Speaker glare...help

With a room of your size I would 'have' to totally damp the wall behind the speakers to stop virtually all reflections off that wall. I would 'like' a one inch or thicker heavy carpet-wall to wall & floor to ceiling. It is extreme, but to determine the possibilty, you could experiment using a queen size bed mattress placed against the wall vertically behind your speakers against the wall. (I hope your floor is carpeted). I'm not suggesting this as a cure for speaker distortion just a basic element for decent 'high end' sound from a room your size. The arrival of reflected sound -no matter where you place your speaker, or where you sit, in a room your size mandates room treatment. The benefit will very noticeable & worthwhile regardless of 'speaker glare'.
I hope this helps. Happy New Year! Pete

12-30-07: Missioncoonery said:
"thanks for the input but ive tried all the above,was hoping for the miracle answer,lol.."

Who did your Sumiko Master Set? I'm really surprised it didn't cure your problem, particularly when combined with your room treatments.

The Master Set IS a miracle answer. Properly done it'll take your system to a much higher plain than any more money spent on equipment.

Dave

One way to fix your problem is to completely treat the room with "effective" bass traps, nothing less than 4" thick will do. Treat all 4 corners and the ceiling/wall boundaries as well. The wall behind the speakers would be best treated with bass traps as well. Don't completely cover any surface or you will "deaden" the room too much.
Two bass traps behind the listening position will also help.
You should end up with 10 traps in the room when finished. I have 12 traps (from Real Traps) in a room almost the same size as yours and it really sounds good.

What CD players did you try?

Not to doubt you, but almost all "glare" type issues start with sibilance from poor CDPs. Tweaks and cables (at best) are just bandaids and you will end up wasting your money if you expect a cheap solution like that.

Unless you've tried EmmLabs, DCS, Wadia, Esoteric or something like that, then you really haven't determined whether it's your CDP or not. Unlike speakers and analog devices, there are very few digital manufacturers creating TRUE reference level products.

The cheapest option I think you can try is maybe a DAC like the Benchmark with 30 day trial.

It could be room related, but room issues are very distinct and obvious compared to equipment related issues. Trust your instincts and I bet you can tell whether it's a room issue or not. I'm betting not.

01-04-08: Labtec said:
"What CD players did you try?
...
It could be room related, but room issues are very distinct and obvious compared to equipment related issues. Trust your instincts and I bet you can tell whether it's a room issue or not. I'm betting not."

I respectfully disagree.

You need to get the room right before you start throwing money at equipment. Midrange glare is an indicator of less than ideal speaker placement. Room treatment comes after speaker placement. You can't even begin to get the treatments in the right place until you get the speakers driving together and the most serious bass nodes and antinodes handled by placement. Residual issues are handled with treatments and the last thing is equipment.

Dave