Harsh, Bright, sibilance!

[admin_exported]

Hey guys, this is my first post and I am needing some help!

My system is, Cambridge audio azur 640v2 cd player, Rotel RA-04 amp, Kef iq 5 se speakers, qed interconnects and qed silver anniversary bi-wire speaker cable.

The system is in a smallish room (approx 6 metres by 5 metres)

The sound is fantastic apart from being bright or harsh, some artists having to be turned down due to such an edgy sound!

Please can anyone help me smoothe the sound of my hi-fi!

Thanks

Chris

 

[JoelSim]

I'm losing count of the number of people complaining about a too bright sound when using Cambridge equipment. Doesn't this need to be addressed in the magazine.

Unfortunately i can't make any suggestions except to change your CD player and/or amp for better ones.

 

[biggus_1961]

Yep i agree i tried 640 series amp/cd with bw685 and top end was a bit edgey.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your reply joel.

I have not heard anyone say that cambridge audio equipment is bright sounding before. Could it be due to the smaller room? Could this have an effect on the sound?

 

[JoelSim]

A room will always have an effect on the sound, especially if you have all hard edges nd no soft furnishings. Do you have curtains, sofa, rugs, carpet or blinds, laminate etc?

My room has blinds and wooden floor, but we have small rug and I'm very happy with my sound. Cambridge sounds really forward and exciting and I have heard a good number of people moaning about the harsh sounds after very short listening periods.

Comments anyone?

 

[Anonymous]

The room is carpeted with curtains and a sofa directly in front of the speakers (my listening position) I have tried various cables to try and soften the sound but no success as yet. I should maybe consider changing my cd player. Any sugestions for a smoothe or soft sounding player??

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Chris, is (part of) your system brand new? If so, a bit of running in may improve matters.

 

[JoelSim]

Pretty much anything not Japanese.

A Nad, an Arcam, A Naim, A Cyrus, A Musical Fidelity, A Rega, I would be tempted to spend £300+ at RRP, or even better £300 on an ex demo or late 2nd hand.

 

[Anonymous]

If you do decide to try some CDPs, try the Arcam CD73 (or a better model). Would probably solve the issue and would provide a great sound. Might take a little getting used to though as it's not as lively as your current machine!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

The Kef speakers are only about a week old so maybe some more run in time req!

If it dosn't start to calm down I might consider the Arcam cd player as a source to try and smoothen things off a bit!

 

[Anonymous]

i would not have thought that qed silver anniversary cable would help.Overrated in my opinion with a lack of weight and will emphasise a bright and edgy sound. I have not noticed any overt brightness from my cambridge amp, in fact my last amp was brighter. if you dont want to change your amp or cdp then try cables.Might not totally solve the problem but should help a bit.

 

[JoelSim]

Leave it on repeat all the time and then see how you are sounding in a week. If it's a no-go then try something else. I personally love the Arcam sound, but it would be worth you listening to a few different models preferably with your amp and speakers.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="benwar101"]Thanks for all the replies guys!

The Kef speakers are only about a week old so maybe some more run in time req!
[/quote]

Yup, give it another couple of weeks, by which time they will have bedded in and your ears will have also re-acclimatised, and you may well find that all is well. Do let us know how you get on.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks tractorboy. I will keep you guys posted with how I get on. What in your opinion would be a softer sounding cable?

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="JoelSim"]I'm losing count of the number of people complaining about a too bright sound when using Cambridge equipment. Doesn't this need to be addressed in the magazine.[/quote]

No, because when thoroughly run-in and well-matched, they don't sound bright or sibilant at all.

 

[Anonymous]

For a similar price, dnm reson mark 2. i changed to it from qed silver specifically to try and get a bit more weight and a smoother treble, and thats exactly what i got. I am not a fan of the qed.it will not help at all in an already slightly bright system as it can make things sound a bit lightweight and a touch bright.

 

[JoelSim]

[quote user="Andrew Everard"]
[quote user="JoelSim"]I'm losing count of the number of people complaining about a too bright sound when using Cambridge equipment. Doesn't this need to be addressed in the magazine.[/quote]

No, because when thoroughly run-in and well-matched, they don't sound bright or sibilant at all.
[/quote]

I'll be very interested to hear how it goes once they are run in.

 

[Anonymous]

If I go for some DNM cable do I need the terminations that all the sites recomend?

 

[Anonymous]

Don't think it's been mentioned, but have you tried moving your speakers around and seeing if it makes a difference. Not only distance to rear wall, but also side walls. And listening position come to that. You can walk around my room and hear differences very clearly.

Equipment run-in is a contentious issue, but I think almost all will agree that speakers will def benefit run in - maybe a couple of hundred hours. MY RS6's when new were a bit dissapointing after the home demo units till they were run-in
Lettuce know how you get on

 

[Anonymous]

I have experimented with speaker positioning but didn't seem to help matters much. I have an older NAD C520 CD player that I might try with my set-up and see what happens.

 

[JoelSim]

Good idea, it may help isolate the problem

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="benwar101"]If I go for some DNM cable do I need the terminations that all the sites recomend?[/quote]

i would not bother.Save some money and do it yourself.

 

[Anonymous]

I have a modest Cambridge system, 340A + 340C, which did sound bright at the very start. Three suggestions to think about - (A) run it in as has been suggested, (B) Chord's Cobra 3 interconnect works well with this equipment, at least it does on mine, (C) I have found it very important to have the kit, CD player in particular, on a stable base free of unwanted vibrations. This last point is worth investigation - it can make quite a big difference to the sound. My Cambridge kit is not bright at all now, and personally I think it is impressive for the money. Good luck!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the suggestions gm. My kit is isolated using focul pods. I will try my Nad cd player first before I start spending any cash on new cables, interconnects or Equipment.

 

[drummerman]

Everything you have has the same tendency to 'brightness' though I'd say its more unrefined treble and pronounced mids. Tell me if I'm wrong but I think you put this together from BB or '5 star' rated reviews.

None of your components are 'bad' even though I think you could have matched more successfully.

There are, in my opinion, two things you could do short of changing your whole system. Firstly I'd advise you to go to a dealership and get a home trial for some new speakers which will be good enough once you upgrade the amp/cd too. B&W CM1 have a nice 'warm' balance and a fairly refined treble and Epos 12.2's would be a more balanced option than your kefs too. Normally I'd suggest regas R3 but I have a feeling that, even though much better than your kefs, the result would'nt be great. They need a more refined amp. You need stands with the above. Then flog your speakers on ebay.

If you dont have the cash to change the speakers buy some inexpensive monster interconnects, they have pristinly refined and clear treble/mid at the expense of drive and bass. It wont cure your problem but should make it more tolerable until you can start system build again.