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Listening Fatigue & Speakers in Small Room

The main components of my system are B&W N804s, a MF A300cr power amp (225 wpc), a BAT VK-3i, and a MF Nu Vista CD. All cabling is Cardas Golden Reference. I had this set up in my old, 20x24 condo dining room/living room with no problems. Now, I have a house with a dedicated listening room of approximately 10x10x8, and am experiencing listening fatigue. After a little while, the outside of my ears start to hurt. Recently, I have treated the room with GIK bass traps and spot panels which have made the quality of the sound much, much better, but my ears continue to hurt. I'm thinking that maybe the B&Ws are just too big for the room, and that I may need to go to monitors with a sub. Am I on the right track, or could another component may be the culprit? Thanks for your help.
rlb61
rlb61 OP
790 posts
 
Bombaywalla ... I tried your suggestion about toeing in the
speakers so they are pointing directly at me. WHAT a
difference! I have a Monster Bass Trap on the rear wall
directly behind my listening chair, so it appears that certain
sounds are being absorbed by it. Also, I notice a decided
reduction in room energy, which is likely the elimination of
certain reflections; although the room is treated, not every
portion of it can be. So that huge change, coupled with the
new tubes, seems to have made the situation a whole lot
better. Thanks so much to you and everyone else for the
suggestions. BTW, if it turns out that I do need new speakers,
do you folks have recommendations for really good monitors?
Thanks, again.
bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
BTW, if it turns out that I do need new speakers,
do you folks have recommendations for really good monitors?
Thanks, again.
Rlb61
you know, I'm a time-coherent speaker kind-of-guy. So, I'm going to recommend Green Mountain Audio speakers (they are based in Colorado Springs, CO) such as the entry-level Rio & the next level up Eos. Visit their website & pick up the phone & talk to the owner/designer. He's a very nice person to talk to - give him the details of your room, distance of your chair from the speakers & any other limitations you have to see if Green Mtn Audio speakers will fit your application.
http://greenmountainaudio.com/rio/
No affiliation to this company, just a satisfied ex-customer & a time-coherent speaker enthusiast.
FWIW. YMMV.
tboooe's avatar
tboooe
1,009 posts
 
Rlb61, my room is very similar in size to yours except that the wall behind the listening position is only 3" tall. Behind that is my family room and kitchen. I use monitors and will adding a sub soon. I am in the process of treating my room. So far I added Vicoustic absorption panels on the front wall between my speakers. My next move is to add RealTraps Mondo Traps in the corners for bass trapping. My last move will be to add panels on side walls and ceiling to deal with 1st reflection points.

When I had fatigue it was definitely due to reflections. For me toeing in helped to tame the 1st reflections.

As for what monitor you will get a ton of advice. What's your budget and what kind of sound do you like and what kind of music do you listen to?
rlb61 OP
790 posts
 
Tboooe ... As a trained musician, I have eclectic musical
tastes. Everything from classical, metal, reggae, punk, jazz,
folk, r&b, southern rock, and all things in between. Not easy,
I know. If I were to get new speakers, I would sell the N804s
and put that dough toward the purchase price. My budget is
somewhere between $3,500 and $5,000; so, with the offset in
the purchase price from the N804s, the net layout becomes
less. I think I would be best off with a speaker having a
ribbon or soft dome tweeter.
philb7777
401 posts
 
Best monitors I have heard for the price are the Evolution Acoustics MMMicro Ones. I think they retail for around $4500 with stands. They have ribbon tweets. I don't have any affiliation with Evolution, and don't even own their other speakers, just a fan of those monitors.
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