Roon Nucleus Plus w/ Teddy Pardo LPS
D’Agostino Progressive Integrated
Chord M Scaler w/ Teddy Pardo LPS
Chord Dave DAC
Focal Kanta 3’s
Cables: Synergistic Research, Wireworld, Wywires. Stock Chord
BNCs between M Scaler and Dave
Grateful for any thoughts as to cause/solution?
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- 20 posts total
- 20 posts total