harsh treble
Mar 12, 2006 at 2:44 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 13

i.comm

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is it my ears? but with my nano and either the sr60's and superfi 5 pros i get that terrible hissing at the top of vocals , much of my stuff suffers this..

just got the super fi's and most comments seem to point to a dulled treble, which isn't what i'm getting at all...

the superfi's sound great with foamies, and of course the grados sound great but with many tracks the high treble... is it my ears?!

Are they too clean?

any encoding tips to get rid of this problem?
 
Mar 12, 2006 at 2:56 PM Post #2 of 13
Are you using any EQ setting on the Nano?
 
Mar 12, 2006 at 4:16 PM Post #3 of 13
hi,

no i'm not... also i'd swear it becomes less of a problem as my ears get "warmer" i.e after an hour or so...?

eggosmile.gif
 
Mar 12, 2006 at 4:19 PM Post #4 of 13
My ears tend to warm up to or get used to a can if I switch models. Give it time.
 
Mar 12, 2006 at 4:26 PM Post #5 of 13
ok, thanks i will.

certainly loving the sound of the pros in general. managed to find them for 140 UKP which is 60 quid less than the apple site here in the UK.
 
Mar 12, 2006 at 8:50 PM Post #6 of 13
Quote:

Originally Posted by i.comm
is it my ears? but with my nano and either the sr60's and superfi 5 pros i get that terrible hissing at the top of vocals , much of my stuff suffers this..

just got the super fi's and most comments seem to point to a dulled treble, which isn't what i'm getting at all...

the superfi's sound great with foamies, and of course the grados sound great but with many tracks the high treble... is it my ears?!

Are they too clean?

any encoding tips to get rid of this problem?



I have the same problem in general, like there is a metallic edge to vocals in general. Some days are worst than others....
 
Mar 13, 2006 at 1:09 AM Post #8 of 13
I definitely have that problem with a lot of high-end stuff, but not all. I couldn't take the Etys or the E4 because of it - the high end simply sounded harsh and metallic. After getting ears thoroughly cleaned at an audiologist, it only got worse as I became even more sensitive to harsh treble. Ditto for the DT770 and HD590, and even the Stax SR-404, though to a much lesser extent, as it's only slightly on the bright side.

I think you ought to look into warmer sounding systems - Sennheisers primarily. The HD650 is very soft in the treble, and it shouldn't bother you one bit, especially when it's properly matched. I find the HD650 a bit too warm personally, and the HD600 is dead on in terms of tonal balance. On the portable front, I think that you'd like the Stax SR-001, as it's very warm tonally but very clear and detailed at the same time. I like the ES2 also since it doesn't sound harsh with well-recorded material, and has a warmish tonal balance as well, but with sibilant treble-happy recordings, my ears start hurting again.

You also need to lower the listening volume. Pain from hard trebles is a good indicator that your listening levels are too high.
 
Mar 13, 2006 at 1:17 AM Post #9 of 13
Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch
I think you ought to look into warmer sounding systems - Sennheisers primarily. The HD650 is very soft in the treble, and it shouldn't bother you one bit, especially when it's properly matched.


True, my senn seems to tame that effect a lot.. Less fatiguing and pleasing, but in the end I tend to miss the more detailed sound....
 
Mar 13, 2006 at 1:42 AM Post #10 of 13
Are your source files of good quality? It sounds like you're experiencing sibilance. I think you must have sensitive ears because I hear the Super Fi 5 Pro is darker than the E4, and the E4 has no sibilance at all to me. Does the Nano have a decent EQ? If so, try reducing the upper-mids a bit maybe?
 
Mar 13, 2006 at 1:48 AM Post #11 of 13
I never had an issue with either.

I find the SR60s very nice... without an amp the highs seem slightly harsh and sibilant but that's just because the midrange is slightly recessed without the amp. Amping brings the midrange up and reduces this effect of siblance.

The SuperFi5.Pros are not sibilant in the least for me. Are you getting a proper seal? It could be that you are not getting the full effect of the bass which you are compensating for by cranking the volume.

The DT-770s are awesome. Powerful bass with a bright high end. I don't notice any sibilance on those either. Amped or unamped.

You haven't heard sibilance until you have owned a pair of the EX series IEMs from Sony. THAT is the definition of sibilance.
 
Mar 13, 2006 at 3:04 AM Post #12 of 13
I'm very sensitive to treble. I find the treble a bit too strong with my iPod/PX100 combo, so I set the iPod EQ to "treble reducer", and it sounds good. The ideal for me would be in between flat and "treble reducer" - just to take the edge off the treble.
 
Mar 13, 2006 at 3:36 AM Post #13 of 13
Quote:

Originally Posted by flibottf
True, my senn seems to tame that effect a lot.. Less fatiguing and pleasing, but in the end I tend to miss the more detailed sound....


Try the SR-001 then! Senn tonal balance with electrostatic detail and clarity.
 

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