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Suddenly, things are sounding awful...

So I hooked my system back up after about a 6 month absence (though the speakers were seeing constant use in another system for much of that time). 6 months ago, the tonality was fantastic. Things sounded rich and detailed. Now, the system sounds extremely bright (especially on top), very grainy, and much of the detail is gone.

I did indeed change the system's position in the room. But Everything has been repositioned very carefully, and I don't see why there would be any major acoustical problems.

The equipment is as follows:
Silverline SR15 monitors.
Audio Refinement CD Alpha
Audio Aero Prima series 1 integrated
Analysis Plus cabling

The only thing I can think of is that perhaps my NOS tube in the Prima is dying. But could that cause brightness and graininess? Those aren't the symptoms I would normally associate with a failing tube.

Suggestions, comments?

Thanks!
128x128lousyreeds1
trelja
3,223 posts
 
I also think it's the room...

See if you can put things back to the way they were previously. Once you do that, you'll know if it was positioning or if your tastes have actually changed during this time.
aball
2,016 posts
 
I think the system was cold. Reevaluate after a day or two of leaving it on and see.
newbee
4,767 posts
 
Lousyreed, Re, "Perhaps thats not right"........

It's not right. The room and speaker positioning in it has a far more dramatic effect on the sound than most folks recognize. Even some of the folks that do, still underestimate it. Life (for us thats audio) should be so simple. :-) Trelja's idea is a good one if you can still do it, at least you will know if you have a piece of equipment that has changed. PS I don't think its the tube - when they age they get dull, lifeless, and noisy. New tubes can be a bit bright for 24 hours or so.

One of the many things that can happen when you rearrange speakers, for example, is in the new position you may well completely change the frequency respone curve in the lower mids and/or bass because of the rooms dimensions. Thin out the lower-mids and the highs will now 'seem bright' even though they may not have changed at all.
lousyreeds1's avatar
lousyreeds1 OP
286 posts
 
It really is amazing how many times I've been told about room acoustics and how many times it has failed to sink in! I'll keep all this in mind and not freak out too much about tubes. Thanks guys.
trelja
3,223 posts
 
Lousyreeds1, we are just about all guilty of the same offense.

We focus on the glamour stuff, when the room is the most important component. The coupling of the room and speaker is directly responsible for a larger share of the sonics than any other component. Just try the same speakers, or ANY other piece of equipment, in two different rooms and it becomes instantly clear. Still, despite these words, like the cable folks and the myriad of snake oil salesmen in our hobby, be wary of those who want to charge lots of money to apply common sense solutions to one's room.

Take what I say with a grain of salt, the information being no better than the source. It has taken me a couple of years of living in a shouty, bright room to realize that I need to quiet the upper midrange and treble regions down to put the music into the proper balance. But, I have now purchased the material - burlap, long hair carded wool (need to buy some Mothguard), and am ready to fix my issues...
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