magiccarpetride
21-02-2011, 20:56
After spending literally years experimenting with different speakers, I've settled on the planar speakers (more specifically, Magnepan). These, in my opinion, have the ability to offer least colored, most naturally sounding music reproduction.
At first, while I was enjoying their uncanny lifelike sound, I was still being bothered by the residual glare that these overly lively speakers were producing. I started thinking about ways to reduce that glare, but it just so happened that at the same time I started getting into upgrading my source. The first thing I've noticed after replacing my CD player with the digital streaming player is a substantial reduction in glare caused by the digital artifacts. I then started enthusiastically chasing after the source component upgrades.
After doing some research, I've discovered Beresford Caiman DAC (arguably, the best bang for the buck in the DAC arena). And sure enough, Caiman managed to drastically lower the residual glare and digital artifacts.
Tickled by the very audible improvements in the digital source, I continued doing research in the digital transport arena, and soon enough ordered Logitech Squeezebox Touch. That player, plugged into Caiman, offered much more natural sound with reduced (again!) digital glare. I was one happy puppy.
Then, late last year, I've ordered a Gator board for Caiman, which yet again managed to drastically clean up and further reduce the unpleasant digital glare. So now I was sitting pretty, liking the sound very, very much.
But, there always seems to be room for improvement, so I kept researching. Soon enough, I came across the infamous Souncheck mods for the Touch. It didn't take much prodding from our own Gary 'Gaz' to push me into trying these upgrades. Once again, major improvements in the overall sound, more natural texture and soundstage, deeper depths and higher highs and all that jazz.
Lastly, I purchased the power mains conditioner, even though I was extremely skeptical. But I got it anyway, if anything, just for the surge protection. My god, the improvements I got from plugging into that conditioner were absolutely drastic -- just as I thought the sound could not theoretically get any better, that contraption managed to drastically lower the noise floor and to promote singers and instruments into the never before seen spotlight.
After that major achievement, I continued trying out various mods, but quickly realized that I've pretty much reached a point of diminishing returns. After trying various interconnects, and not hearing any, even the tiniest difference, I've decided that my audio chain has reached it's stabilization point. The sound is now as sweet as it can be, and I can finally relax and sit back and enjoy.
But not so fast (and here is where this long drawn boring story gets to its actual point): I am now thinking about tackling the last frontier -- room treatments! And here is what seems confusing to me with regards to these treatments:
My speakers (dipole) radiate sound both from the front (i.e. the part facing listeners) and from the back (i.e. the part facing the wall behind them). The sound emanating from the back of the speakers bounces off the wall behind them and then meshes up with the direct sound to produce the illusion of depth.
However, I've also read that 'audiophiles' recommend that the wall behind the speakers be treated with absorptive material, to dampen the unruly reflective sound waves. And I did precisely that yesterday: I hung two fairly large, absorptive pieces of textile behind each speaker. The result -- atrocious sound. It was as if I had somehow castrated my audio system. The bass suddenly became much louder, bloomy, and as if covered in maple syrup (very dark, deep, chocolatey, sticky). The mids became much more intimate, but lacking the space around them. The highs attained their own kind of overly colored euphonics -- much softer, silkier, safe sounding, liquid, vinyl-like, and somehow extremely tame.
All in all, the results of this back wall dampening started approaching the sound you can hear in the high-end audio stores when they're demoing those ultra expensive many tens of thousands of dollars worth speakers. Safe and secure sounding, but oh-so-lifeless and boring.
Yuch -- I couldn't stand that abomination! So I tore down those absorptive textiles, and then breathed a huge sigh of relief. The sound was thankfully restored back to its old former glorious self. Full of life, rude, impolite, but at the same time extremely authoritative, firm, kicking, and moving you to tears. Nothing safe and secure about it, I can tell you that.
So now I'm wondering: what's the suggested approach when treating the room? Is there a recommended 'best practices' ratio governing the absorbing/reflecting the sound?
At first, while I was enjoying their uncanny lifelike sound, I was still being bothered by the residual glare that these overly lively speakers were producing. I started thinking about ways to reduce that glare, but it just so happened that at the same time I started getting into upgrading my source. The first thing I've noticed after replacing my CD player with the digital streaming player is a substantial reduction in glare caused by the digital artifacts. I then started enthusiastically chasing after the source component upgrades.
After doing some research, I've discovered Beresford Caiman DAC (arguably, the best bang for the buck in the DAC arena). And sure enough, Caiman managed to drastically lower the residual glare and digital artifacts.
Tickled by the very audible improvements in the digital source, I continued doing research in the digital transport arena, and soon enough ordered Logitech Squeezebox Touch. That player, plugged into Caiman, offered much more natural sound with reduced (again!) digital glare. I was one happy puppy.
Then, late last year, I've ordered a Gator board for Caiman, which yet again managed to drastically clean up and further reduce the unpleasant digital glare. So now I was sitting pretty, liking the sound very, very much.
But, there always seems to be room for improvement, so I kept researching. Soon enough, I came across the infamous Souncheck mods for the Touch. It didn't take much prodding from our own Gary 'Gaz' to push me into trying these upgrades. Once again, major improvements in the overall sound, more natural texture and soundstage, deeper depths and higher highs and all that jazz.
Lastly, I purchased the power mains conditioner, even though I was extremely skeptical. But I got it anyway, if anything, just for the surge protection. My god, the improvements I got from plugging into that conditioner were absolutely drastic -- just as I thought the sound could not theoretically get any better, that contraption managed to drastically lower the noise floor and to promote singers and instruments into the never before seen spotlight.
After that major achievement, I continued trying out various mods, but quickly realized that I've pretty much reached a point of diminishing returns. After trying various interconnects, and not hearing any, even the tiniest difference, I've decided that my audio chain has reached it's stabilization point. The sound is now as sweet as it can be, and I can finally relax and sit back and enjoy.
But not so fast (and here is where this long drawn boring story gets to its actual point): I am now thinking about tackling the last frontier -- room treatments! And here is what seems confusing to me with regards to these treatments:
My speakers (dipole) radiate sound both from the front (i.e. the part facing listeners) and from the back (i.e. the part facing the wall behind them). The sound emanating from the back of the speakers bounces off the wall behind them and then meshes up with the direct sound to produce the illusion of depth.
However, I've also read that 'audiophiles' recommend that the wall behind the speakers be treated with absorptive material, to dampen the unruly reflective sound waves. And I did precisely that yesterday: I hung two fairly large, absorptive pieces of textile behind each speaker. The result -- atrocious sound. It was as if I had somehow castrated my audio system. The bass suddenly became much louder, bloomy, and as if covered in maple syrup (very dark, deep, chocolatey, sticky). The mids became much more intimate, but lacking the space around them. The highs attained their own kind of overly colored euphonics -- much softer, silkier, safe sounding, liquid, vinyl-like, and somehow extremely tame.
All in all, the results of this back wall dampening started approaching the sound you can hear in the high-end audio stores when they're demoing those ultra expensive many tens of thousands of dollars worth speakers. Safe and secure sounding, but oh-so-lifeless and boring.
Yuch -- I couldn't stand that abomination! So I tore down those absorptive textiles, and then breathed a huge sigh of relief. The sound was thankfully restored back to its old former glorious self. Full of life, rude, impolite, but at the same time extremely authoritative, firm, kicking, and moving you to tears. Nothing safe and secure about it, I can tell you that.
So now I'm wondering: what's the suggested approach when treating the room? Is there a recommended 'best practices' ratio governing the absorbing/reflecting the sound?