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Sibilance in recordings: your experience the same?

I have just finished a remodeling project and added new 20amp lines to feed my system. Rather suddenly I became annoyed with excessive sibilance on Patricia Barber's Mythologies recording (CD). I had never noticed this before. I looked at my system configuration and could find no obvious changes in the pre/post-remodeling arrangement of my power cords and ICs, so I have to ask if others have had the same experience with this recording. While I'm at it, are there other recordings, say, in the female singer/songwriter genre with inherently excessive sibilance? The really annoying thing about sibilance is once you hear it, YOU REALLY HEAR IT!
mdrummer01
shadorne's avatar
shadorne
7,477 posts
 
Aldavis,

Nice post. I'd agree that if you have an excellent system then a small portion of your collection will have a little too much sibilance (that is because not all studios are equipped with decent gear - many speakers have a midrange scoop for example to make them sound pleasant and laid back - even in studios)
sme10
19 posts
 
In retrospect most of my upgrades, were to reduce sibilance!

Power cords were the biggest cure for me, my elrods cant live/listen without them!
Also ceraballs under my phonostage really helped, I will add more under my amps when funds allow.
I have a nordost shiva on my power amp (soon to be replaced), if I swap this with an Elrod any remaining sibilance is gone.
Good luck
martykl
3,578 posts
 
Sibilance in recording is also a function of the singer's mic technique. If you see a singer who looks like they're about to swallow the mic, there's a good chance that you're looking at a singer who'll make sibilant recordings. I've hear the before/after effect of moving a mic away from a singer's mouth and it can be quite ssssssignificant.

Marty
kijanki's avatar
kijanki
4,446 posts
 
Mdrummer01 - I had the same problem on Barber and many other recordings (my system is very revealing). I changed tweeter's in-series cap from $10 variety to $100 variety and most of sibilants disappeared. Amplifier distortions also convert to sibilants - my previous SS was "brassy" and less clean. Cheaper tweeters might have small resonances in 8-11kHz range where sibilants are.

Audphile1 - I also use Acoustic Zen cables, Satori Shotgun and Absolute IC.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,634 posts
 
I have zero tolerance for artificially produced sibilance in my system.

In almost all instances I've had sibilance issues over the years, it was related to either poorly configured phono setup or worn stylii on cartridges (these do need to be replaced periodically, remember, for optimal performance).

If its in the recording, then it is what it is. It will be there on a good system regardless of whether source is phono, digital or whatever and that's the way it should be.
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