New system has fatiguing, harsh high frequency sounds. How to fix?

fraterperdurabo: "...the Real Time Analyzer app for your smart phone and do some measurements." Awesome suggestion. Thank you. I didn't know about those apps. I found a couple different Android apps including these:

RTA Audio Analyzer by RadonSoft
Spectroid by Carl Reinke
Sound Level Meter by BOLDEN
Advanced Spectrum Analyzer PRO by Vuche Labs

I have to learn how to use that information, but in playing around with Spectroid for 5 minutes I already see how useful this will be. It does seem like the frequencies around 7kHz are the ones that sound harsh to me when the level is too high. I'll keep measuring.

psickerson: "What kind of music do you listen to?" The harshness I was describing is most apparent to me in classical Indian music (sitar, sarangi, etc.), which is acoustic. However, it was also apparent in alternative rock.

"Roon" - interesting. Had never heard of it, but Roon opens up a whole new can of worms for me, starting with the fact that it won't run on my operating system (Linux). I"ll leave that aside for another time.

I did not read all the previous replies, but You did quite the detailed write up for your equipment, but you left out the most important thing.  
What kind of music do you listen to?  

Many mass speaker manufactures try to impress you out of the gate so they design speakers to be very reveling on the top.  You can hear highhsts like you never heard before but after a couple of hours it’s painful.  Pop / electronic music suffers in many areas of SQ.  

I had purchased B&W cm601, impressive on top, but painful with my Puoneer Elite receiver.  
Replaced the receiver and sonos connect for Primaluna Dialog HP and Schiit Yggy DAC.  Still harsh with some female and poorly mixed and electronic instruments.  Acoustic music all wonderful.  Next replaced B&W with Aerial Acoustics 5T.  Ah ........ finally.

So, if you don’t want to spend 12k on a new system here are my suggestions:

1) Replace your digital sources with a TT.  That will effectively cut the digital harshenes you are hearing.

2).  Listen to acoustic music mostly. 

3).  Try Roon and Educate yourself on how to use a 3rd party software to apply convolution filter to improve the room Acoustics and EQ. 

Good luck

@lowerdrive, There’s always the $3 Wal-Mart experiment. Buy a pair of white winter socks and hang them over the tweeters, see if that doesn’t smooth things out. Also. I think break-in is only an issue for tube gear.

Looking at your set up it is clear to me that you are sitting way too close to all those speakers especially given how tall/big they are. No wonder the sound is not too your liking. You need another 3 to 5 more feet away from them. Maybe go for a smaller speaker like a bookshelf. You don't need to get rid of your Sony. It's not the problem. 

Using toe in on most speakers will have very notable changes on upper treble response for wide range of speaker designs, primarily because of greater degree of output fall off at the side is greater in the upper treble range over others. That said, I find that sense of brightness people mention is more often related to mid treble response instead. Add the fact that hearing acuity and energy levels of the recorded music is typically less at the upper range only is compounding. Still, even mid treble response will fall off faster over its range as compared to the bass or mids.

You will impact the sound stage and central imaging as you experiment, so take your time with a new position. Changes like placement time to determine the overall effect. You do get an idea if its close early on, but fine tuning is an effort over time.

Speakers do break in, likely more so than most others in the audio chain. Spiders, roll surrounds, and even certain cone materials will adjust over the initial hours of use. 

As for break in, not surprisingly as mechanical devices speakers need a bit of that. Harbeth say a few hours will do, and that was indeed my experience, even if the difference was never more than minor.

I am not denying that his system sounds harsh, only that this is not because he uses a digital source. Earlier in this thread I have given a checklist of possibilities.
By the way, there is nothing wrong with Bluray players as disc spinners (think Oppo). In this case the BD player was even used with an external DAC, so the sonic signature would be that of the DAC. Anyway, the harshness in that small room system has already been cured.
As for harshness at higher levels, and it is indeed real, ceteris paribus the root cause of that is insufficient amplifier power. I fail to understand why self professed audiophiles do not understand that moving a lot of air simply requires a lot of energy. Fortunately for him the OP has solved that potential problem with his 2x500 watt rms amplifier.

1. Another person mentioned a break in period for the speakers.
Correct! Very, very, important. Pound them with bass within reason to loosen the woofers. Just play it all day at low volume all day for the tweets and mid for a week
And I bet they will start settling down. The Klipsch will especially be harsh at first because of their high efficieny.
2. You mentioned room acoustics. This is also correct. After speaker break in, if not good then I would change the room with absorbsion material to deaden the ’biting" frequency. A decorative quilt or something on a back wall might be enough so experiment. The highs will hit the quilt and not reflect as much.
3. An equalizer will also work to locate the hot frequency. The EQ is just another piece of equipment in the audio path so do not let it be the weak Link in your system. Make sure the signal to noise ratio and dynamic range can complement your system.
4. Some people in the blog mention distorion is expected in a lower end system. Somewhat correct? You can have a system like yours in an acoustically good room outperform a very hi-end system in a bad acoustic room. You have a nice system for the room size and it will not take much power to have great sound under the correct acoustical condition.EQ alone may not totally fix the problem  but could make a huge diffetence. An EQ worked for me. Rooms highs were absorbed

I suspect people get used to certain types of distortion, including high frequency harshness. Distortion is a very relative thing. You often don’t realize exactly how much distortion there is in the sound until you eliminate some or most of it. Almost all system I’ve ever heard, including those at shows, exhibit gross distortion when the volume is greader than average volume. It’s as if the system just can’t maintain its composure at higher volumes and blows its cool. A great many causes of distortion, especially in the high frequencies, have been identified. But not all of them.

@willemj It really depends upon what we’re talking about. Most of the low to mid audiophile digital isn’t harsh because it’s artificially smooth and lacking in detail retrieval and dynamics. In that regard, you are absolutely correct in that most audiophile digital these days is not harsh, but it is lacking in many other ways. If that same digital actually revealed the detail that’s there in a proper system that is capable of revealing such detail, they would certainly be quite harsh almost across the board. But this is all besides the point here; in this case we’re talking about a blu ray player and a receiver - that’s quite low end and is going to be harsh in almost any system (it certainly also doesn’t help that the OP is using four speakers for two channel - that can’t help, not to mention that such speakers are low end to boot).

To be honest, I have never noticed such harshness, even using modest digital sources in a revealing system. There is clarity compared to vinyl, which is not surprising if you look at the high frequency drop off in plots of many pickup cartridges. Reality takes getting used to.
If there is harshness, it is usually either the speakers or a reflective room. One other thing could be clipping distortion on the input stage of the amplifier. Most digital sources conform to the Red Book standard of 2.0 Volt output, and that is a lot for the line input of many traditional amplifiers. Amplifier designers would do well to take notice, but if they don’t, inline attenuators are the easy cure.

@corparehippie  "There's a harshness associated with digital reproduction".  That certainly is true up to a point of quality (which we're obviously dealing with in this case), but the upper echelons of today's digital reproduction have no such harshness and are frankly, unparalleled by any other sources.  Check out an EMM Labs DA2 with V2 firmware (or based on reports, the top of the line MSB DACs).

One of the best quotes I've seen about audio gear that has helped me understand how things interact is "the volume knob on an amp is like the focus ring on a camera". There's definitely a sweet spot with an amp/speaker combo where things come alive a bit more, sometimes it's a broader range than others but in my experience bigger speakers usually make me want to turn up the volume to hear them at their best. At which point a certain significant other turns it down again.

Speakers vibrate the air around them and bigger speakers vibrate more of it. Those vibrations interact with the walls, ceiling, floor etc and cause issues. As you've found, smaller speakers often work better than bigger ones in a small room. The important thing is to match your setup to your preferred listening level in the particular room.

There's a harshness associated with digital reproduction and also sometimes around the crossover frequencies of speakers. I've found having tubes somewhere in the chain helps, before I switched to a tube pre/power combo I tried an ifi itube tube buffer, which definitely got rid of a lot of the annoying harshness in the upper mids. 

When I worked in QA they told us "You can't fix what you can't measure."

So start by getting the Real Time Analyzer app for your smart phone and do some measurements.  My recent listening rooms have been on the small side with lots of plaster/sheetrock and bare wood floors.  

When measured (I used MathAudioRoomEQ and a RatShack digital meter) there's a +15db peak centered around 7khz.

Knowing what the problem was, I could fix it with EQ.  If I owned rather than rented, I'd have used room treatments as some are advising here, but the point is, I knew what the problem was.\

Take some measurements.  See where the problems are.  Then ask for advice again.

kalali: "The easiest way to reduce treble harshness is to set up the speakers such that the listening position is off-axis of the tweeters, e.g. no toe-in, tilt back, etc. "

I don't remember who recommended that earlier in this thread, but I did try it and, you are right, it did make a significant difference. Thanks for expanding on why it can be a good remedy.

The disadvantages of tubes are clear:
1 high energy consumption (think of the environment)
2 often very speaker load dependent frequency response (i.e. tube sound where an amplifier should not have a sound of its own.
3 often pretty bad measured test results.
4 Often quite low output
5 expensive
6 hassle

@kosst - Not sure who voted you king and supreme intellect. I am sharing my opinion based on experience. If you disagree with my opinion you can simply disagree (as in your sentences which follow your first). No need to make disparaging comments as in your first sentence. 

For 2-channel listening I'd recommend a tube amp, room treatments, and possibly speaker toe-in/out adjustments. Borrowing a partial quote posted by a very knowledgeable man from another thread touting an advantage of employing a tube amplifier ...

although solid state amps appear to have less distortion, the distortion that they do have is far more audible and objectionable to the human ear.

kosst_amojan - if you said which speakers you own, I missed it. I'd like to know. THanks.

erik_squires: "This is why I think so many audiophiles should make at least one pair of speakers in their lifetimes. It would completely reset their expectations of money and value." That's an idea I really like! Thank you.


itsjustme: "I tend to agree that you likely have too much stuff, of too little quality, with too small a room, but proceed logically, step by step." I agree now too. And yes, I will proceed step-by-step. My goal is to learn and gain experience before I start spending a lot of money.

" I know you were asked, but why do you have four sizable speakers?" I started off with a 7.1 configuration. When I realized 7.1 was too much for this room, I tried a 5.1. That left me with two spare speakers, so I experimented.

"To get an objective view of what;s going on maybe you can find a local audio geek with a doppler or pulse spectrum analyzer." That interests me, but meeting trustworthy experts takes time. I hope I can do what you suggested, but I don't know how quickly I'll meet the right audio geek. I only started this project a couple weeks ago. :-)

lowrider57: "Your room now looks like a comfy place to watch a movie." Yes, indeed. I'm pretty satisfied with it for watching movies now. Thanks for everyone's help in getting to this point. :-)

willemj: "Are you using the room eq of your receiver?" Yes, that was part of the solution in this (movie) room.

RE: advice from Johnny at Audio Connection. Yes, I appreciate his advice and I have all of the things suggested that can be done now. (Break-in, for example, will take time.)

mrdecibel: "I would also experiment with hanging a large towel on the front wall, slightly behind, but above the tv ( maybe using painters tape ) to further stop early reflections." Interesting idea. I didn't try it yet, but I will keep this in mind. Thanks.

swampwalker: "In sum, you have inadvertently created a sort of positive feedback loop." Yes, it seems that way! :-)

"I would look for electronics known for a warm or slightly laid back sound (often described as a British sound) and put them in a larger space where the speakers can be well out from the wall behind them and where you can place furniture/pillows, curtains." That sounds like the approach I would like to take.

firstgrowth: "You are getting some good advice re: break-in time. Be patient or run your system on a loop while you're out of the house." Thanks. I know break-in time is controversial, but my system does seem to be getting better with time.

dskinner5: Audience Powerchords... they really work?

jnorris2005: "Your best bet is to turn the treble down on the receiver and move on." That was part of what I did, but it wasn't enough until I also made the other changes discussed above.

"You're using Polk, Sony, LG and Klipsch equipment. Mid-fi at best..." Yes, I know. But I don't have enough experience to warrant buying higher end equipment yet.

taww: "Marantz leans a lot warmer and smoother and should help." OK, good to know.

jnorris2005: "Ridiculously expensive power cords are of questionable value in a very high end system. On a Sony they are an absolute waste of money. On a similar note, while expensive interconnects and speaker cables may have more validity, their effects would be mostly inaudible in this system."

Actually, this is my feeling exactly. While I am open to trying anything that fits my budget, I think I'll hold off on trying expensive cords, cables, and wires until I have a true high end system.

kosst_amojan: "No offense folks, but we're talking about $600 speakers here. Nobody is hearing the qualities of cables through ANY Polk RTi series speakers."

Thanks. This further confirms my feeling. I'll forgo the expensive cables.

mtrot: "No offense to you, but I don’t see how the OP could NOT be offended by your dismissive comment." I wasn't offended at all. I realize people have different opinions. I also realize that the subject of expensive cables is very controversial. I realize bi-wiring is controversial too. I have good quality 4 conductor high strand count 12 AWG OFC speaker cables in a bi-wiring configuration. I think I'll stick with that until I have more expensive gear. (Some might say that even this bi-wiring configuration is overkill for my speakers and AVR.)

oem-wheels: "also use all copper cables, especially in the speaker cable.. ". Yep. :-)

"I'm not sure why he opted for 2 pairs of front channels, but the cash would have been better spent on a single pair of better speakers." I started off with a 7.1 configuration. When I realized 7.1 was too much for this room, I tried a 5.1 with the dual front speakers. I liked it better. But I only did it because I had an extra pair of speakers left over from the 7.1 config that I initially thought was going to work.

willemj: "Since you seem to be in a position that you can return a lot of your gear (all the Polk stuff, including the Polk Sub (?), the Sony, and perhaps also the LG disc player?)" Yes, I bought a lot of it from Amazon, and I think I can return it. But I bought it to begin my learning process. I'm not sure I know enough yet to know which higher end components to purchase. And by the time I can go somewhere to audition equipment, it will be too late to return this. I'm more inclined to take smaller steps. I have my movie room sorted now. As my next step, I would prefer to get a mid-fi music system set up in my larger room using an integrated amp or the Oppo disc player and/or some of the other options you have suggested. I'm trying to learn more about those options now. I like the idea of one of the Yamaha amplifiers you mentioned (e.g.P3500S), the But I'm inclined to keep the RTi speakers at this stage. Later, when I get better speaker, I'll appreciate them more. If I got the best speakers now, I probably would not be able to fully appreciate the sound.


harley52: "Why did you not buy better speakers and buy a smaller tv?" I like my TV. The movie room is fine now. No complaints. I dont' want to change anything about it at the moment. Now I'm focusing on a music system in a larger room.

BTW, if I had initially bought more expensive equipment there is a good chance I would just have made a more expensive mistake. It took the experience of listening to the equipment in THAT room to realize some of my initial ideas were just not realistic. That's why my main goal now is to gain experience step by step.

So much to comment on, so little time :-)  I see lots of solutions that swap pieces and throw money at the problem.  I'd first do some trouble isolation.  Step #1 would be to adjust speaker placement and angle to see not only if you can fix it, but if you can at least change it.  For example, moving the speakers off axis a bit might give you a HF decrease where you sit.

In the overall context cables and dragon-toothed plugs are a total waste of money.  Focus on the basics. I tend to agree that you likely have too much stuff, of too little quality, with too small a room, but proceed logically, step by step.

Can you borrow some components to substitute in?  I would substitute in a different source (CD/DVD) and see what difference THAT makes, next a receiver.  I am not up on current receivers, so i wont comment on brands - i live at the other end of the spectrum. In the old days NAD made some nice stuff, as did Rotel.  In that room you need less than 20 wpc, except maybe to drive a subwoofer for movies.

I also tend to agree that the first order effect is likely speakers, followed by speaker-room interaction.  I know you were asked, but why do you have four sizable speakers? Concentrate your fire!  Get smaller, higher quality speakers that you can position idally - and maybe move for music vs movies.  If in fact you have a 100% return policy, i might go in and ask - within the period, to listen to a bunch of smaller speakers of high quality and listen for "musicality". On quick back to back comparisons the louder or brighter speaker always wins - and will torment you ti; you;re "praying for the end of time to hurry up and arrive" - a notably bright album I'll add :-)

To get an objective view of what;s going on maybe you cna find a local audio geek with a doppler or pulse spectrum analyzer. It puts out wide spectrum noise and then measures the in-room response. You find out if you really do have a rising high frequency, and then you ask the store "why?"  They wont know, but it outs you in a good place :-)

If i had a  small room, and I;ll date myself here, I'd have a  NAD 3020 and a pair of Met-7s, with some active subwoofer stuffed behind a table. Or similar.  Maybe something designed since man landed on the moon, but you get the idea.

I think the OP’s speakers are fine, if that’s what he likes.

Dealing with room acoustics will make everything better. If the monitors are just used for music selection, maybe an iPad or Android driven music server would help. At least that way when playing music you can cover everything up.

I have to shake my head at some of the thoughts in this thread. It seems like the desire is to spend lots of money to solve simple issues is strong here. This is why I think so many audiophiles should make at least one pair of speakers in their lifetimes. It would completely reset their expectations of money and value.


Best,

E

Why did you not buy better speakers and buy a smaller tv? Sound, as you are not happy with, is more annoying than a smaller tv. It's only a tv. In that room the tv is too large. Have you attempted to use the eq in the sony to address the harshness? That would do more than anything else that's been mentioned.

And for a cheaper version of my two channel HT suggestion, and more so if you cannot return the LG disc player: a Yamaha AS 801 2x100 watt amplifier with optical, coaxial and usb digital inputs, plus the somewhat cheaper Harbeth C7ES-3 speakers.
Unfortunately unlike the Oppo the LG player cannot quite serve as a pre amplifier because it does not have a digital input (apart from a LAN networking connection and a USB that will only take memory sticks but not computers).

I've owned an Onkyo and used Polk speakers and it sounded good with no brightness... but maybe kosst_'s knowledge is better than my ears

Hi allJust some thoughts: How about introducing a tube-based pre-amp in the set up? And smaller speakers.
I would not have used such large speakers (as in the first pictures) for such a small room.
Recently I was on a demonstration of amplifiers at a local HFi dealer. They used a relatively small listening room, with some large floorstanders. I commented that the sound was hard and "edgy". They switched to smaller stand mounted speakers and the sound became a lot softer and more comfortable to listen to.
I use Spendor SA1 speakers in my living room (together with the Sugden A21SE Amplifier and a vacuum tube based DAC). This gives an incredibly comfortable sound and has no problem filling the entire living room with sound.
Oh – and i always buy second hand stuff, so i get great sound for half the price :-)

I have come to think that the problems need to be adressed at the root. Speakers and their interaction with the room are responsible for 90% of  sound quality:
1 it is an illusion to think that it will ever be possoble to have really good sound in that room. It is too small, and because it is square, the room modes will also be bunched together. All that is possible is casual listening with a pair of mini monitors (you could use your old speakers for that, with a cheap Sony STR 130 if you still want some sound in that room).
2 Since speakers are so important, and because they are also by far the most expensive component, you have too many of them and they are not as good as they should. Why not opt for a 2 channel HT system? That is what I did: you give up some surround effects, but you gain a lot of sound quality. Since you seem to be in a position that you can return a lot of your gear (all the Polk stuff, including the Polk Sub (?), the Sony, and perhaps also the LG disc player?), do so. Move over to the mid size room, and use whatever budget you have to buy some really good speakers (Harbeth M30.1?) and some affordable electronics (Harbeths do not need fancy electronics or cables - sell those too if they are worth any money). How much budget would this create? Electronics: for example an Oppo 205 disc player and pre amp (if your LG does not have the right inputs and outputs and volume control), plus a beefy Emotiva or pro audio power amp.

@ kosst_amojan

I agree with all you said in the last post.  Just thought your first post was a bit harsh, could have been a bit diplomatic about it. 

I can understand why a person new to audio might like the idea of two sets of speakers.  Heck, we always say if YOU like and enjoy your system, that's what matters.  But the OP doesn't seem to like the sound, so I agree better speakers would be number one on the to do list.

get rid of the Sony and get the best Onkyo you can afford.. check latest model, used first.. I've had good luck with them before I got into seperates.. also use all copper cables, especially in the speaker cable..

@ kosst_amojan

No offense to you, but I don’t see how the OP could NOT be offended by your dismissive comment.

Ridiculously expensive power cords are of questionable value in a very high end system.  On a Sony they are an absolute waste of money.  On a similar note, while expensive interconnects and speaker cables may have more validity, their effects would be mostly inaudible in this system.  And don't let someone talk you into $150 fuses, either.  Back off on the speakers, you only need two - four tops, lose the subwoofers and stop trying to blow yourself away.

There are a lot of good suggestions here, I’ll just give my .02:

- agreed this is way too much gear for a room of this size. Big speakers will do movies well but for music, smaller monitor speakers will likely do a better job.
- agreed the combo of Sony + Polk could be contributing. Break in of the electronics will help smooth out the highs but it will take a very long time, 400+ hours.
- Marantz leans a lot warmer and smoother and should help. I have a NR1403 and while I would never call it audiophile it’s quite pleasant and agreeable with music.
- I disagree the brightness is a lost cause in this room. The right gear will be a lot less harsh sounding and make it more livable even with all the reflections. Speakers are likely the biggest culprit here so if changing the receiver alone doesnt help enough, that’s probably your next step.
- wire can make a big difference. For something smoother and more mellow I’d try Anticables.

To address the elephant in the room, you're using Polk, Sony, LG and Klipsch equipment.  Mid-fi at best, and all known for over-emphasizing upper frequencies in a bid to sound "detailed" and "airy".  Your best bet is to turn the treble down on the receiver and move on.

My opinion on your system. My first pair was RTI10 and the 505 sub with B&K components. These are bright to start with. Get them away from the wall about 18 inches so they can breathe. Get rid of the silver anything with those speakers,you need good solid copper with gold power cables and speaker cables. You can maybe throw in some silver interconnects to see how thin they sound or bright. Your Sony is also bright right out of the box. I would suggest Audience PC, they will smooth out your sound and tame the brightness down a bit. The others are also correct about the burn in time,although I don`t think Polk needs a lot of time for that. I had a Mark Levinson system that was bright. I bought some Audience Powerchords for all of my AC connections. I also have some interconnects and Powerchords left over from that system if you would like to try different things. The PC have a lifetime warranty and the best bang for the buck in my opinion with what you have going on here. Congrats on the new system. Let me know if I can help.

Some good suggestions here. 
I would follow Johnny at Audio Connection suggestions as close as possible. He gave me some advice after I had played with my system for about 3 years. After I followed his suggestion I let him know how it turned out as he asked, then he suggested something else and no more issue after that. 

Your room now looks like a comfy place to watch a movie. Looks much more balanced.
If the pillows behind the speakers are helping to tighten up the sound, you may want get a couple absorbtion panels.

I agree with attacking the room first.  Once you tame the reflections no matter how you change equipment the room will be done.  

You are getting some good advice re: break-in time.  Be patient or run your system on a loop while you're out of the house.

OK. HT room sorted I would think. Are you using the room eq of your receiver?
For the music room, I moved to your new thread.

swampwalker - thank you for that nice summary.

RE: "If you give us a budget and whether you want to buy new or used, we can make specific suggestions. "

That would be awesome. I would like to keep the larger Polk speakers. I like them (build quality and appearance partly). I hope I can repurpose them into a nice music-only system in a larger room.

I describe more details here:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/amp-or-receiver-recommendation-for-polk-audio-rti-a7-floorsta...

In short, my budget is $1000 or so for an integrated amp (or preamp + power amp or whatever is recommended). But I would like to try the dual front speaker setup in the larger room, and that would require more channels.

Since I don't have much experience with audio equipment, I should probably buy new. And I prefer to buy on Amazon because of their generous return policy. I had been anticipating that I would not really know what I wanted/needed until I tried it.

Finally, I do have the option to return one or both pairs of the floorstanding speakers if trying to make a dual front speaker setup work is not a good idea.

Photos: before, during and after:
https://imgur.com/a/o6QzA

Starting point when I posted:
https://imgur.com/VRvxMB2
Dual pairs of large front floorstanding speakers. Treble was harsh and fatiguing.

Testing the A3's
https://imgur.com/EEkVyZK
I sat the smaller A3's on top of the A7's for a quick test. I was not using either floorstanding speaker in this test and the sound was improved. The quick test confirmed I was going in the right direction, just as you guys suggested.


Current home theater setup:
https://imgur.com/j2fGqAq
Sounds the best, but doesn't look as impressive. The various pillows behind the speakers and my extra speaker cables also detract from the appearance. However, after the small tweaks and moving the larger speakers out to open up some space, I don't really have any complaints now, even with sitar or sarangi music. It does not sound harsh or fatiguing. Music sounds very good and movies sound great. The Polk A3's put out a lot of sound. I'm using the Polk Audio CSI A6 center channel speaker now, but I'll have to swap out the TV stand for one with larger shelves to fit this larger center speaker. I'm still using two subwoofers. Movie sound in this small room is just as impressive as with the larger floorstanding speakers.

lowoverdrive- Welcome!  As the responses to the OP amply demonstrate,  if you ask a question like this to 4 audiophiles, you will get 6 or 7 different answers.  You have done a good job of responding and describing the results of your experimentation so far.  Issues like break-in and cabling should not be the source of overwhelmingly harsh high frequencies.  Here are my observations, some of which align with yours:
1.  That is a lot of speaker for a small room.  You are listening in the near-field and that speaker is not designed for that. 
2.  One review I found noted a forward sound with sharp attacks and an edgy sound.  Another review said that could be a bit harsh.  A consumer review said they were for "treble lovers only".  In the near field with modest electronics, that could easily be perceived by someone else as a fatiguing harsh treble.
3.  The speaker is also described as requiring lots of power to open up.  The receiver has been measured to provide only 65 watts/channel at 0.1% distortion.  If that distortion is of the wrong kind, 0.1% can easily be very audible as harshness.  Solid state amps that use feedback to keep the measured distortion low often create that kind of distortion. 
4.  Your small room has two very large glass reflective surfaces (TV and computer monitor).

In sum, you have inadvertently created a sort of positive feedback loop; positive in the sense that all of these factors contribute to the sound quality you described, with an overemphasis on the treble. You found that changing the speakers helped some.  You also noted that the AVR and small speakers are quite adequate for movies, and asked about using the larger speakers with different electronics in a larger room for music.

That is probably the best solution because you probably cannot change enough of the factors that re-inforce each other in that small room.  Modest priced AVRs generally "sound" like they have less than their rated power when playing music and have much of their $$ allocated to digital signal processing, auto-calibration, and the gazillion input and output jacks/plugs/ports on their rear panels.  If you cannot return the large Polk speaker, then I would look for electronics known for a warm or slightly laid back sound (often described as a British sound) and put them in a larger space where the speakers can be well out from the wall behind them and where you can place furniture/pillows, curtains, etc to break up reflections and enhance diffusion of the sound.  If it's just for music, an integrated amplifier might be a good cost-conscious solution.   If you give us a budget and whether you want to buy new or used, we can make specific suggestions. 

I would also experiment with hanging a large towel on the front wall, slightly behind, but above the tv ( maybe using painters tape ) to further stop early reflections. 

Follow these directions, given by JohnnyR (audioconnection)861 posts01-02-2018 10:01amThe second Flat screen is causing an unwanted reflection
 Try removing that one to the left first.
Next push the other flat screen tv as close to the wall behind it.
 Next, pull the front speakers at least 5 inches in front of the Big screen.
  Let it run for many hours 175 at least.
 Make sure you SPL all speakers again.
Best JohnnyR