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How to Solve High-Frequency Suckout in Room?

After upgrading my system including speakers, I'm noticing with more upper frequency detail, that the right channel has some degree of missing high frequencies.  I've confirmed it is my room by swapping speakers, swapping cables for left / right, and of course the cables are all in phase.

My room is quite large, open concept, but my system is to one side of the open area.  Ceilings are vaulted and are 12ft at highest point. The speakers are not near any corners, due to a jut-out on the right side and the other end being completely open. However, there is a partial wall on my right side that has no treatment on it that extends up to 12ft, from the listening position.  This wall starts 3.5 feet in front of the right speaker (about 1.5 Ft to the right of the right speaker) and continues to behind the listening position. 

I've tried putting pillows against the right wall and thought it may have made the problem worse?  There is no wall on the left side, it is completely open.  Does this make sense that there is missing high frequency on the right side, where the wall is?  And, is there anything I can do to fix this?  I will attempt to draw the setup but I'm guessing the alignment will mess up when I post this! 

 

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nyev
theaudiomaniac
87 posts
 

This is such an obvious and good suggestion I feel embarrassed to have not thought of it 🙄   If I am not mistaken, you are using an internal DAC, so alternately, what about finding some mono source material?  Should be easy to find something mono to stream. You can probably even find mono test tracks with a frequency sweep. If the image moves as the frequency changes, you have your culprit.

 

Does your integrated have the ability to play in mono to verity your findings, i.e., that the difference in the left and right speaker sound is from differences in the source material left versus right stereo track recording?

nyev OP
1,031 posts
 

My integrated can't play in "mono mode" as far as I can tell.  Will try to search for "mono" material to stream; good idea.  Will try that and the mono test tones / frequency sweep tonight.

Pretty sure I have found the culprit by now - I can't fathom what other cause there could be such that the issue exists when playing through a CD player (through an RCA analog input to my amp and not through the amp's DAC module), and follows the right channel output of the CD player.

For me, I think the ultimate test is to try the "worst" example of the problem as a CD, and see if the problem clearly follows then CD player's right analog output when connected to the left analog input of my amp. If that happens, which I fully expect it will, case closed...

jetter
3,051 posts
 

I wish you had one or two of the Stereophile Test CDs where you could play the frequency sweeps. 

They are expertly crafted and you would expect identical everything from both channels other than from room impacts.  

Sounds like you are pretty much satisfied that you have found the issue.   Enjoy your beautiful system.

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