Suddenly noticing sibilance

[Dalprad]

I need some counseling! I'm pretty sure this is all in my head... Let me know what you think.

My gear is a pair of Revel M106 stand mounts, WIIM pro, smsl-su1 dac, Yamaha a-s801. Small room, area rug. I listen mostly at low to moderate volumes.

I recently swapped out my older Yamaha rx-596 for the newer Yamaha. Ever since switching, I feel like all I notice is the letter "s". It's like a strong onion on a sandwich. It's the only thing I can taste. So, I swapped back to the old amp and guess what? I still hear it! For months prior with the old amp it never crossed my mind, and now it's all I hear.

I'm sure I was hyper focused on the sound of the new new amp when I first hooked it up and so once I noticed it, I could not forget it.

But just to clear my head, does anyone see a problem with the combination of gear I'm using? I've heard some say the Yamaha can be a little brighter.

I've been able to fiddle with the WIIM eq to mitigate my new perception. But I just want someone to tell me I'm crazy so I can move on.

Thanks!

 

[Blumlein 88]

Just a guess, you were listening to your new amp and now you cannot unhear what was there before, but you didn't notice. Maybe too you are listening just a little louder to hear it better without realizing that is what you are doing.

In case you don't know, sibilance is usually around 5-8 khz. So that is the part to EQ a bit.

 

[DVDdoug]

Turn down the highs/treble. Maybe the EZ/tone controls were adjusted differently with the old setup.

So, I swapped back to the old amp and guess what? I still hear it!

That's good and what I would expect! The electronics shouldn't alter the sound unless you are using EQ or something.

I've heard some say the Yamaha can be a little brighter.

People say lots of things. There's no excuse for an amplifier (or other electronics) not to have flat frequency response over the audio range. It's been cheap & easy ever since tubes were replaced by solid state. (Tubes weren't the problem but power amplifiers required output-transformers and it's not cheap or easy to make a transformer with flat frequency response.)


P.S.
I think sibilance is boosted in most recordings above what we hear naturally. (In most cases it doesn't bother me and it can help with intelligibility.) It "feels like" the sibilance is as loud as the other parts of the voice, and it's not like that when you talk to someone in real life.

Studio condenser microphones are not flat and they often sound "crispy". Dynamic compression, which is used on almost all commercial recordings, also tends to boost the sibilance. And who-knows what they are doing with EQ and other effects. (Sometimes they do use a de-esser effect.)

 

[Dalprad]

Turn down the highs/treble. Maybe the EZ/tone controls were adjusted differently with the old setup.


That's good and what I would expect! The electronics shouldn't alter the sound unless you are using EQ or something.


People say lots of things. There's no excuse for an amplifier (or other electronics) not to have flat frequency response over the audio range. It's been cheap & easy ever since tubes were replaced by solid state. (Tubes weren't the problem but power amplifiers required output-transformers and it's not cheap or easy to make a transformer with flat frequency response.)

I actually have used the pure direct function on both amps so the tone control on the amps is out of the loop. I use the WIIM eq which seems to work well. Thanks for feedback!

 

[Dalprad]

Just a guess, you were listening to your new amp and now you cannot unhear what was there before, but you didn't notice. Maybe too you are listening just a little louder to hear it better without realizing that is what you are doing.

In case you don't know, sibilance is usually around 5-8 khz. So that is the part to EQ a bit.

My experimenting with the eq has led me to the higher end of the frequency range you suggested and that does seem to work. Thank you!

 

[kemmler3D]

Have you taken a flight or otherwise done anything that might affect your hearing lately? I often find that my hearing is significantly affected if I've had a cold or not equalized the pressure in my ears properly.

 

[Keith_W]

I need some counssssseling! I'm pretty sssssssssure thissssssssss isssssss all in my head... Let me know what you think.

My gear issssssss a pair of Revel M106 sssssssssstand mountssssssssss, WIIM pro, sssssssssmsssssssssl-ssssssssssssu1 dac, Yamaha a-ssssssssssss801. Sssssssssmall room, area rug. I lisssssssssten mossssssssssstly at low to moderate volumessssssss.

I reccccccccently ssssssssssswapped out my older Yamaha rxxxxxx-596 for the newer Yamaha. Ever ssssssssince sssssswitching, I feel like all I notice isssssssssss the letter "sssssssss". It's like a sssssssssssstrong onion on a sssssssssssandwich. It'ssssssss the only thing I can tassssssssssste. Sssssssssso, I ssssssssswapped back to the old amp and guessssssssssssss what? I sssssssssstill hear it! For monthssssssssssss prior with the old amp it never crosssssssssssssed my mind, and now it'sssssssssss all I hear.

Fixxxxxxxxxxxxed your posssssssssssst for you

 

[Curvature]

Measurements show that if you listen on-axis sibillance would make sense, depending of course on manufacturer tolerances and individual sensitivity.

Measurements for speaker Revel M106

www.spinorama.org

 

[Dalprad]

Turn down the highs/treble. Maybe the EZ/tone controls were adjusted differently with the old setup.


That's good and what I would expect! The electronics shouldn't alter the sound unless you are using EQ or something.


People say lots of things. There's no excuse for an amplifier (or other electronics) not to have flat frequency response over the audio range. It's been cheap & easy ever since tubes were replaced by solid state. (Tubes weren't the problem but power amplifiers required output-transformers and it's not cheap or easy to make a transformer with flat frequency response.)


P.S.
I think sibilance is boosted in most recordings above what we hear naturally. (In most cases it doesn't bother me and it can help with intelligibility.) It "feels like" the sibilance is as loud as the other parts of the voice, and it's not like that when you talk to someone in real life.

Studio condenser microphones are not flat and they often sound "crispy". Dynamic compression, which is used on almost all commercial recordings, also tends to boost the sibilance. And who-knows what they are doing with EQ and other effects. (Sometimes they do use a de-esser effect.)

Fixxxxxxxxxxxxed your posssssssssssst for you

Oh man, you're cruel!

 

[Andysu]

need do a video what film it is , how many dvd , or theatrical mixes on laserdisc , its a lot more than turning down highs , REW microphones , pictures of room speakers its a lot more