A bit confused

[Brian Beard]

First off let me say I havs some hearing loss and tinnitus
I bought a set of KLH 5s and a marantz 40n.
The 40n does everything I wanted bluetooth, wi fi,
hdmi.
Im hearing way too much treble and not enough mid and bass. To counteract I up’d the bass 3/4 and on treble I just turn it down if the treble is irritating. The settings on the back of the speaker for treble just make it harder for me to understand vocals. Maybe if the receiver had mid adjustment?
The best position I have found is 10.5 feet apart and toed in about 1”. Im sitting about 15’ from the speakers and centered.
I have no idea at this point if its the speakers or the amp.
I have also found you cant trust what you hear in the showroom.
I hoping for some input because as the title says Im lost at this point.
This is my first post so hello and my apologies if Im in the wrong forum

 

[solderdude]

The best position I have found is 10.5 feet apart and toed in about 1”. Im sitting about 15’ from the speakers and centered.

Seems like at least part of the complaints is room acoustics (maybe the biggest chunk)
There may also be expectations that aren't met (showroom sounded nice, not knowing what was done there to promote sales)

I have no idea at this point if its the speakers or the amp.

Unlikely to be the amp.

I have also found you cant trust what you hear in the showroom.

Yes.

This is my first post so hello and my apologies if Im in the wrong forum

Welcome and it is the right forum.

 

[Gringoaudio1]

No offence but that is some good kit and you did say you have hearing loss. Your ears are likely the problem.

 

[raindance]

How are the speakers placed and where do you sit?

 

[djtetei]

Let's try something:
- set all equalisation and processing to flat
- set the speaker acoustic signature knob to "high" position
- perform a frequency sweep between 400 Hz - 20 Hz to determine the lowest frequency you are able to hear clearly (make note of it)
- perform a frequency sweep between 1.6 kHz - 400 Hz to determine the range of frequencies you are able to hear clearly (make note of it)
- perform a frequency sweep between 20 kHz - 1.6 kHz to determine the range of high frequencies you are hearing the most (make note of it)
It you can, please, tell us something about the room dimensions and floor/walls/ceiling materials.

 

[LTig]

No offence but that is some good kit and you did say you have hearing loss. Your ears are likely the problem.

Don't think so. If the loss came gradual one is still able to compare live sound with recorded sound.

 

[bothu]

What about that you have connected one speaker out of phase ?

 

[djtetei]

What about that you have connected one speaker out of phase ?

Definitely worth checking!

 

[Brian Beard]

Seems like at least part of the complaints is room acoustics (maybe the biggest chunk)
There may also be expectations that aren't met (showroom sounded nice, not knowing what was done there to promote sales)

First off let me say I havs some hearing loss and tinnitus
I bought a set of KLH 5s and a marantz 40n.
The 40n does everything I wanted bluetooth, wi fi,
hdmi.
Im hearing way too much treble and not enough mid and bass. To counteract I up’d the bass 3/4 and on treble I just turn it down if the treble is irritating. The settings on the back of the speaker for treble just make it harder for me to understand vocals. Maybe if the receiver had mid adjustment?
The best position I have found is 10.5 feet apart and toed in about 1”. Im sitting about 15’ from the speakers and centered.
I have no idea at this point if its the speakers or the amp.
I have also found you cant trust what you hear in the showroom.
I hoping for some input because as the title says Im lost at this point.
This is my first post so hello and my apologies if Im in the wrong forum

It a family room, hard wood floors, ceiling to floor curtains, parralel to one speaker about 10’ width,
Then a fabric couch on the opposite wall. Im sure thats has to do with reflection in the room.

I really should have gone into more detail in the original post. I can turn the treble down. That takes care of the painful high frequencies caused by the tinnitus. My hearing loss is all in the upper frequencies.
Ive taken care of the bass by turning it up 3/4 way. But my problem is the midrange. For example in jazz when they are exciting the cymbals with the wire brush, I can hear it but not really hear the detail. Would that be midrange?

Are the reflections causing the high frequencies
To overcome the other frequencies? How do I, in a manner in which would be acceptable to she who is in charge of interior decorating, address this issue?

As you may have deduced im no audiophile.
I have look at switching out the receiver for the 8006 model from Marantz because it has midrange adjustment but it doesnt have sub out which I plan to eventually add. It does have optical which takes care of connecting to the tv.
The tv has an option for one bluetooth connected device which could be the sub, but id really like to listen to it through the stereo also.

Anyway thanks to all for you time, consideration and thoughtful replies.

 

[Brian Beard]

No offence but that is some good kit and you did say you have hearing loss. Your ears are likely the problem.

Well thank you, Im relieved the choices are not laughed at. I primarily went with these speakers because of good reviews and they fit the decor of the room. I felt the tower types would be overwhelming in appearance. I know, I know not the reasonable approach to selecting equipment. also because of good reviews online for the speakers. I didnt research amps at all I told the shop owner what I wanted to do and he said this amp. He also has Yamaha and Anthem receivers.
Hes a really nice guy.

 

[Brian Beard]

Let's try something:
- set all equalisation and processing to flat
- set the speaker acoustic signature knob to "high" position
- perform a frequency sweep between 400 Hz - 20 Hz to determine the lowest frequency you are able to hear clearly (make note of it)
- perform a frequency sweep between 1.6 kHz - 400 Hz to determine the range of frequencies you are able to hear clearly (make note of it)
- perform a frequency sweep between 20 kHz - 1.6 kHz to determine the range of high frequencies you are hearing the most (make note of it)
It you can, please, tell us something about the room dimensions and floor/walls/ceiling materials.

Im sorry I dont have ability to do all that. I did answer the first reply about the room dimensions and interior. I should add it opens onto a dining room, the left speaker, and a hallway next to the couch.

 

[Brian Beard]

Don't think so. If the loss came gradual one is still able to compare live sound with recorded sound.

The tinnitus is from military many moons ago. Id guess the hearing loss is from the same period. Im 62. Theres no doubt the tinnitus is directly responsible for sensitivity to high frequencies, but the midrange is what I cant adjust.

 

[Brian Beard]

What about that you have connected one speaker out of phase ?

I was super careful setting it up. And the cables are color coded.

 

[solderdude]

Theres no doubt the tinnitus is directly responsible for sensitivity to high frequencies

Yes, you could try to figure out what frequencies (it will be a small band) are triggering your tinnitus and then 'notching' these frequencies out using parametric EQ.
In some cases this helps, could be worth a try.

Sounds like the room and hard reflections are the main issue.

You could try to use room correction. Sadly though this only works well enough in a rather small listening area in some cases.

 

[Brian Beard]

I should also add I dont listen at high volumes.

 

[Brian Beard]

Yes, you could try to figure out what frequencies (it will be a small band) are triggering your tinnitus and then 'notching' these frequencies out using parametric EQ.
In some cases this helps, could be worth a try.

Sounds like the room and hard reflections are the main issue.

You could try to use room correction. Sadly though this only works well enough in a rather small listening area in some cases.

Thats sounds like an excellent idea! Can I do this from a phone?
What do I need to get brand wise?

 

[djtetei]

Is there any fabric laid on the floor? Adding a fairly large fabric on the floor could help alot.
Pay attention to the speakers distance from the back wall and the side walls. They require at least 26 inches of space behind and to the sides.
Use the speakers with the grille on as these helps toning down the high frequencies.
You could try to close the space when listening by using some panels. The fact that your room opens up to the sides doesn't help in keeping the sound in.

 

[Brian Beard]

Is there any fabric laid on the floor? Adding a fairly large fabric on the floor could help alot.

Its all hardwood. Hmm thats interesting, im not sure I like that idea although she who is in charge of interior decorating will probably love it.

 

[djtetei]

im not sure I like that idea

Sometimes, room acoustic treatment doesn't account for interior decoration. One has to choose between the sound or the decorations.
On a side note, women likes to shop, so give her the opportunity to express herself while also helping the room.

 

[Brian Beard]

Is there any fabric laid on the floor? Adding a fairly large fabric on the floor could help alot.
Pay attention to the speakers distance from the back wall and the side walls. They require at least 26 inches of space behind and to the sides.
Use the speakers with the grille on as these helps toning down the high frequencies.
You could try to close the space when listening by using some panels. The fact that your room opens up to the sides doesn't help in keeping the sound in.

Im surprised about the spacing. I thought because of the design they could go against the wall. Right now they are 21” from the wall.
What effect does moving them closer to the wall have?