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My system is bright? I need help. thanks

Hi. it is my first time here in this forum. i would appreciate input and help from all of you. No sacrasm or bad langauge please. I had bad experience with other forums in that aspect. music loving people and audiophiles should be an elite, high caliber and classy community. This is rare to find today. Ok Down to the point.

My system
Musical fidelity kw 500 sacd player. I use the tube output.
Musical fidelity kw 500 integrated amp.
speakers:eggleston andra (not andra 2)
speaker cable: satori acoustic zen
interconnects: Nordost baldur and nordost quatrofil RCA
USe a dedicated 20 amp line with regular power cords(came with the gear) and a panamax 20 amp surge protector and filter.

This is in my family room so there is little room for treatment and moving things around.

problem: bright. the highs are killing my ears, after 1-2 hours of listening my ears start to hurt,sometimes 3 minutes. I have to turn the volume down. I tried postioning, it got a little better. I will try acoustic zen silver ref II may be it will help. The sound is otherwise phenomenal, i could be happy with more bass, but overall it is very good. Depth, tranparency, acuity and soundstaging are great. As for mids, i can see the person infront of me,I can hear the articulation of the tongue in the mouth before the words and tunes comes out. no kidding, but not for long because of fatigue.

I would really appreciate your input.
Scientist73
scientist73
scientist73 OP
36 posts
 
I am a little confused.

Some say MF is the problem, at least on eof the 2. Others say it is the cable. Very few said it is teh speaker.
At least for now i am attached to the MF and i can't buy any music equipment above $800 for a whole year. so all what i can do now is swap cables.
Even for this i have a lot of recommendations. some brands i never even heard of.
i am already expecting the AZ silver refernce II i ll try it nayway. it it doesnot work for what is next?

I have to write down all the suggestons above and pick one, i guess.

The only possiblity i am not prepared for now is that THE ANDRA AND THE MF IS NOT A HAPPY MARRIAGE . BOTH ARE GOOD BUT BELONG WITH OTHER EQUIPMENT.

I WILL BRING MY SONAS FABER DOWN AND TRY THEM WITH MF TO SEE IF THE ARE AS BRIGHT.

I WILL TRY MY DENON DVD-5910 TO WITH THE AMP TO SEE IF THERE IS ANY CHANGE MAY BE THE CD PLAYER IS THE PROBLEM.

AND THEN THE INTERCONNECTS.
I THOUGT AFTER PAYMING THAT MUCH I LL HAVE PEACE OF MIND AND ENJOY LISTENING, AND THST'S IT, BUT IT HAS JUST STARTED.
wellfed's avatar
wellfed
690 posts
 
For a little over $100 you can purchase 2 sets of Herbie's Tenderfoot footers for your components and Big Fat Black Dots for your speakers. While unlikely to be the complete panacea for your ills, they will in all likelyhood be a BIG step in the right direction. Herbie's offers a 90 day trial period.

Herbie's Audio Lab Footers
tvad
9,467 posts
 
Adjusting your speaker placement, and adding some room tuning tweaks will do more to tame system brightness than wire, IMO.

The root cause is the synergy between your speakers and electronics. The problem won't be truly fixed until one or the other is addressed. Wire will provide a quick bandaide by masking problems elsewhere but it won't solve the problem.

That's why I suggest tweaking your speaker placement (which you have already discovered works), and adding some room treatments that will be useful no matter what gear or speakers you own, and will cost less than good wire.
boa2's avatar
boa2
1,550 posts
 
I too think a different amplifier will be your ultimate solution. However, you're not changing amps now, and in the meantime, your system sounds too bright. In my experience, the line between musicality and piercing headache is often crossed by simply changing ICs and/or PCs. Absolutely try different cables, especially some warmer ICs. If you are pleased with the result, and you can enjoy the music, your problem is solved.
ryder
946 posts
 
I agree with Tvad wholeheartedly. Speaker placement and the room itself have the most impact on the perceived brightness apart from your electronics. Cables have the least effect and should only be addressed when you've sort out the rest ie. speaker positioning, room and electronics.

I've just recently got some new speakers and just fiddling around with the placement produced a larger difference than swapping CD players and DAC's.
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