2. misc-audio
  3. 994209925

Upper Midrange Glare problem

I am seeking advice to eliminate hard upper midrange glare. I spent alot of money and the sound improved, but the glare is still present. Is there something wrong with my set up, or etc? My systems is as follows:

Counterpoint DA 11.5 transport with Shunyata King Cobra.
Sonic Frontiers SFD 2 MK II DAC with Shunyata Black Mamba.
Sonic Frontiers SFL 1 Signature Pre Amp with Shunyata Viper.
All above components connected to the PS Audio P300 with a Shunyata King Cobra attached to it.

Bryston 7B ST Mono block with PS Audio Lab Cables connected to two Ultimate outlets which is connected to XLO Type 10 powercords to the wall outlet.

Speakers PSB Stratus Gold, placed 3 ft away from rear wall 2 1/2 ft from side wall, room is 15'wide 21'deep
8 1/2tall. Listening distance is 9 ft away from speakers.

Cables:
Digital - Illuminati D60 - BNC and Illuminati DX-50 - XLR
Interconnects - AudioQuest Diamond X2 - RCA
Speaker Cables - AudioQuest Dragon to highs and Clear 3 to bass.
All Cables are raised by ceramic tiles.

Brights star foundation platforms, tip toes, for each component sitting on a Stand design rack, set of room tunes corners, side walls and tune stripes.

New additions will be XLO limited edition XLR digital cable and Siemens CCa tubes for SFD 2 MK II. Will be here shortly.

Very fraustrated. Any suggestions will be openly noted, thanks.

bowlerds
bowlerds OP
5 posts
 
I found out my front end responds better to the PS2, SS5, SS6 settings. I made minor toe adjustment to the speakers . I found that the cables were not the problem even tough I ordered the XLO limited digital, I guess it would be better than what I have now. My Siemens tube are due to arrive today. I will replace them on the DAC, it should sound better than the stock Sovtek 6922.
sean
6,231 posts
 
Aragain, i have NO idea as to what causes some interconnects to be audibly different than others or work / not work within specific systems. All i can say is that i have experienced such things first hand and i'm sure that many others here share that experience and point of view.

As to using these cables in a system that already sounds good, that is WAY too much of a variable to make any kind of educated guess at. If the cables that were originally in the system had similar electrical characteristics to the "gas busters", i would assume that the audible differences would not be very drastic. On the other hand, i have heard these cables sound FAR WORSE than the generic factory supplied OEM interconnects that are supplied free of charge with a lot of gear. As i and many others have mentioned here before, it's all strictly trial and error. Sean
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aragain
39 posts
 
Sean -

Thanks for the info.

I think we are basically on the same page and am looking for an explanation of our different posts.

My view is that under 'normal' conditions cable changes make subtle changes and are used to fine-tune a system.

You have posted that your GAS cables can rescue a system with a glaring midrange problem.

To me a system with a glaring midrange isn't 'normal'. There is a root cause which should be determined and corrected to return the system to normal.

The fact that a certain cable can make such a system listenable is to me a special case.

In addition, you have said the GAS cable can make a system sound worse than the freebie cables. This indicates to me they have some unusual properties which happen to be useful in taming certain misadjusted systems.

In summary, I recognize that you have an unusual cable that can tame some systems. It seems you don't want to allow me my view that under normal conditions cable changes have subtle effects. I believe both are positions are viable and there is no need to discount the other.
jcbtubes
400 posts
 
Aragain- Though I don't discount your view on cables, my experience in my systems have suggested otherwise. I guess it comes down to the term "subtle effects." In absolute terms, you're quite right. However, in terms of musical appreciation or increased emotional connection to the original musical event, the differences can be quite profound.
Synergy is the key within the contexts of the system. Numbers, including price tag, and manufacturer's hype won't guarantee a great match. You have to personally experience the sound in situ and then decide.
Dekay- I usually start with about a 1 ft width, 2"-3" thick piece of Sonex that's about 4 ft in length. Position it so that the top of the Sonex is about a foot above the baseboard.

Just my .02.
aragain
39 posts
 
Jcbtubes - I agree completely.

What I'm trying to say is - if a person says their system is so far out of whack they can't listen to it then we're out of the realm of cable optimizations. The system problem should be found and corrected.

It's like having a car that pulls to the left and 'fixing' it by dragging a block of cement from the right rear. Ok, the car no longer pulls to the left but you still don't have a properly functioning car. People are entitled to that approach but it seems there is so much more performance available if the root cause is corrected.
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