Help! My system is very bright it hurts my ear

Thanks guys...man, a lot of good info.....I would consider every possiblity

As you can see , it could be several things. Since you're new, the best advise is read here is to simplify your system. Start with one amp and see how it goes. Then the other. The thing with running 2 different amps is you need to make sure the gain in each amp is the same. Very important. If the gain in the amp running the tweeter side is more than the amp running the bass side then naturally the balance between the high and low frequencies is going to gavor the higher side.... resulting in bright sounding system. Carpet is another factor. Lay a rug if now carpet. Lots od windows could be issue. Anyway, simplify your system and then tweak it as you gain experience.  HAVE FUN 

Favor.... not gavor. Ha

I know my quad 22l2 is kinda bright....I was thinking buy a new pair of the new elac uf5...any comment...or should I...pretty good rating n review

... didn't see anything about how far away from the speakers you are listening... are speakers tilted in/focused on listener?... are speakers level or tilted up/down?, and level side to side? is this brightness when you are sitting ( what is your ear height in relation to the tweeter height?), standing, moving around in the room - or at all times? When sitting - is there anything behind you or is it open?... I don't think your problem is an equipment issue (except for the weirdness of the bi-amping with your speakers) since you've done some swap-outs...

... and just HOW did you end up with this Hodge-Podge of endless equipment?

Fatgosil, did you say your room is 20' X 60' with 20' ceilings and bare walls and floors?  Wow--your room is an echo chamber.  Can you partition off a smaller listening area?  

i had the same problem in my room , what helped with my bass and less harshness was to not hook up the speakers to the highs , or by amp , but to use the bottom terminals 

Hello fatgosil,

You are on the right track by using two amps. You do need to make sure that all the system is connected and working. We can help you
but first we need to know a couple of important answers. I have seen the questions but am not sure if you gave answers to all of them. 1) Did you hook this up yourself? 2) Did you remove the connection bars that connect the woofer to the mid, tweeter for single amp use. 3) The amps need to put out the same power with the same input. The Aragon puts out 1W for .12 v and 200W for 1.7 V. I could not find the GA SE40 spec for this. Do you have this info and can you tell us? The reviews of the Quad 22L2 say that it is a little base shy.This gives a more detailed and brighter sound. If the GA amp can deliver let's say 2W for the same input then your mid, tweeter will be playing 3db louder than the woofer. This will make the speaker sound even brighter. The GA amp is single ended and as such it is easy to overload. It has problems below 100Hz and 2-3k (your speaker X-overs) It could be having problems with the load. It only puts out 15W in the mid and 7W in the low end. This can be fixed! 3) Did you put back the bars when you tested the single amps. And did you still hear the bright sound with both amps. Please let us know how you are doing.  We can work together a step at a time to  solve your problem. I do not think that you need to change anything in you system. Just make some adjustments.  My Best

You can try focus rings from Russ Andrews or another supplier, it is a cheaper tweak easily audible that try to remove side dispersion on tweeters.

Maybe it is just a "code 9.5 " problem. Meaning the problem is located  9.5 feet in FRONT of the speakers.

This very scientific diagnostic tool should be the very first step taken in solving MANY hearing-related issues. Total investment: $ 7.29 ;)

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-ear-wax-removal-kit/ID=prod6100589-product

Big Oriental Rug, Thick. 
Buy about 5 boxes of Owens Corning 703
Mullard tubes-tone down a system like no toher
Dedicated lines-electricity pollution gives a frenetic edge to an otherwise nice audio signal. It probably won't matter what you do until you get the "noise" out of the signal. .Clenaing up the signal was the most significant shrillness eliminator I found.
If you were to drop in an acoustical ceiling a lot would change also.
Unless the room and electricity is right a neutral or even warm system wil sound wirey and bright.
Good luck, I can tell it means a lot and wish you success.

Good catch waterzlife,

also in the Techradar review,
"Turning it up makes the mild bass and treble excess a little obvious"
and  "  as it does mean the 22L2 will have a sonic character that's subjectively significantly brighter than average. "

I believe the Quad 22L2  mixed with Pop music, glass table top and big mirror at the end of the room adds significantly to the problem, especially if the Pop music is turned up loud.

Don't worry. Most Systems are bright and hurt... But most like that. Especially when it was expensive to reach that level.

Asking why a system is too bright is like asking a mechanic why a car won't start.  There are so many possible reasons that it would take a book to list and explain them all. 

I would suggest, starting with treating 
your ac.
Get some good audio grade outlets
I use Maestro (these are under $100.00
and outperform those twice their price).
Synergistic XOT's attached at your 
speaker terminals, do a good job in 
curbing brightness.
A good power conditioner, one without 
a transformer in my opinion should do
the trick. 
Grounding your component, where buy
on placing your ear to you speakers, 
it is black, like if your system is turned off.
The proof of what I am saying is just 
listen to your system in the mid afternoon or evening, and then listen
at midnight.
You will notice a greater clarity in the
music and a much beter base response
without making any changes.

Well I hope this helps.

Best regards and happy listening,

Xavier






evening, then listen to it at midnight.

Interesting read for sure.  I would have the same issue with various brands of speakers.  Try going to your local shop and sampling the music on their system to see if you have the same issue.  Of course, many suggestions provided make good sense as well.

Change the fuses.

It's  about fine tuning your system.
You don't necessarily need 
to buy new components.
I would emphasize concentrating
on better cabling and a better power
conditioner. ( I would highly recommend
Acoustic Revive any of their models ).

I'm speaking from my experience.
I live in the inner city of L.A. walking 
distance to Dodger stadium.
In my case it was more than brightness
but severe RFI and EMI due to an
AM broadcasting station with 6  200 ft.
antenas on a hillside.
Well I got it down to zero and without
compromizing my systems resolution.

I would also like to recommend: 
Akiko Audio tuning sticks &
Kemp Electronics SR plugs.

Nevertheless, best luck,

Xavier

@fatgosil,
any progress yet on finding or fixing the brightness issue?

I don't see how the Aragon could be causing a brightness problem when it is playing on the woofer. Try using just one amp at a time, either one, with the high and low frequency terminals jumpered. If the amps are not matched to each other, that could lead to a tonal imbalance. Bi-amping is not as easy as just using two amps on a speaker, unless the amps are identical or you use something like a dual amp balancer. Don't spend any money on this until you have tried only one of the amps.

$200 spent on room treatment will make a much larger difference than $100,000 in cables. Treat your room.

Put panels at first reflection points, add a rug for the floor reflection points. Put some absorbing stuff on the wall in front of you or behind you to kill slap echo. You won't even recognize your system after doing this.

You're wasting your time pursuing anything else.

Get some good Cardas Copper cable Gold reference its older stuff but it will warm your system.  The tubes are good but can be different not 'better' different.  Try to get some Mullard E88CC the oldest versions you can get.  DO NOT get CV2493 I love them but they are sparklers.  Get rid of the Aragon, yes I know it's only on the bass or woofers but its dangerous to have around.  I would suggest getting Quad amps tube amps of course or Leak amps.  Finally get rid of the little Quads and trade up tp the big electrostats what number 898 or something like that.  Also try vinyl.   Best of Luck