Broke and still not happy


I like new country and good old rock & roll. My system sounds sterile, flat sounding,not musical and harsh in the highs.I have been playing bass guitar in the same band for 35 years for a living,I think I know what music is suppose to sound like. This is my gear.
Sonic Frontiers Line 1se,Classe Cam 200s,North Star Design Dac&Transport,Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors,Rel sub.Cables are balanced Nirvana SL pre to amps,Nirvana SL to speakers and Nirvana SX from source. Vibrapods under everything but amps. Echo Busters.HELP
gellis1
Sounds like a great system to me. Sorry I can't help you. I'm sure someone will.
Gellis,
My guess is it's probably a combination of your room, your speaker setup, and your woofer location. Need more information about that for any of us to make recommendations. Dimensions, layout of furniture and speaers and sub, # openings & sizes, what's on the walls, etc.
You've got some nice stuff there and it should be ringing your bell, better than it is.
Is this a dedicated room? Are you familiar with setting up the speakers in a "nearfield" configuration?
Do you know the simple trick for determining the best spot for the placement of the sub? (place it in the main listening position and .....)
Cheers,
John
It is very difficult to get the sound that will make you happy by just buying expensive gear and hooking it up in whatever room that you have available. Think of the advice that you would give a beginner who had bought a new expensive bass guitar and had your complaints.
My first suggestion is to find someone who has a system that you like, and try substituting one piece of your equipment at a time. Also, listen to your equipment through headphones. If it stinks on phones, it will not improve in a room hooked up to speakers. I once hated a friend's very expensive system, and using the above method found that his very well reviewed (Audio Research) line stage sounded terrible. We substituted a 79 cent Radio Shack volume control instead of the line stage, and the grundge went away. Do not be intimidated by brand names. Some very expensive designs are poor matches in the "real world" for much of the equipment out there. Even same brand equipment can be so scale (gain) mismatched that it is operating at its design limits (sounds stressed) rather than at its optimum (sounds open). A dealer should know by experience what combinations work well together. Unfortunately, few dealers have the technical background to understand WHY. A few bucks spent on a competent technician can get one off the equipment swap bandwagon, and actually solve and demystify many problems. Do not, however, be alarmed if the technician prefers a Zenith radio, after all- good taste is not his job. Good luck.