Is there a way to reduce speaker brightness? Help?

Dave2860

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Hi,

I have Bose 301 speakers connected to a Rotel RA-10 which were great downstairs, however now I have moved them back into my bedroom, The sound is just too bright.

They sounded great downstairs and was wondering what I could do to reduce the brightness? I use a ipod classic connected via a Cambridge audio Dock and Cambridge audio cable, I have tried moving the speakers slightly but it doesnt seem to help.

I have bare walls and wooden floor but there is no space for a rug or anything.

Thanks,

P.S The speakers are great and will not be getting replaced.
 

Dave2860

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Dont really have room, On one side I have a tv on the other I have wallpaper so couldnt really put anything on there, I would put a couple of photos up but it would be in the middle and i dont see it making much difference.
 

ID.

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Dave2860 said:
P.S The speakers are great

I thought they were bright?

Bose speakers don't have a great reputation. They certainly wouldn't have been my choice for pairing with the Rotel...

I think I've read of people placing a tissue in front of the tweeter. You could try that. Or some cloth, I suppose.
 

cheeseboy

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thing is, if they sounded great downstairs, but uber bright upstairs then I think it's safe to say that it's the room, and without being able to do anything to the room, and kind of system jiggery pokery will probably be neverending, apart from possibly an eq unit.
 

Leeps

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On a previous system I had, I found that copper speaker cable helped tame things (instead of silver cabling). It won't completely alter the balance of the system, but if a minor adjustment is all that's required, then it's worth a try.
 

Dave2860

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The treble knob surprisingly just takes away the treble it doesnt help in anyway by removing the brightness.

Its not just the treble its the whole freq range, I know its the room as it was fine downstairs but when your listening to something and the music suddenly stops you can hear it echo slightly, The room isnt that big either, just VERY reflective.
 

cheeseboy

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Dave2860 said:
The treble knob surprisingly just takes away the treble it doesnt help in anyway by removing the brightness.

Its not just the treble its the whole freq range, I know its the room as it was fine downstairs but when your listening to something and the music suddenly stops you can hear it echo slightly, The room isnt that big either, just VERY reflective.

unless you want to change your kit, sounds like you will have to make room for putting rugs or something on the wall in order to reduce the reflectivity of the room. I know you say you have a tv there and wallpaper on the other wall, but you just mount the rug over the wallpaper. I don't think you're going to find any magic tweaks, especially if you have the echo issue you described. Not what you want to hear, but it's either that or you're going to have to go down the road of replacing speakers etc, which won't stop the room being reflective and bright.
 

abacus

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It’s nothing to do with brightness (Which no speaker cable of any sort can alter) but too much reverb & Echo, and the only way to cure it is to fit absorbent materials on the side and rear walls. (Adding damping materials behind the speakers (Unless they output the sound front and rear) will only be for fine tuning after the rest of the room is sorted.

The alternative is room correction equipment which can be obtained from professional music stores. (Forget Hi Fi dealers as most of them don’t stock professional quality (Studio) equipment)

Hope this helps

Bill
 

cheeseboy

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Dave2860 said:
When you say put a rug on the wall, what exactly do you mean?

I presume you dont mean put one of these on the wall? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flokati-Shaggy-Wool-Rug-Ivory/dp/B00504SS96/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1384522717&sr=8-3&keywords=rug

I like mimilistic looks and design so i might just have to deal with it, I was thinking of buyign a old school technicks amp that would be extemely warm, might help?

well, not that fluffy no, obviously something that suited your tastes more, but yes, that's the idea for a cheaper option than proper room treatment. However if you don't want to do that, or anything abacus has suggested (good suggestions btw) then you're pretty much stuck. Changing the equipment won't help much at all, you'll still have the same issues, albeit it may sound a bit different if you change the amp, but still get the echo and suchlike.

so, I guess it's your choice, either go with the room looks, or the stereo sound. One will have to give....
 

Dave2860

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No, I sit hairly centre, If i go too close to a rear wall i get far too much bass... I dont think it will make a difference but since i made the move to the bedroom my soundstage is a mess, I know its the poor design of the bose but didnt have this issue downstairs..

In my room theres no L + R it all seems to come from both /the middle.
 

ID.

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Dave2860 said:
I know its the poor design of the bose but didnt have this issue downstairs..

In my room theres no L + R it all seems to come from both /the middle.

As much as they have a bad rep, if they were fine downstairs, the issue is definitely with the room rather than the speakers.

You mentioned in an earlier post that the brightness wasn't just the treble, it was the whole frequency range. Could you try to give a detailed explanation of the problem? Brightness is stated for usually an excess of treble or sibilience, e.g. "s" and "th" in vocals seem too pronounced, or cymbal hits seem too splashy.
 
T

the record spot

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ID. said:
Dave2860 said:
P.S The speakers are great

I thought they were bright?

Bose speakers don't have a great reputation. They certainly wouldn't have been my choice for pairing with the Rotel...

I think I've read of people placing a tissue in front of the tweeter. You could try that. Or some cloth, I suppose.

I'd hold up on the "Bose make crap speakers" line for a time. Their rep isn't great in the UK, but the brand has been going for years. The 301 is up to Series V I think and it's been going a while. Depends on the model, but I suspect this has more to do with the room than the speaker.

To the OP: Have you tried adjusting the position of your speakers a little? Adjusting the toe-in might reard you with a slight improvement. If your options are limited, you might try some cushions if that's convenient and pointing the speakers in toward you a little. You'll get a more focused sound as it's coming right to you, but the soft furnishings might assist in taming the brightness a tad. Plus you'll be pointing the speakers away from the walls slightly too. Worth a shot and for the cost of a few cheap cushions from one of the big supermarkets (£5 each or so) then you could be on your way to solving your problem.

If nothing else, you'll have some nice plump cushions to play with. Aherm. ;)
 

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