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Sound quality vs. volume

Looking for a bit of expertise here:

I recently made a few changes to my setup and while overall pleased with the results, I’m on the quest for better.  I’m hoping you all can help me diagnose an issue I’m hearing.

When listening to music at lower volume levels - say less than 1/2 total volume, the clarity, imaging and dynamics come across far more coherent and “in focus”.  To use an often over-coined phrase “It’s like I’m there in the room”.  As I start to push the volume up a bit, closer to live-performance levels, the sound becomes increasingly “mushy”.  I know, a highly technical term, but the best way to describe what I am hearing.  The bottom-end loosens up - getting a bit boomy, the crispness of the mid-range and highs fade and the imaging falls out of focus.  These are all incremental with volume until I get to the point where it’s just unbearable.   

I’m no expert by any means but feel it might be room acoustics.  I already know I have a less than ideal setup with a nearly square room (21x20ft) with 60% of the surface covered with clear birch wood paneling. Some things we can’t change (easily).  I do not have any acoustic treatment, just lots of soft furniture.  What I find interesting is that my old setup (Magnepan 1.6) didn’t suffer to such a degree.  Maybe with the new setup there is more to loose?  A mystery.  

For a bit more context:  
Speakers:  Dynaudio Contour 60
Streamer: SoTM sms-200 Ultra
Amplifier: Peachtree Nova500

Within the 20x21ft. room, my speakers are 4ft. from the wall, I am seated 13ft. from the front wall (a bit back from room center). Speakers are 9ft. apart.

Any thoughts?  


wanderingmoo

Showing 5 responses by mijostyn

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
wanderingmoo, the only thing you are going to do with blankets is block very high frequencies. There seems to be a lot of misconceptions out there. First of all the frequency sensitivity of our ears changes immensely with volume. As the volume drops our ears become much less sensitive to bass and treble. I suggest you google Fletcher-Munson curves. 
Next is that every recording has a "right" volume level. This depends on the type of music and the way the recording was mastered. As an example Rock music that was recorded to playback at higher volumes sounds dull and bass-less at lower volumes. Turn it way up and it magically turns into a great recording. 
Last is very few systems can play effortlessly above 90 db and many even less. But there are systems that can and when you hear one you will know it. Trust your ears. If things are starting to sound strained or crappy it is because they are. Trying to push a system beyond it's capability is...painful. If you want more life like listening levels you have work to do. But, there are home systems that can comfortably do 110 dB which for any reasonable person is too loud. If you can make it to 100 you are in business big time. 
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
The last three posts are correct in their own way except newtoncr 105dB is pushing the danger point for your ears. Tweek the bass and the treble up just 1-2 dB and 95 dB will sound just as good. Elliot you can have a marvelous sounding system that will not push comfortably beyond 85 db. But id you have a system that will do 95 db comfortably that is heaven for some music not all. A string quartet at that volume would sound rather ridiculous. jkbtn right on.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
Glupson, actually our ears will tolerate 100 dB just fine as long as you get there correctly. Start off at 85 dB and go up in 5 dB increments every five minutes. This gives your stapedius muscles time to clamp down on the occicles, the three little bones that attach the tympanic membrane (ear drum) to the oval window of the cochlea (microphone). Impulse noise like a gunshot at 100 dB is far more damaging. No time for the stapedius to damp down the volume. Always warm up your guests accordingly.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
Great wanderingmoo, I'd love an explanation for that username. Anyway, those speakers are quite capable of a clean 110 dB with the right amp in your room. Subs will increase your headroom and lower distortion in the mid bass but do not bother until you can afford two. One sub can be very frustrating for listeners who cherish accuracy. This is what gives Subs a bad rep in some circles. As for your room acoustics because of the dimensions you are going to produce standing waves around 40 Hz. As you walk down the room the bass will go from too loud to almost non existent then back again. We use to deal with this by placing the listening position where the bass was right. Now we have room control. You could also bulldoze your rear wall down;)  For upper frequencies, to improve your imaging and smooth out your frequency response you want to dampen the four strongest primary reflections (PR) in your room. Basically you are playing pool with your room. if you roll a ball from the listening position to the side wall you want to hit the point at which the ball will rebound into your speaker. That point is one PR. The arrival angle of the ball from a line perpendicular to the wall will equal the departure angle from the same perpendicular. Look at the geometry on paper. You want to find 4 PRs one on each side wall and two on the front wall between the speakers. Once you locate the PRs make  3 X 3 or 4 X 4 foot panels at each one at ear level using 12" acoustic foam tiles. partsexpress.com. They are dirt cheap. I tack them up with double sided tape. 
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
Hi wanderingmoo, what you describe has nothing to do with room acoustics. You are just running out of power supply. You can prove this to yourself fairly easily. The Peechtree has a preamp output. You will have to borrow a large AB amp from your dealer or a friend, hook it up to your speakers and use the preamp section of the Peechtree to drive it. If distortion at high volume improves you have your answer. The Peechtree just does not have a power supply big enough to support the volume you like listening at.
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