Speakers sound best facing wall????

Thanks for the input. I did try various positions in this room, and the ear-piercing treble is still there. The room is really average; there is nothing unusual about it. The odd shape should rather break any echo than create problems.

I come to ask myself whether this could possibly be a physiological problem / abnormality with my ears. Indeed, I do have quite an odd spectrum: I can clearly hear ultrasounds, i.e. dog whistles, which no one else can normally hear (except dogs and furseals!). That does not bother me during live acoustic performances (symphony orchestra, chamber music), which I enjoy very much; but I do often perceive too much treble (ear-piercing) on audio systems, including in my car.

In that case, maybe the tube suggestion is a good one. Maybe the ear-piercing treble I am hearing is a type of transistor distortion which is not normally audible to others. Tubes have a different distortion pattern, and that may suit my physiology better.

You're right - I've got to be missing something by firing my speakers at the back wall. Here is a nice excuse to buy a tube amp.

Markphd wrote: *****Try putting the speakers forward facing with a cloth or some sort of semi-permeable film in front of the tweeter.***** I had tried that, and I had even placed pillows. The treble attenuation and general result is not as good as turning the speakers to the wall.

Markphd wrote: *****I know a few psychologists who would enjoy having you as an experimental subject.***** No problem with me, I am happy to be a guinea pig... but I live in New Zealand (Auckland).

Shadorne, thanks for the links to the hearing tests. I will try them but, since it seems I clearly hear ultrasounds at much higher pitch than what amps and speakers are designed to reproduce, it may not be significant. Will report on that nevertheless, once I figure out how to get them to work.

PROBLEM SOLVED... but...

Well, I solved the problem. It was really easy. I just had to connect a second integrated amplifier that only powers the tweeters. Then, reduce the tweeters' sound by 30-40%. Now, my speakers can face at me again and all sounds very normal and authentic.

But why why why? - Here is what I have been through in the meantime, and I am still puzzled:

1) I bought myself an ultrasonic dog whistle with adjustable pitch. When I adjust it to the highest pitch, I can not only still hear it, but it is so loud that it is ear-piercing. Others either don't hear it at all, or hear it as a very soft sound.

2) I consulted an audiologist and he confirmed that my hearing is excellent... in fact, beyond his equipment measuring capabilities. My audiogram is almost flat, with a small peak at 2,000Hz. BTW the audiologist could not hear the dog whistle either...

3) I bought myself a calibration CD. Now, that was really interesting when it came to the various frequencies samples:

a) With the default settings (whether using my Sony solid state, or a tube amp) I can hear all frequencies between 22Hz (earthquake) and 10,000Hz (not quite as high pitch as the dog whistle), and I hear them all at the same volume. Below and beyond that, I do not hear anything at all.

b) With my preferred settings (with tweeters' sound reduced by 30-40%), I can hear all frequencies between 22Hz and 8,000Hz, and I hear them all at the same volume. Below and beyond that, I do not hear anything at all.

So what does that mean???

My speakers (I tested Heybrook and Tannoy), and the rest of my equipment (whether solid state or tube), are supposed to reproduce sounds up to 20,000Hz... but that is definitely not true, since the highest I can hear from them is 10,000Hz (and that is still a lower pitch than my dog whistle, which is ear-piercing to me).

So, if my equipment does not reproduce enough treble, I should hear not enough treble, right? - Wrong! - I hear too much of it, and I have to turn it down!

Anybody understands that mystery?

It is something to do with my audio system (or rather, with audio systems in general), since listening to live classical music never poses me any problems.

- Have you had similar experiences with headphones; that is, do you find most of them harsh and bright?

I will need to get a pair, as I never use them.

- How do others find the sound of your system, now that you've reduced the treble to your liking? Do they find it overly warm and dull?

Hmmm... there is only my wife here, and she is not into music at all, but she also seems to prefer the sound with the treble reduced.

- What impressions did you have about the Tannoys and Heybrooks when you bought them? Did they not seem bright at first?

Heybrooks were excellent from the start. Tannoys (at least my model, the Revolution) don't have an equally well balanced sound. I also have a pair of older and smaller Bang & Olufsen S45. All these speakers sounded too bright from the beginning (tested with different amps, cables and CD players), and the brightness becomes unbearable after a few days of listening to one particular speaker.