[caveman]

I play my flac files on foobar via my Rotel amp and small Monitor Audio bookshelf speakers and have recently installed a m-audio soundcard. I noticed an improvement in sound, but only as a fuller bass. I still wish for a brighter top end and to hear those top hats more (I think thats what they're called).
However part of the problem may be due to the fact the speakers sit on the desktop and one is very near a corner. The positioning is impossible to change and I don't want to spend any more money (so she tells me).
How can I make the necessary improvements please - DSP's, stands any suggestions welcome.

 

[pbirkett]

Get the speakers on stands for one thing. I recommend open framed stands rather than thick columns as they tend to just add bass where open framed stands sound more "open" if that makes sense.

Ultimately though if you cant do that then maybe your speakers arent suitable for that kind of positioning. Maybe some sealed speakers designed for shelf locations are the way to go.

The free suggestion is to EQ the top end up a bit with something like Foobar, or twist the treble nob on your Rotel towards the right

 

[caveman]

Thanks for the reply. It may sound silly to you experts but can you assist me with adjusting the equaliser in foobar. As I said I just want to bring out the symbol/ top hat frequencies and I don't want to just twiddle with the sliders,but would appreciate the expert way of going around this. Do you pick the range of frequencies and raise them by a certain amount and reduce others as well, or is it purely twiddle till your happy with the sound. Any advice please. I must add that I have some tinnitus and could easily fiddle with the sliders and get the whole thing wrong.

 

[lan]

Adjust as you see fit. Everybody's equipment, setup of equipment, hearing, and preference is different.