New Hi Fi system is bright :(

[Multicore]

Please ignore the color choice of the tablecloth, I thought it would help to treat the issue so I threw the first thing I saw.

How? after you just drew my attention to it.

Others have talked about EQ and I would certainly follow that advice. But the room also looks too reverberant. You might benefit from damping that. You can't do much about long reverberation time with EQ.

 

[Sammy135]

A lot of people here are talking way too much about the speakers measurements and the room.

Yes, those things influence, but the main problem OP has is he is missing a subwoofer.

When you put a proper 20hz capable sub in the mix, it fills out the lower octaves, and you will not experience the brightness anymore.

Also, the genre of music you listen to is definitely on the brighter end. But because you don't have a sub, brightness is even more overpowering.

Get a sub, put a house curve on it and the issue will be fixed.

 

[Multicore]

He could always attach the sofa to the roof, glue the cushions on the side walls, staple the rug to the front wall and drag in the mattress from the bedroom, cut it in half and put a piece on the floor, either side, in front of each speaker.

Headphones would solve the problem.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

I'd fill the room with spray foam. But maybe that's just me.

I'd recommend open cell foam for best absorbtion.

 

[fpitas]

I'd recommend open cell foam for best absorbtion.

Of course. And you have to sit somewhere.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

Of course. And you have to sit somewhere.

Just carve out a chair.

 

[tinnitus]

A lot of people here are talking way too much about the speakers measurements and the room.

Yes, those things influence, but the main problem OP has is he is missing a subwoofer.

When you put a proper 20hz capable sub in the mix, it fills out the lower octaves, and you will not experience the brightness anymore.

Also, the genre of music you listen to is definitely on the brighter end. But because you don't have a sub, brightness is even more overpowering.

Get a sub, put a house curve on it and the issue will be fixed.

How do you know what is missing at the listening position without a measurement? That a subwoofer is missing is first only a guess. Such suggestions are only a poke in the dark.

 

[tinnitus]

Other audiophiles also struggle with room acoustics. Unfortunately without any measurements

 

[fpitas]

View attachment 320931
Other audiophiles also struggle with room acoustics. Unfortunately without any measurements

I like how it blocks the chandelier light.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

I like how it blocks the chandelier light.

And the projector..

 

[fpitas]

And the projector..

We may be unfair. Perhaps someone sleeps up there.

 

[tinnitus]

I like how it blocks the chandelier light.

That makes the silence darker and the brightness is gone.

 

[5-pot-fan]

@Pawnshop123
The technical replies you have received are probably all good but I would have found them confusing a couple of years back.
If your living arrangements allow might I suggest starting with some carpets/rugs to cover as much floor as possible. Perhaps a junk shop/secondhand shop if such things exist near you would provide some options fairly cheaply. If doable this should give some audible clue as to what might work and let you hear some differences. If you are able to put another cheap rug on the wall behind you this would also make a change. If this is a furnished apartment then you may have limited options, but room mods are usually advisable before implementing EQ etc.
On the flippant side, if you wait until you are my age the added brightness of sound may become desirable!
Regards

 

[Pawnshop123]

First of all, thank you all for replying and trying to help, I appreciate it.

So short update:
Today I took all the stuff I have been keeping in my spare room to fight reverb and put it in my living room as you can see in the attached photo (just for testing).
There's much less echo now and it improved the sound.
I feel like putting the rug closer to the speakers and getting the table out of the place were the most significant changes.
I think I can hear more bass now which makes me feel like the sound is more full.

Another interesting discovery - I use the TV as the source (or the amp's Bluetooth) and it turns out the volume of recordings in the Apple Music application on the TV is significantly lower than the iPhone's application. That's super weird. So now I just airplay from the iPhone to the TV or using the Bluetooth of the amp directly.
I also realized that prior to a few hours ago, I had a 'sound check' setting on the iPhone that might have messed with the tonality, IDK.
Although I recall that I couldn't tell the difference between streaming from iPhone or using the native app in the TV prior to today (their volume happened to be similar because of that volume limit setting that was enabled).

I do have something like 5 days to return the amp if I want.
Now I wonder if should just EQ the system to my liking (after acoustically treating the room) or replace the amp, maybe with a tube one or Arcam SA20.
My options are quite limited where I live.
The thing I liked about this amp is that its price is very competitive here. Some products from other places of the world can cost double the price for absolutely no reason.
So I will further test that amp but I am still wondering if I should just replace it or EQ.

Why?

One of the best sounds I've heard is coming from my Apple Airpods pro 2nd gen with applied audiogram. That sound I've tried to obtain in my HiFi system by DIrac Live and an abundance of different house curves. I'm so close now that I have settled to a curve with small 1 dB differences here and there in the slope.

@Pawnshop123
These KEFs are bright "ab standard" as various users have pointed out. You probably are used to the boosted 60-70 Hz from the soundbar at the same time, exaggerating the impression of the bright KEFs. Give it some time and see if you get used to them or use EQ to taste. Easy as that.

You are right. In the soundbar, I have 'woofer setting' and it was all the way up (but frankly, I don't hear THAT much difference when it has a 'neutral' woofer setting).
And yes, I love the sound of the Airpods Pro.

 

[Mart68]

First of all, thank you all for replying and trying to help, I appreciate it.

So short update:
Today I put all the stuff I have been keeping in my spare room to fight reverb and put it in my living room as you can see in the attached photo (just for testing).
There's much less echo now and it improved the sound.
I feel like putting the rug closer to the speakers and getting the table out of the place were the most significant changes.
I think I can hear more bass now which makes me feel like the sound is more full.

Your getting there but for best sound quality you need a lot more. Aim to get it into a complete tip, like my room:



I use Focals, supposed to be the world's brightest speakers according to some folk. Never, ever bright in here.

 

[radix]

I do have something like 5 days to return the amp if I want.

How do you connect the TV to the amp? Personally, I would have gone with an HDMI eARC amp so I only need 1 remote.

 

[restorer-john]

Just carve out a chair.

LOL. I nearly spat out my breakfast.

This thread has devolved into dumpster diving for ratty curtains to use for room 'treatment', 4 or 5 extra rugs and a room filled with spray foam. Just don't pickup any of those free sofas/matresses full of bedbugs in Paris.

 

[uwotm8]

my living room as you can see in the attached photo

Well, you have a bingo here, sir:
- that geometry
- glass wall (windows)
- bare painted concrete walls
- almost no furniture
- tile floor
+++
R3 Meta predicted in-room:

Not ear-piercing by itself but in your room and set at long wall - well, you're hearing it.
Also note it's somewhat over(or under?)designed as bass deficient, only KEF knows what a room tuning it meant to do.
Anyway, baking it into hardware seem to cause issues and not to be liked much by listeners.

Another amplifier will not solve this issue, but EQ will.
I'd just try a quick fix - negative gain HF shelving by 2-3 dB above 5 kHz, and +3 dB bass shelving below 100 Hz.
Yes, you will require a laptop, a Y-cable (3.5 to 2 RCA) if you don't have one, and an hour to install and get yourself familiar with Equalizer APO + Peace (freeware).
Way cheaper to try than buying some Arcams, isn't it?

 

[Doodski]

First of all, thank you all for replying and trying to help, I appreciate it.

So short update:
Today I took all the stuff I have been keeping in my spare room to fight reverb and put it in my living room as you can see in the attached photo (just for testing).
There's much less echo now and it improved the sound.
I feel like putting the rug closer to the speakers and getting the table out of the place were the most significant changes.
I think I can hear more bass now which makes me feel like the sound is more full.

Another interesting discovery - I use the TV as the source (or the amp's Bluetooth) and it turns out the volume of recordings in the Apple Music application on the TV is significantly lower than the iPhone's application. That's super weird. So now I just airplay from the iPhone to the TV or using the Bluetooth of the amp directly.
I also realized that prior to a few hours ago, I had a 'sound check' setting on the iPhone that might have messed with the tonality, IDK.
Although I recall that I couldn't tell the difference between streaming from iPhone or using the native app in the TV prior to today (their volume happened to be similar because of that volume limit setting that was enabled).

I do have something like 5 days to return the amp if I want.
Now I wonder if should just EQ the system to my liking (after acoustically treating the room) or replace the amp, maybe with a tube one or Arcam SA20.
My options are quite limited where I live.
The thing I liked about this amp is that its price is very competitive here. Some products from other places of the world can cost double the price for absolutely no reason.
So I will further test that amp but I am still wondering if I should just replace it or EQ.


You are right. In the soundbar, I have 'woofer setting' and it was all the way up (but frankly, I don't hear THAT much difference when it has a 'neutral' woofer setting).
And yes, I love the sound of the Airpods Pro.

2 of those heavy 6 foot tall sound absorbing office divider panels behind your sofa right behind the head will work wonders on the imaging. I did that with a room very much like yours and it was a great improvement in the reflections control. The imaging was awesome after. I got my panels at a auction. Cost me like $25 each for good condition used panels. They can be covered if you want a special shade of fabric etc.

 

[uwotm8]

Looking again to R3 Meta FR I think that weird bass can actually be the main issue and caused imbalance may affect sound more than HF "air boost".
Is it possible to set them up by short wall? Just for a test at least.