Sibilance after Bi-wiring

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

We need to respect other's experiences

You want the Moon on a stick, you do...

 

[Adam W.]

Why are some records recorded and/or mastered to sound bright? I really don't like it. It ruins the music for me.

The amount of music that sounds bad is disappointing. Although, it helps to make discovering well recorded and mastered recordings more satisfying.

Is part of the problem that a decent system is going to reveal more sibilance that is in the actual recording and therefore make it more pronounced?

 

[Deleted member 108165]

Is part of the problem that a decent system is going to reveal more sibilance that is in the actual recording and therefore make it more pronounced?

Not necessarily, actually spending more can improve matters, especially so with LP playback. I own some LPs that were decidedly poor for sibilance, I moved from an elliptical stylus to a fine line stylus profile and the sibilance was greatly reduced. What really matters with any format, digital or analogue, is the recording and the kit used for playback, including speakers.

 

[TrevC]

1. I've had experience with bad sibilance - a NAD C521i CD player to be exact. This was not down to any recording or speakers. Could have been a system mismatch, but it was down to this absolutely horrid CDP. It wasn't just the sibilance, it had also had poor stereo seperation.

And this was in comparison to my old CD Player, and subsequently reverting to a Pioneer DVD player for both movies and music.

Within a month I had 3 different disc players. I got the NAD later as a fourth disc player later that year and sold it faster than I bought it.

We need to respect other's experiences without resorting to dogma. Hifi often isn't an exact science.

2. Now I don't disagree about recordings - they can be testy but the sibilance can be managed in a good system - they certainly were in all my systems except when I brought the NAD turd in - which brought sibilance in every CD I played.

One such recording that can really test how refined a system should be is David Bowie's Scary Monsters And Scary Creeps. I have the excellent 1999 remaster but the recording is decidedly treble bright, and David's singing lisps no end. This CD will make or break a system. My B&W 685s handled it with aplomb despite their reputation.

I did say "An over emphasis on 'S'sounds is usually the recording or speakers", so it wasn't a dogmatic statement. I've never heard a sibilant CD player and I don't mind sibilance as long as it isn't distorted, like when a stylus mistracks. The Bowie isn't my favourite one of his, so I only have the LP.

 

[Adam W.]

A quick update. I mentioned in another post that after demoing an Arcam SA20 with the same speakers, I decided to send the Cambridge CXA81 back as I preferred the smoother and warmer sound of the Arcam.

I experimented with single and bi-wiring the Arcam/Wharfedale combination and have not experienced any of the sibilance or harshness I did previously.

 

[abacus]

A quick update. I mentioned in another post that after demoing an Arcam SA20 with the same speakers, I decided to send the Cambridge CXA81 back as I preferred the smoother and warmer sound of the Arcam.

I experimented with single and bi-wiring the Arcam/Wharfedale combination and have not experienced any of the sibilance or harshness I did previously.

So long as you are happy that is all that matters.

Bill