Need a suggestion on this to reduce treble or high frequencies :

[Amit Satam]

Hello All,

After changing my RCA CABLE to Monobrige Cable i could hear good increase in low, mid & high frequencies .

However this has caused harsh sound while listing music in exiting audio setup even in low sounds thus loosing its warmth.

My Audio setup:
1- Pioneer BD18 {CD player}
2- Yamaha WXC 50 {Preamp + DAC + network Steramer}
3- Emotiva a100

Issue: no control to reduced increased treble or high frequencies after changing my RCA cable in stereo setup.


Unfortunately i cannot reduced the sudden treble or high frequencies with my existing setup as AMP dont have equiliser or buttons to change bass, Vocal & treble.

Neither do Yamaha mode -Preamp nor Player helps to reduced treble or high frequencies in my existing setup.

Need a suggestion on this to reduce treble or high frequencies & guidance :

Option 01 - Tube buffer preamp with lbass & treble control [cheapest - FZ audio]

Option 02 - Analogue preamp with equilizer [Best - SCHIIT loki or sys]

Let us know if I am going in correct way to buy this or suggest me right options.


Thank You!!

Regards,
Amit Satam

 

[rpmahale]

Try to cover high frequency driver with tissue paper. Increase the layers if require more and just check if you are getting desired results.

 

[Nikhil]

Welcome to the forum Amit!

Do you have bare floors? This can cause a slight harshness in the HF
Adding a carpet will tame some of the HF brightness.

Apart from gear changes another source of brightness are the cables
Let the cables you have settle in for a little bit and see it they smoothen out.
Typically Copper based cables tend to sound more relaxed.

Regards


.

 

[audiopro]

Hello All,

After changing my RCA CABLE to Monobrige Cable i could hear good increase in low, mid & high frequencies .

However this has caused harsh sound while listing music in exiting audio setup even in low sounds thus loosing its warmth.

My Audio setup:
1- Pioneer BD18 {CD player}
2- Yamaha WXC 50 {Preamp + DAC + network Steramer}
3- Emotiva a100

Issue: no control to reduced increased treble or high frequencies after changing my RCA cable in stereo setup.


Unfortunately i cannot reduced the sudden treble or high frequencies with my existing setup as AMP dont have equiliser or buttons to change bass, Vocal & treble.

Neither do Yamaha mode -Preamp nor Player helps to reduced treble or high frequencies in my existing setup.

Need a suggestion on this to reduce treble or high frequencies & guidance :

Option 01 - Tube buffer preamp with lbass & treble control [cheapest - FZ audio]

Option 02 - Analogue preamp with equilizer [Best - SCHIIT loki or sys]

Let us know if I am going in correct way to buy this or suggest me right options.


Thank You!!

Regards,
Amit Satam

Go with the Sommer interconnect or the audio diffuser listed in my for sale thread once it goes live today. Much cheaper than the other options and delivers on what you are looking for. And it's Mumbai based. The diffuser may be all you need actually. Check the for sale section in sometime.

 

[unleash_me]

Unfortunately i cannot reduced the sudden treble or high frequencies with my existing setup as AMP dont have equiliser or buttons to change bass, Vocal & treble.

Option 01 - Tube buffer preamp with lbass & treble control [cheapest - FZ audio]

Option 02 - Analogue preamp with equilizer [Best - SCHIIT loki or sys]

While the magic of tubes is very alluring, it's often a time consuming and expensive affair. Unless you get lucky with your first purchase, you might end up with the inevitable tube rolling – a slippery slope, chasing that perfect tubiness! And in a relative note, not that everything inexpensive is necessarily cheap, paying for a quality component from a reputed brand usually pays in the long run. I am not familiar with FX Audio offerings, so can't comment.

Sometime back an old friend of mine replaced his Behringer FBQ800 with Schiit Loki, and he did find the Loki superior.

As Nikhil mentioned, do play around with the room acoustics and see if you can tame the uneven frequency responses.

 

[Amit Satam]

Due to Covid19, i have brought stereo setup in Mumbai (parents home) .So can’t do much asthetic nor any room placements/ arrangements addn audio diffusers .
Would try using Sommer interconnect rca cables & later even Schiit Loki preamp ..
just a smallQ .. since its Loki is not available in Indian markets can i import frm Vendor directly?

 

[unleash_me]

.. since its Loki is not available in Indian markets can i import frm Vendor directly?

I believe they do. Reach out to them and see. And while you are at it, do check out their B-Stock.
Another option is to check eBay, or similar sites, where sellers often offer international shipping.

 

[Pavan1112]

Due to Covid19, i have brought stereo setup in Mumbai (parents home) .So can’t do much asthetic nor any room placements/ arrangements addn audio diffusers .
Would try using Sommer interconnect rca cables & later even Schiit Loki preamp ..
just a smallQ .. since its Loki is not available in Indian markets can i import frm Vendor directly?

Hi,
Have bought a few pieces of gear from Schiit direct. Shipped and delivered with no fuss. But the customs duty is something you have to be prepared for.

Pavan

 

[rajivaryan1984]

Due to Covid19, i have brought stereo setup in Mumbai (parents home) .So can’t do much asthetic nor any room placements/ arrangements addn audio diffusers .
Would try using Sommer interconnect rca cables & later even Schiit Loki preamp ..
just a smallQ .. since its Loki is not available in Indian markets can i import frm Vendor directly?

Hi Amit, any idea as from where you procured the Sommer interconnect RCA Cables in India and how much it cost ?

 

[Nitin K]

Hello All,

After changing my RCA CABLE to Monobrige Cable i could hear good increase in low, mid & high frequencies .

However this has caused harsh sound while listing music in exiting audio setup even in low sounds thus loosing its warmth.

My Audio setup:
1- Pioneer BD18 {CD player}
2- Yamaha WXC 50 {Preamp + DAC + network Steramer}
3- Emotiva a100

Issue: no control to reduced increased treble or high frequencies after changing my RCA cable in stereo setup.


Unfortunately i cannot reduced the sudden treble or high frequencies with my existing setup as AMP dont have equiliser or buttons to change bass, Vocal & treble.

Neither do Yamaha mode -Preamp nor Player helps to reduced treble or high frequencies in my existing setup.

Need a suggestion on this to reduce treble or high frequencies & guidance :

Option 01 - Tube buffer preamp with lbass & treble control [cheapest - FZ audio]

Option 02 - Analogue preamp with equilizer [Best - SCHIIT loki or sys]

Let us know if I am going in correct way to buy this or suggest me right options.


Thank You!!

Regards,
Amit Satam

Really don't know why audio companies ditched tone controls. Don't know how much cost cutting in that regard would have helped. Not every track is recorded perfectly. Besides tastes of individuals vary with respect to sound.
For the purists, the tone defeat/source direct button would always be there.
I guess there is a reason why Luxman, Accuphase, Marantz and a few others still have them.

 

[MaSh]

Replying to a 2 year old thread. What I have observed is if you want to tone down things in a lively setup, try out Belden RCA cables.

MaSh

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

Really don't know why audio companies ditched tone controls. Don't know how much cost cutting in that regard would have helped. Not every track is recorded perfectly. Besides tastes of individuals vary with respect to sound.
For the purists, the tone defeat/source direct button would always be there.
I guess there is a reason why Luxman, Accuphase, Marantz and a few others still have them.

I will add balance control to the list. My room is not symmetrical behind the speakers, so there was always this image shift to the left. I had to skew my speaker positioning to offset the same. Finally started using balance controls, and it sorted the issue, and now I have my speakers symmetric to the room again. Whatever purity I might have lost by engaging the balance control, I've gained more than that in overall fidelity and musical enjoyment.

 

[Nitin K]

I will add balance control to the list. My room is not symmetrical behind the speakers, so there was always this image shift to the left. I had to skew my speaker positioning to offset the same. Finally started using balance controls, and it sorted the issue, and now I have my speakers symmetric to the room again. Whatever purity I might have lost by engaging the balance control, I've gained more than that in overall fidelity and musical enjoyment.

True Mano, forgot to mention the bal knob too with the listening room being symmetrical. If I were to buy a new amp, then would definitely look for these controls.

 

[bornfi]

Really don't know why audio companies ditched tone controls. Don't know how much cost cutting in that regard would have helped. Not every track is recorded perfectly. Besides tastes of individuals vary with respect to sound.
For the purists, the tone defeat/source direct button would always be there.
I guess there is a reason why Luxman, Accuphase, Marantz and a few others still have them.

it is most probably because it affects the fidelity and playing with low-level signal without affecting the fidelity is a challenging business. This is why you would see the ones used in studios such as below are very expensive. Just my thought.

https://www.sweetwater.com/c846--Stu_Mastering?highlight=PQBlk&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organicpla&seoslug=spl-pq-mastering-equalizer-black&catrollup=2/740/846&mrkgadid=&mrkgcl=28&mrkgen=gpla&mrkgbflag=1&mrkgcat=drums&percussion&acctid=21700000001645388&dskeywordid=&lid=58700008696010903&dsproductgroupid=&product_id=PQBlk&prodctry=US&prodlang=en&channel=online&storeid=&device=c&network=x&matchtype=&adpos=largenumber&locationid=9026831&creative=&targetid=&campaignid=21160912466&awsearchcpc=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwir2xBhC_ARIsAMTXk8679VoshLT-EY9bRT09M4aokWVy-a2mDRRWGIXAuzJcW__j6pmtYKQaApHSEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Nitin K]

it is most probably because it affects the fidelity and playing with low-level signal without affecting the fidelity is a challenging business. This is why you would see the ones used in studios such as below are very expensive. Just my thought.

https://www.sweetwater.com/c846--Stu_Mastering?highlight=PQBlk&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organicpla&seoslug=spl-pq-mastering-equalizer-black&catrollup=2/740/846&mrkgadid=&mrkgcl=28&mrkgen=gpla&mrkgbflag=1&mrkgcat=drums&percussion&acctid=21700000001645388&dskeywordid=&lid=58700008696010903&dsproductgroupid=&product_id=PQBlk&prodctry=US&prodlang=en&channel=online&storeid=&device=c&network=x&matchtype=&adpos=largenumber&locationid=9026831&creative=&targetid=&campaignid=21160912466&awsearchcpc=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwir2xBhC_ARIsAMTXk8679VoshLT-EY9bRT09M4aokWVy-a2mDRRWGIXAuzJcW__j6pmtYKQaApHSEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

True, studio equipment are generally quite expensive since they have extensive controls.The tone defeat button would be there for someone who wants to bypass the tone controls. Besides the room also has some issues which these controls could help to some extent.These basic controls were available on most of the amps of the yesteryear.

 

[Nitin K]

Because most music played today is digital and one can employ DSP at the source, which might turn out cheaper?

IMHO, these were mainly required because vinyls and compact cassettes had a non-linear frequency response, muddy stereo imaging or hard panned recordings & poor SNR. Meanwhile playback devices introduced their own noises like turntable rumble, tape hiss, etc.(either due technological limitations of that era or just normal wear and tear due to regular use/misuse) . An Eq, or tone controls where very useful in enhancing the listening experience.
Furthermore, any slight misalignment in the playback / recording head or turntable pickup or non-ideal listening position could be easily adjusted with the help of a balance control. Current digital medium has no such drawback ( we have now built-in digital EQ function/ room correction in our system) , thus making these functions slowly fade away into obscurity (gradually replaced by sleek & modern looking front panels). Plus, these controls added their own colour and noise (most carbon pots. get noisy with the passage of time) in the signal path.(call me a snob)
But still sometimes, I do like to use tone controls , just to tame bass or treble response of "Digitally Remastered Editions" , as these may have unnaturally boosted frequencies in the upper or lower ranges.

Hi Sachin & Availlyrics

Since the discussion veered off to the absence of bass & treble controls on most of today's integrated amps from the Bose discussion, I did not want to derail the thread by Analogous. Hence expressing my views over here with respect to the above 2 views by you'll.

With regard to Sachin's suggestion, as a person who prefers a simple chain with a minimum number of components, I would prefer avoiding an additional DSP unit which would be more or less equivalent to an equalizer which we once had. As an old fashioned guy, I prefer adjusting the physical bass & treble knobs directly rather than digging into the software & doing the adjustments. Although I have currently tuned the stereo sound more or less to my liking through the avr's Audyssey Multfilter app.

With regard's to Availlyrics point of view, imho although the digital frequency response may be linear which may not require tone controls, yet very often due to the compression of tracks while streaming or mp3 playback as in Spotify or in usb mode, the treble or bass in certain tracks get boosted in an unnatural way which needs to be adjusted at what best it can. I have cd's of older Mohammed Rafi & Kishore Kumar tracks where most of them sound flat or harsh & needs to get tonally corrected. Besides certain new digital recordings too have some shortcomings.
With a "Source Direct" button one can avoid tone controls if they are to be avoided for people who don't want them.

With due respect to your suggestions which is logical, these are purely my personal views as a non audiophile layman who wants to just enjoy music & movies but with a decent quality in mind.

Regards,
Nitin

 

[Shammi Dang]

Hello All,

After changing my RCA CABLE to Monobrige Cable i could hear good increase in low, mid & high frequencies .

However this has caused harsh sound while listing music in exiting audio setup even in low sounds thus loosing its warmth.

My Audio setup:
1- Pioneer BD18 {CD player}
2- Yamaha WXC 50 {Preamp + DAC + network Steramer}
3- Emotiva a100

Issue: no control to reduced increased treble or high frequencies after changing my RCA cable in stereo setup.


Unfortunately i cannot reduced the sudden treble or high frequencies with my existing setup as AMP dont have equiliser or buttons to change bass, Vocal & treble.

Neither do Yamaha mode -Preamp nor Player helps to reduced treble or high frequencies in my existing setup.

Need a suggestion on this to reduce treble or high frequencies & guidance :

Option 01 - Tube buffer preamp with lbass & treble control [cheapest - FZ audio]

Option 02 - Analogue preamp with equilizer [Best - SCHIIT loki or sys]

Let us know if I am going in correct way to buy this or suggest me right options.


Thank You!!

Regards,
Amit Satam

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

With regard to Sachin's suggestion, as a person who prefers a simple chain with a minimum number of components, I would prefer avoiding an additional DSP unit which would be more or less equivalent to an equalizer which we once had. As an old fashioned guy, I prefer adjusting the physical bass & treble knobs directly rather than digging into the software & doing the adjustments. Although I have currently tuned the stereo sound more or less to my liking through the avr's Audyssey Multfilter app.

I understand you there, Nitin. I myself would never employ DSP or even engage tone controls. I try to achieve the most optimum frequency response that the synergy of my system can achieve for the kind of music I like to listen the most and then leave it at that. Some recordings may sound shrill, because they are, some boomy because they are. As long as well-mastered recordings sound well, I am ok.

My reply was intended to explain why manufacturers today might have dropped tone controls. They’d design for the average user and I see increasingly larger number of users today opt for DSP or even the built in equalisers in streaming apps.