Why do all Mahler recordings seem too bright?

What is the source for these in your system? Digital or vinyl? Good recordings of Mahler symphonies are a challenge on the grand scale of things. Lots of things going on and big dynamic shifts and crescendos. That is the unique thing about them compared to many. Lots can go wrong anywhere from source to speakers. Could easily be multiple factors. Need more info to be able to properly assess case by case.

If your setup isn’t cutting it I would seek out a dealer who can demo a system that can. Then you are in a position to assess what’s different and what might to done to correct it.

off the cuff, I love those KEFs but they are small and will be challenged to deliver live symphony SPL levels with something like Mahler #2. Also 100 watts on the amp is not bad but probably also not enough to do the whole job cleanly with those speakers with the most challenging large scale symphonic recordings. Off the cuff I would advise more power (to better handle dynamic peaks) or more efficient speakers (most likely a good bit larger) and add a powered sub or two to the KEFs and cross over at 60 hz or above to remove the low end from the small monitors. This assumes your source phono setup is up to the task. If digital less of an issue there, more personal preference addressed by choice of dac.

A good Mahler symphony recording will separate the men from the boys. Everything needs to be going exactly right with your hifi. There is perhaps no tougher challenge for a hifi to reproduce.

if your hifi does Mahler well, it will do most anything. It’s a very good litmus test!

we’re it me, first thing I would try is throwing a good quality Class D amp at the problem. 250 watts per channel or more. Very feasible these days without breaking the bank .  Most Class D amps soft clip like a tube amp and that alone might help.   

Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving.

Hi Mapman,

I don’t feel the KEF Reference 3s are small - particularly for my modest listening space.  And, I don’t listen at live symphony levels - even though they’re only about 10 feet away. Plus, they sound lovely on most other things. So, I don’t think it’s the speakers.  It’s true the 100 watts I have could potentially be limiting, but even at peaks, I’m not seeing more than 20 watts and the quality of the amp overall is high. (I do wish I still had the T+A PA 3000HV - it was stellar, but ultimately, too big to properly place in my cabinet.)

My digital front end is quite good - while it can be bettered, I’ve put a good amount of attention and $$$ at it and my network. I’ve auditioned a LOT of similarly and more expensive gear and this is where I’ve ended up.

I suspect what I’m experiencing is threefold : 1) Many Mahler recordings actually are too bright. Thanks to @kr4 - for recommending some that are better. 2) my speaker cables are on the bright and revealing side (they’re new and sound wonderful on most things but they are brighter than what they replaced, and 3) I need to tame some resonances coming through my cabinet and into the components creating some euphoric induced distortion. 

Searching for good music is fun so I am tackling 1 here.  I think I’ll address 3 with a visit to the dealer to try some Nordost sort cones and the like.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Btw I have KEF ls50 metas with a Klipsch sw308 sub in a smaller room running off Bel Canto ref1000m monoblocks amps (class d 500 w/ch). Fronted by Audio Research tube preamp. Does Mahler well at modest volumes. The little Kefs are still the bottleneck in that they are just not big enough to deliver at very high spls over 90 db or so. Then I have same front end driving Big Ohm F5s with 12” Walsh driver in next larger room. That takes the lid off. Mahler can be played and enjoyed easily at concert level volumes. Just for comparison. Have heard kef r3s and believe those to be a step above ls50s in terms of absolute SPL levels.

Thanks @mapman mapman.  Fyi: The Reference 3s are entirely different in size and configuration than the R3s, the latter which are standmount and the former of which are floor standing speakers (about the same size as the largest in the R series. KEF’s naming conventions don’t seem to carry over in their lines. 

I also have LS50s (not the Meta) in another system w/ a REL S3 sub - they’re remarkably good. But, yeah - they couldn’t manage Mahler above modest volumes.  The Reference 3s - can play at volumes much greater than I care to listen - and do so without strain.

Interestingly, back in the 80s, I bought a pair of Ohm Fs - speakers I thoroughly enjoyed but could never properly drive.  At the time, I had a 100 watt (remember Hafler?)  which was laughably too little for the famously inefficient Fs. But, boy did they sound nice at moderate volumes when the amp wasn’t panting.!

Best,

Yes it’s always hard to say where a problem comes from with gear one is unfamiliar with but if brightness is persistent throughout the recording and not just the louder peaks that are the problem could just be a matter of some tweaking. Again hard to say. Power conditioning might help. Hard to say with absolute certainty. Do you have a smartphone? If so download a sound level app like decibel and use that to measure spls during peaks or other times the brightness occurs. That will help establish if the issue correlated to the spl peak levels or not

Adding a sub or two is almost always a strong option to consider with any monitor speakers, especially for large scale classical symphonic recordings. . They do not extend flat down to the lowest octave guaranteed. Filling that in alone adds balance and may helping . Using an active crossover to offload bass from mains to subs allows main amp to not have to work as hard which always lowers distortion.

Smaller monitors alone are never optimal for any large symphonic works. Ok perhaps, but not optimal.