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Paradigm Studio 60 V5 Fingernails on Chalkboard

The highs have an edge that hurts my ears, especially female voices (e.g. old joni mitchell, Emmy Lou Harris, etc. I have a Denon AVR 1709 80 W/Ch home theater amp. Could the amp be the problem? It's not room placement - I've moved them all over the room, and it's not interference - it happens even when I only have one speaker plugged in. If it is the amp, what should I replace it with? I spent all my $ on the speakers, assuming the amp I have would work out. I have the speakers for sale on Audoigon but would like to keep them if I can find an affordable solution. Thanks!
bobagov
playpen
147 posts
 
Bob,I would chuck the home theater amp,like I said my yamaha is unlistenable compared to my bryston on your speakers.For a real cheap fix My brother brought over his new $200. berringer power amp and I ran it through my bryston preamp,unbelievably good on cd sound,not up to the bryston on LP's,but for $200.an awesome bargain.I had the same harsh painful problems with my yamaha on my 60v5's.You want to hear what your 60's sound like with a matching amp and preamp.
phasecorrect's avatar
phasecorrect
2,013 posts
 
Although a HT receiver....denon is known for a very smooth, glare-free somewhat mellow sound...about as smooth as one gets in mainstream gear(much more that Yamaha,etc)...and this goes against the grain of others...but the amp is going to have the least amount of influence here...and not an old school Conrad Johnson...but the Denon i feel is not the culprit...the Paradigms are a very good speaker...and the added resolution they bring can be startling at first...going back to the dealer would be like giving them your checkbook...not sure of your source...but a denon 1650 ar dedicated cdp and some mellow, romatic cables from audioquest,etc would be my suggestion...i have been here before as well...and like you...kind of backed off and went back to a speaker i was familiar with...but be patient...a solution will come...
timeltel
794 posts
 
Hi, Bobaguv: An old school solution, place soft tissue between the tweets and grill. Easy fix and it works. Another thought, have you tried tipping them forward or back?
johnjohn
31 posts
 
I drive my 60v5 with VTL and Classe electronics and have absolutely no issues with their highs. They are very punchy and detailed but need a quality front end. I tried them with some NAD integrated and, as expected, they sounded rough and chalky. I think the version 5 Studio 60s outperform and are more revealing than all previous Studio 60s as well as most speakers in its class. I bought mine to replace a pair of Vandersteen 2CE Signatures and have not looked back.
contuzzi
295 posts
 
Good god.  Let's be aware of the DATE of the posts you respond to.
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