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Need Help With a Bright System

My system consists of two NAD C 272 monoblocks, an NAD C 162 preamp, and an NAD T 532 DVD player. The speakers are Triangle Antal XS. My problem is that the system can sound pretty edgy and bright on many recordings, particularly rock and pop albums. One very noticeable aspect of this bright sound is edgy vocals that have exaggerated sibilants (i.e. ‘S’ sounds). I'm currently using a pair of Kimber Timbre interconnects between the preamp and monos, and Acoustic Research silver series interconnects between the dvd player and the preamp. I was using a pair of Kimber PBJs between the dvd player and preamp, but found the ARs to be warmer and better on the bass. The speaker cables are a pair of Straightwire Quartets, which I believe are plain copper. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get rid of this bright sound? Obviously I wouldn't like to lose detail while doing so, but I understand that this may be a trade off. I'm willing to make a necessary upgrade, but I just want to ensure that whatever I chose to upgrade will definitely take away a lot of the brightness that I currently hear in this system. I know that using a tube amp instead of solid state would make a huge difference, but what else can be done?
jwglista
seandtaylor99
1,262 posts
 
First the room ... is it hardwood floor, or carpet ? What about drapes or soft furnishing ? Any large windows. Hardwood, large windows and lack of soft furnishings all tend to make a room bright. Clap your hands ... does the clap deaden quickly, or does it ring ?

I don't know what the audio quality of your DVD player is but a lot of less expensive CD players can be slightly sibilant, I think due to poor timing jitter at the DAC. My own experience of adding a reclocking DAC to a Marantz CD67SE increased detail AND decreased brightness all in one go.

If there's any way you could borrow a good reclocking DAC (e.g. Benchmark) and give it a try it might give you an idea of whether the source is the problem.

Also look at speaker and listening position placement ... I recommend www.cardas.com in the insights section under room setup.
miked510
6 posts
 
Do you have carpet or bare floors? How many walls do you have that are reflective, meaning no bookshelves, plants, knick-knacks. Do you have ceilings that can absorb sound?

Are the speakers toed-in, beaming straight to your ears?
French speakers tend to be detailed and fast, if you're patience, you need a good 200+ hours to settle down the top end.

I've owned JM Lab Electras for almost 16 months now, and the "edge" I use to perceive, now has burned into extended, but delicate top-end detail.
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
I completely agree with the posts above, look to room positions first. It is amazing how much difference can be acheived by just moving your listening position by even just a foot. Or repositioning the speakers. If you are getting details now, you should be able to address most of the issues you are unhappy with by addressing room conditions. I suggest you take your time and investigate room acoustics. Visit the Rives Acoustic forum over on VA and search for information on room layouts that tend to match yours. Look for ideas on addressing issues that other people have had with these similar set-up.

Once you are satisfied, and maybe you already are, with the way your room sounds then you can always look to cables for that last little bit of tweaking of the sound. I believe the right cables can take a great system over the edge a bit more, but they will usually not solve short comings with room or component issues.
kotta's avatar
kotta
649 posts
 
Try positioning your spks. in various ways, toe in/out, distance from back wall, distances, etc. Make sure your spks. are level. Perhaps a slight tilt might help smooth out the sound. If this doesn't do the trick then this is what I suggest. Try different interconnects which fall on the warm side of the spectrum. Your spk. wires are very good for the $ and they are warm and full bodied. I wouldn't change those. If this doesn't work, try different spks. Just auditioned some VR1 bookshelf spks. and these were superb. (My search is over and I'm ordering a pair!) Try to find a dealer whom will allow in home auditions. It sounds like to me you really either need to find a more suitable spk., different IC's or perhaps different electronics for your existing spks. Good luck!
jwglista OP
206 posts
 
Thanks everyone for the info. The room is actually filled with furnishings because it is my bedroom. At first I suspected that it was the room, but after a while I realized that it was more the fault of the speakers being bright. I bought these speakers used, so I'm sure there's at least 200 hours on them. Currently, the speakers are toed in; I had them toed out before which seemed to make a small difference in the brightness, but I lost a lot in terms of imaging. I also tweaked around with trying the mono blocks in bridged and plain stero mode, but didn't notice much difference....
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