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Veiled 'wet blanket' sound from tweeters

Is it my speakers or my amp?

My gear consists of B&W PM1 with Rotel Integrated RA-1570.  

I'm experiencing a lack of detail and separation from the speakers , specifically at the tweeter source.   Switching between headphones (Grado RS1) and speakers, it is like there is a heavy blanket covering the tweeters.  Midrange/bass is fine.

Switching sources between DAC/Turntable yeilds no difference.

I'm actually wondering if the crossovers have been damaged.   

I don't really have the luxury of switching components.  Any ideas on what my next steps should be?




gmckay1960
oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 
OP, just make sure on the jumpers, that can cause all kinds of problems over time.. Just strip back some good copper, and get rid of the factory jumper. Dirt cheap, just to check, listen and see if there is a difference..

Check all your connections, loosen and retighten them. Plug and unplug them a few times to clean the pins, RCAs, XLRs, ICs and speaker cable if you use them, clean is good... fresh clean copper on the bi /wire/amp speaker post... They go bad.... They get dirty..

Cost nothing... LIKE MC said, did you change anything? always a clue, ay? Remember any loud pops, weird thing? anything?

Merry Christmas safe holidays, EVERYONE... Santa is on his way...

I love watching my Pup open presents.. LOL Junior too, the Bunny...

Regards
middlemass
943 posts
 
Merry Christmas!
audiokinesis
2,764 posts
 
No speaker can approach the level of inner detail of good headphones for several reasons, among them:

1. The diaphragm in headphones is much smaller and lighter and can have properties which are impractical in normal driver diaphragms.

2. The power handling requirements for headphone drivers is many many times less which further contributes to how light the moving mass can be.

3. Headphones are free from room reflections which can degrade clarity.

4. The air path itself can attenuate very high frequencies, and the air path is many times shorter with headphones.  (I'm not sure that this plays a significant role in headphones vs normal stereo, but it does play a role in normal stereo vs live performances at some distance, like halfway back in a concert hall).

5. Circumaural headphones block outside noise and therefore improve the signal-to-noise ratio, which unmasks low-level detail.

Duke


russ69's avatar
russ69
3,573 posts
 
"...No speaker can approach the level of inner detail of good headphones..."

It may cost you a lot more money but no headphone can compare to a really good loudspeaker system. A good loudspeaker may cost several thousand dollars to surpass a $400 headphone but they surely do. 
audiokinesis
2,764 posts
 
@russ69, I'm not advocating for headphones as being "better" than loudspeakers.  But good headphones can do some things better, and good loudspeakers can do other things better.  In my opinion good loudspeakers do a far better job of allowing the listener to suspend disbelief and get lost in the music. 

What I was trying to do was offer one possible explanation for gmckay1960's observations.  

Duke
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