Is Too much treble bad?

[Evildude]

I have a pair of Sony bookshelf speaker (SS-B1000) hooked to a very old 100w amp, and I really like my music crisp and clear so I got the treble all the way up on the amp, will this mess my speakers up?

 

[markw]

Aside from the fact that if you play it too loud for too long the tweeters may fry, no.

 

[Evildude]

can anyone here tell me how to setup the EQ so that I get clear and crisp sound without frying my tweeters?

 

[lsiberian]

can anyone here tell me how to setup the EQ so that I get clear and crisp sound without frying my tweeters?

What EQ?

I doubt you could fry a tweeter. Others things will likely go first.

 

[markw]

I doubt you could fry a tweeter.

Believe me, one most certainly can fry a tweeter, particularly in consumer speakers, by boosting the highs to unrealistic levels and playing them loudly.

Tweeters don't dissipate heat as well as mids and woofers.

 

[lsiberian]

Believe me, one most certainly can fry a tweeter, particularly in consumer speakers, by boosting the highs to unrealistic levels and playing them loudly.

Tweeters don't dissipate heat as well as mids and woofers.

People do that?

I'm just still surprised people do it.

 

[markw]

People do that?

I'm just still surprised people do it.

it was an almost daily occurance when Isold car stereos for Rat Shack in the early 80's. Kid swould buy these under-dash eq/amps, we would caution them about too much treble boost*, but they woud set the eq into the smily-face configuration anyway and a few days later we woud explain that the warranty doesn't incude stupidity.

if a speaker is rated at 120 watts,a and you feed 120 watts of treble, that's an ex=tweeter you've got there. It's shucked it's mortal coil.

If you've ever looked at a spectragraph of music, you'll find that most of the signal is in the ower midrange and bass frequencies. In the real world, tweeters don't need to be as robust as those speakers.

*forces the amp into clipping (12 db = 8X the midband power) and the tweeter would overheat.

 

[Evildude]

it was an almost daily occurance when Isold car stereos for Rat Shack in the early 80's. Kid swould buy these under-dash eq/amps, we would caution them about too much treble boost*, but they woud set the eq into the smily-face configuration anyway and a few days later we woud explain that the warranty doesn't incude stupidity.

if a speaker is rated at 120 watts,a and you feed 120 watts of treble, that's an ex=tweeter you've got there. It's shucked it's mortal coil.

If you've ever looked at a spectragraph of music, you'll find that most of the signal is in the ower midrange and bass frequencies. In the real world, tweeters don't need to be as robust as those speakers.

*forces the amp into clipping (12 db = 8X the midband power) and the tweeter would overheat.

So basically if Im using too much treble it would be like using too much sharpness on a tv?

 

[highfigh]

What EQ?

I doubt you could fry a tweeter. Others things will likely go first.

Depends on the tweeter. Some are pretty delicate and don't tolerate excessive anything.

 

[highfigh]

So basically if Im using too much treble it would be like using too much sharpness on a tv?

Long term, it's not good for your ears, either. The inner ear has little hairs, called 'cilia', that are there for taking the sound energy and stimulating the auditory nerve when they vibrate. Excessive high frequency content causes them to deteriorate or fall out, which means you won't be as sensitive to high frequencies. You can make it sound very similar by dropping the midrange a bit. Boosting the treble brings all kinds of noise with it and dropping the mids can actually decrease noise levels.

 

[highfigh]

but they woud set the eq into the smily-face configuration anyway and a few days later we woud explain that the warranty doesn't include stupidity.

if a speaker is rated at 120 watts,a and you feed 120 watts of treble, that's an ex=tweeter you've got there. It's shucked it's mortal coil.

That's not very good customer relations and if the tweeters weren't nailed to the front of the cabinet, they'd be pushing up the daisies.

 

[markw]

That's not very good customer relations and if the tweeters weren't nailed to the front of the cabinet, they'd be pushing up the daisies.

huh? can you translate, pease?

 

[fredk]

If you are cranking the trebble all the way up to get the sound you want there is something wrong. Speakers are designed to be played without the tone controls engaged. They are/were there to make minor adjustments to match your taste or to make up for room effects.

Even if you don't fry your tweeters, I expect that you are driving the tweeters beyond what they are capable of, introducing all sorts of distortion.

Considergoing to a local electronics store and find some speakers you like the sound of without cranking the trebble. Then, take your speakers to the store and compare them with and without the trebble cranked and see which set you like better.

Long term, it's not good for your ears, either.

Funny you should mention that, because that was one of the things that popped into my head in the 'somethings not right here' category.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

This Thread Hurts Mt Ears....

 

[jamie2112]

This Thread Hurts Mt Ears....

And my brain......jeeze what is this a hand-holding session

 

[Adam]

I turned up the treble control when I was younger, and my speakers didn't break. Nor did my ears. Adjust the tone controls so that you like the sound (that's what they're there for), but as the others have said - be smart and don't play things so loud that your ears start ringing.

Things get so serious around here sometimes.

 

[markw]

And my brain......jeeze what is this a hand-holding session

Well, somebody's trying to hold something here, and I don't think it's our hands.

You outta check out this guy's other thread on this forum. They're biting like hungry sharks when you chum with fresh meat.

 

[CraigV]

There was a guy on another forum who loudly & proudly proclaimed he had jacked all the EQ controls AND tone controls on his Onkyo SR605 to their maximum settings. He thought that he was getting better sound by getting more sound. It took a lot of responses to get him to set everything to neutral, and once he had time to listen to how things should sound, his eyes were opened to the fact that everything sounded more natural.

Cranking up tone/EQ controls makes more noise, not more sound

 

[Adam]

...makes more noise, not more sound

You say potato, I say potato.

Wait, that doesn't work in print...

 

[Alex2507]

Things get so serious around here sometimes.