Agree with the advice on treating your room including adjusting the speakers toe-in and your listening position. Focals can sound a bit harsh or sibilant especially if you’re sensitive to sibilance. You may want to demo speakers with a different sound profile if the room treatments don’t work. You may prefer speakers with a rolled off top end instead of an elevated in room response.
Listening Room or Components or my ears?
My system is sounding a bit harsh, hard, shrill. (Cronus Magnum lll Amp, Focal Aria 948 Speakers, Denon DCD 1700NE CD Player, Shunyata Gamma Cables). It is just CD play back at 1/3 volume. It's a basement, L shaped room. Carpeted cement floors. The Speakers are 3 foot from rear wall. Left speaker 2 foot from side wall. Right speaker is 15 foot from side wall. Speakers are silghtly toed in and a 6 foot apart. Equipment rack and two subs between them. The wall behind the speakers is covered in framed posters. Is this an obvious fault? The walls themselves are wood paneling. Is there a problem with only one apeaker next to a side wall? Ant thoughts or suggestions? Thanks