New Speakers sound "bright"

[dinkeye]

I have recently purchased a whole new system.

Yamaha RXV2500
Energy C3 as mains and rears
Energy CC1 Center channel

This system looks great, but the speakers just don't sound right. They seem very "bright" or high pitched. Almost as if there is too much treble.
I have no sub yet (undecided what to buy) and assume this may have something to do with it. I have run the YPAO on the Yamaha to calibrate numerous times with the same result.
I have the speakers set to "large" in the absence of a sub.
What recommendations do you guys have as to how I can correct this?
The Energy C3 and CC1 have nothing but positive reviews, maybe it is my rookie ears.

 

[Sheep]

I have recently purchased a whole new system.

Yamaha RXV2500
Energy C3 as mains and rears
Energy CC1 Center channel

This system looks great, but the speakers just don't sound right. They seem very "bright" or high pitched. Almost as if there is too much treble.
I have no sub yet (undecided what to buy) and assume this may have something to do with it. I have run the YPAO on the Yamaha to calibrate numerous times with the same result.
I have the speakers set to "large" in the absence of a sub.
What recommendations do you guys have as to how I can correct this?
The Energy C3 and CC1 have nothing but positive reviews, maybe it is my rookie ears.

Don't use the YPAO. I have the C-1s and the C-C1 with a bare concrete floor and they still don't sound bright.

Trust your ears and set them up yourself. Its worth it in the end.

I run mine small, which would only make them "brighter" then a larger setting, so thats not the reason.

What is your room like? Concrete everywhere?

Seriously though, You should try toeing them out, and other setups and see if it helps.

SheepStar

 

[mtrycrafts]

I have recently purchased a whole new system.

Yamaha RXV2500
Energy C3 as mains and rears
Energy CC1 Center channel

This system looks great, but the speakers just don't sound right. They seem very "bright" or high pitched. Almost as if there is too much treble.
I have no sub yet (undecided what to buy) and assume this may have something to do with it. I have run the YPAO on the Yamaha to calibrate numerous times with the same result.
I have the speakers set to "large" in the absence of a sub.
What recommendations do you guys have as to how I can correct this?
The Energy C3 and CC1 have nothing but positive reviews, maybe it is my rookie ears.

You may have to dial in some treble cut, manually.

 

[tbewick]

You try adjusting your room acoustics - more drapes, cushions, bookshelves etc. as this may help to dampen the sound somewhat. Or try moving the speakers around the room.

I have also heard that speakers that aren't truly full-range (20 Hz - 20 kHz) often sound better with a slight treble roll-off (more through speaker design than treble control adjustment). Using the treble control can make things more listenable, with the expense of the music losing its edge.

Good speakers can reveal flaws in poor recordings. If you're after a good recording, try the Mozart Symphonies by the Academy of Ancient Music (Christopher Hogwood/Jaap Schroder, Decca).

 

[tbewick]

I forgot to mention that with films you might want to try using the THX eq or cinema eq on your receiver. Films can often sound too bright when played back in the home, and this is not necessarily because the film soundtrack has been poorly produced. Here are some useful articles about equalisation:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_9_2/feature-article-curves-6-2002.html
http://www.homecinemachoice.com/articles/hccarticles/techarticles/2000071stAmongEquals/2000071stAmongEquals.php

Audioholics main site has got loads on acoustics, but these articles are also quite helpful:

http://www.homecinemachoice.com/articles/hccarticles/techarticles/200108Sound/200108Sound.php

This one's an interview with the acoustics expert, Dr Floyd E. Toole:

http://www.homecinemachoice.com/articles/hccarticles/interviews/FloydToole/FloydToole.php

 

[markw]

Ultimately, if within a week or so you still don't like 'em...

...take 'em back and exchange 'em. It's not like you married 'em.

Just because other people say something is great, that doesn't mean you will like it. Heck, many people say caviar is great but, to me, it's just a salty mess of fish eggs.

Speakers all sound different because people have different tastes. Some people's "detailed" may be another person's "bright", "just right" for one guy may be "flat" or "subdued" to another.

Don't waste valuable "enchange" time time tyying to convince yourself you like something you really don't feel comfortable with.

P.S. The sub won't cure the brightness issue. All it will do is extend the bass response.

 

[speakerman39]

Dink have you tried to "Pure Direct" mode to see if this would help? If so and the speakers still sound bright then you know for sure it is not your receiver. I am almost certain it is not the receiver anyways but you never know. I also suggest you manually adjust the treble setting and cut it back a bit. Lastly, it could have more to do with your listening environment. Experiment with towing the mains in or out or add/remove some furniture. This may correct the problem who knows. Good luck and be sure to let us know how it turns out.

 

[rollinrocker]

dink,

Did you like the way the speaker sounded in the store? I would think so or you probably would not have made the purchase. If so, then i would agree with tbewick, try treating the room. Smooth and detailed in the showroom, hard and bright in your room. Room acoustics are very important.

 

[Leprkon]

...take 'em back and exchange 'em. It's not like you married 'em.

If you have a little time before you would have to take them back, like 14 or 30 days, you might try running them at a decent volume for several hours. Sometimes, speakers do need to break in.

I was very upset with the Inifnity package I bought when I first put it in. I almost put them right back in the box and sent them back. They were bordering on flat-out hissy. After reading some of the other AudioHolics posts, I let them burn in for about 3 hours a day for a week. Everything loosened up and sounded much better after that.

One key note here... have them playing while you are not at home, and only check on them every so often. If you run them too much while you are listening directly to them, it might be you who is burning in and not the speakers.

If you think they sound better after a week, keep them. If not, they should go back.

 

[zumbo]

I skimmed the thread, but did you try NATURAL as the EQ option in YPAO? This cuts treble.

 

[JaceTheAce]

Hmm... I never thought my C-3's were bright. The B&W 602's were too bright! Energy's are known for a balanced neutral sound - one of their good characteristics is that they do not sound bright.

Do you have a spare receiver that you can use to see if it's your Yamaha that's making them sound too bright?

 

[zumbo]

If anything, toe-in speakers. This will have the tweeters pointing towards the mic which will reduce the YPAO amount of treble. If you toe-out, the receiver is going to try to increase the treble. This is pretty easy to see.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I skimmed the thread, but did you try NATURAL as the EQ option in YPAO? This cuts treble.

With all that fancy features, that may be the cause, set up for the wrong EQ model

 

[warpdrive]

The Energy's shouldn't sound too bright. In fact, most people find them quite neutral. This could be a case of your ears preferring a rolled off treble. You might just want to manually EQ them and push down the frequencies starting around 5000Hz and up.

Lastly, make sure that you have the speakers away from any side walls or any objects, because reflections will really ruin the sound fast. Bad acoustics will ruin the sound of the best speakers

But it's possible that another speaker may be better for you. Ascend Acoustics 170 and Monitor Audio Bronze speakers come to mind. They have a very smooth polite sound.

Lastly, what are you listening to them with? If you are listening to pop recordings, there are lots of recordings that will sound too bright. Try to find something that is well recorded to really judge the speaker's worth. If so, you should find the Energy's to be very accurate.

 

[agarwalro]

It may just be that your listening position is in a null for lower frequencies.

The only way to accurately gauge your setup will be to do the test tone and frequency response plot calibration routine. Do this for multiple locations in your listening area. It will tell you if your listening area is suffering lack of bass due to poor room acoustics and if upper frequencies need to be cut to compensate for that.

The best way to do the calibration will be to buy the Avia disc or burn the MP3 tracks available on the Real Traps website, http://www.realtraps.com/test-cd.htm

 

[flexodude]

I also agree with some of the posts that talk about room acoustics, I had the same problem until we removed the glass pictures and replaced them with Canvas (no glass). I also put up thicker drapes and now it sounds great.

I just did this over the weekend so I'm going to run the YPAO again plus manual adjustment, to take account of the new room change.

 

[dinkeye]

So your saying that the big brick wall in my room is not ideal for room acoustics?

 

[Hi Ho]

So your saying that the big brick wall in my room is not ideal for room acoustics?

That is correct. Hard surfaces are not your friend when it comes to room acoustics. The room is the most likely cause of your problem.