Help. System sounds thin and bright or harsh
Hope this isn't redundant tried to post in Tech Talk
Just moved my system to a new home/sound room and it still sounds harsh and a bit thin despite supposedly "warm" sounding Harbeth 30.1 speakers. This issue is not new and I had put the blame on the old listening room. Can't figure out what the problem is. I listen loud at 80dcbl or higher and sit nearfield about 8 feet from the speaker plane. (sound is thin and bright from afar as well) I have experimented in both homes with speaker placement, toe-in and the like. Speakers are placed a lil over 3 feet from the rear wall and about two and a half feet from side walls. I feel something is off. Perhaps a component or two that is known to be tipped up in the highs and a lil bass shy?? Also, I leave all solid state components fully powered up 24/7. (not the tubes)
System:
Modwright/Oppo BDP 105 disc player (all mods with tubed power supply and pricey NOS tube upgrades throughout) Looking to replace once the harshness/bright issue is nailed down.
Parasound JC2 Preamp
Pass Labs X250.5 Amp
Harbeth 30.1 stand mount speakers
Puritan Labs PSM 156 power conditioner. (less "edgy" sound with it in system)
System is run all balanced with fairly costly Cardas interconnects.
All input is welcome. Thanks in advance.
Happy listening.
@cymivka I have not reread everything, so I am going from memory if I write something already mentioned. First, try another pair of speakers before hauling your amp off for repairs. From what I have read pass gear is fairly bulletproof. We're not talking testing for sonic nuisances here, were testing if something is big time wrong and your Harbeths or amp are not functioning properly. I would try changing the speaker connections on one of the speakers only, so the negative black speaker wire is attached to the red positive connector on the speaker. This will tell you if a whole speaker was wired out of phase. Last, I would try @peter_s post to verify that individual drivers within a speaker have not been hooked up out of phase. As he mentions, definitely research the test first to make sure you don't accidentally mess anything up with the battery. I have done it but only on lesser cost speakers. |
Somehow I sound like the contrarian here, but I don’t wish to. I was just wondering if you don’t happen to have an old receiver or such that you can put in your system just to verify your findings that the amp is to blame? I think that is the simplest way to figure things out. I am sure you are right, but I would certainly want to verify my findings in a more solid way before spending $1,000s for amps that may not match the Pass and more for sending it in if by chance that it is not the culprit. Now if you have the itch for new amps, full steam ahead. |
