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Please help--my ears are hurting

I had heard of the synergy phenomonem, but being a relative newbie I had always thought it an audio myth. I now know it is no myth. I had started building a system and like many, I bought some equip. before I knew what I was doing. Not that I bought anything necessarily bad, I had not bought anything necessarily good. I have 2 Polk floorstanders & center speaker, an HK 325 receiver, and a cheap JVC dvd player. I went the receiver route because of the WAF and FAF(family aproval factor). I am interested in mostly music, but the family is interested in mostly movies. Well, the sound was just OK. My first step was to add a new CD player--the highly reviewed Music Hall CD25 w/ Level 1+ Mod. At first I was amazed at all the sound I had been missing. What detail, what clarity, and finally what brightness-- especially in the upper mids/lower highs. I now cannot listen for more that an few minutes without getting a headache. At times my ears literally "prickle", especially at certain frequencies. The cd25 apparently is synergistically out of sync with the rest of the system. I have actually gone back to listening mostly to the DVD player. I contacted the seller and he thinks the problem is most likely in the HK and suggested that I buy a Jolida integrated amp w/ a tube preamp ($600) to warm things up a bit.
1. What do you guys think about this?
2. I would like something that I could incorporate into the HT system. I don't think this is possible with the Jolida.
3. Is there an ss amp that might warm this player/system up?
4. I am using Blue Jeans Cables which get high ratings as a budget ic. Opinions?????
5. Could the speakers be the culprit? I have been looking into some Spendors.
6. Could the new player somehow be defective? It has been broken in according to the recommendation.
7. Should I scrap/sell the HK and start over in the amp section of the system?
Guys, I am at an impasse here. I don't have dealers nearby to audition, so I have to go mostly on what I read. Being a high school teacher I don't have a lot of discretionary income, but I do love good music, and now that I am nearing retirement want a decent system. I was thinking of spending $8-1000 for each new upgrade---source, speakers, amp section. Where should I go from here? Thanks in advance. Ouch.
papertrail
rsbeck
887 posts
 
There are lots of things to at least consider. The new CD player may be
giving you more detail, but your ears might be sensitive to the added
response and detail you're getting. Everyone likes their detail different, so a
lot of people may enjoy this particular player, but it may not right for you. I
would also consider the possible emotional explanation. Though we like to
think we're immune to such things, our hearing *is* affected by our emotions.
We listen "extra carefully" when we get new gear. We can also
listen "selectively." You may have "locked on" to
something in the audio band. I've actually done this before -- and it is hard
to shake. It can definitely give you a headache. You might try taking a break
from the system, giving your ears a rest, see if coming back fresh helps. I
would also try moving your speakers, try different angles, etc. The same
placement doesn't always work when you change gear. Try moving and
separating your various power and audio cables, sometimes you can get a
bad interaction between cables. Another possibility; maybe with better gear,
you're actually listening at higher volumes than before, but don't realize it
because of the increased resolution. If so, room problems that didn't crop up
at lower volumes may be rearing their heads now -- or, maybe the increased
volume is affecting your ears. Just throwing out possibilities. If all else fails,
move new gear in, but try everything else first.

rar1's avatar
rar1
1,800 posts
 
Papertrial:

I went back and read most of your previous postings and it seems that this issue has been with you for a while and you have been doing your research. I read with interest a post of yours from June 24th of last year and one question that has not been raised (at least from what I can tell) ... do you have the space, or even the inclination, to set up a second system and do your music listening in a separate room?

If that is a viable option, you could then focus on building a system around the Music Hall CD 25 as your source (it really is a good CD player) and with a budget of $1600 to $2000, you could pick up a really decent amp; set of speakers; and some cables. In this way, you can get closer to a music system, without having to build around what is, at its core, a HT system.

I can empathize somewhat with your situation ... my wife can retire in a few years and issues like relocation to a warmer climate and what our lifestyle will look like are on the table. I also think about how much audiophile related stuff I have acquired over the years (a roomful of CD's and electronics) and quite frankly, do I really want to lug this stuff down South or out West? Oh well.

Rehards, Rich
tobias
1,534 posts
 
Rich, that's a very interesting post if I may say so.

Papertrail may well be faced with either going to a dual-purpose system which can really play music, or having two systems dedicated to different purposes. Both routes involve extra expense, unfortunately. The two-system route would be as you say. The single-system, dual-purpose approach would really require better downstream equipment to satisfy Papertrail's audiophile-grade ears.

I am embarrassed that I didn't research Papertrail's earlier posts myself. Hats off to you, Rich.
darrenlite
24 posts
 
First, scrap the Polks and get a decent pair of speakers that you are comforable with. Paradigm, PSB, NHT and many others make some moderately priced speakers that you'll be much happier with. Then work backwards from there.
bublitchki
14 posts
 
I wouldn't try to put a band-aid on the system to try to "cover up" the poor sound of one of your components.

While I'm not an expert on the sound of various models of moderately-priced CD players, I suggest you go out and listen to same and consider making a replacement of that part of your system.

Certainly nothing wrong with tubed electronics in their own right. I've got some myself. But I've also been guilty of trying to use gear and cable as a "tone control," which can get very risky and expensive. Sometimes it works (it did for me), but when it doesn't, you can get involved in the endless cycle of buying and selling equipment.

I'd go directly to the source of the problem and deal with the CD player.
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