Audio Sucks - I have two great systems in two locations and I can't enjoy them .. *

Yeah, dude? You really don't need to worry about finding an end point, because by about 2.5 months from now, you're going to be so chronically sleep-deprived that you'll have to concentrate hard just to tie your shoes and will not give a s**t about whether your stereo sounds a little harsh sometimes. Seriously, babies are like the universe's magic cure for perfectionism and type-A behavior since they are adorable little bundles of chaos and disorder.

(And the extra amount of hi-fi urgency you're experiencing lately is probably displacement of that realization.)

 

Aha! Stress. Finally some solid, pertinent information. It's not all about the gear, far from it. In my 15 years at a company in the high end audio world we've spent many days listening and discussing the ancillary and psycho-acoustic effects on how we hear. I can tell immediately when I get stressed out, especially angry, it quickly changes how I/we hear, just as allergies, ambient noise and general health do. Mental health, even the fleeting ups and downs of life, has a huge impact on our perception of sound. There are many determinants and as our system gets quieter and more "authentic" those changes are much more noticeable.

My advice would be to step back, prepare for what's coming (congrats!) and look forward to being able to return to your system(s) for solace and escape. I have a hunch that things may change in the not too distant future.

And, if that fails, there's always the Marley Method:

 

That can happen, but it's not been my experience. Tubes have lasted thousands of hours, but I've had a power tube fail about 15 minutes into a listening session. For the previous 500 odd hours, it was fine with no evidence of issues. But one evening it decided to die.

I've yet to have a driver tube or rectifier tube fail. Part of that depends on the circuit; some amp designs push tubes very hard. Bottom line, old tubes that test well are generally very reliable and can last years, if not decades. New tubes, different story. Many newer tubes can fail very quickly. Maybe that's some of the info you read, where someone commented that their newer tubes degraded and sounding sub optimal?

 

Oh boy. I think I have a hearing problem. I have three symptoms:

1. Sensitivity to high-frequency, "sharp" sounds.
2. Clogged or blocked sensation in my left ear.
3. Possibly a very low-volume ringing sound in my head when my surroundings are quiet. It's possible that I'm imagining this one. At worst it comes and goes.

This has been happening for about four days and it doesn't seem to be improving at all. I called a well-regarded audiologist yesterday but they said I need to see an ENT which I'll be looking for today. I think it was triggered by listening to headphones "seriously" for the first time (Audeze LCD-X). The smoke alarm also went off when my wife burned something in the oven and I had a really hard time figuring out how to turn it off.

EDIT: I should also mention that I'm auditioning Harbeth 30.1 speakers right now and they sound harsh to me even with vinyl. Is EQ the right answer at this point?

 

If the Harbeths are sounding in any way harsh, you definitely have some sort of "problem". Either your source, amp or ears.

Harbeth don't do "harsh".

Get those ears checked. Good luck!

Oh, and EQ is never the answer! Unless of course the question is: "What is never the answer?"

 

Get your ears checked out completely before you make any expensive audio decisions. If there is something going on with your hearing you want to take care of it promptly. It could be as simple as a blocked ear canal (that pesky ear wax can build up) which is what I hope is the case. Also, keep in mind that listening to headphones can damage your hearing if you play them too loud. Sound pressure levels in the ear canal can exceed 110 db with headphones, and it may not be painful. Also, the smoke detector didn't help things, the ones in my house are painfully loud. BTW, you can fan the smoke detector to get it to stop, unless the smoke is really thick. The low-volume ringing is called tinnitus, and everyone gets it from time to time, and most often it will go away on its own, however, it can also be a symptom of hearing damage, which is why you should get it checked out. Also, your sensitivity to high-frequency, "sharp" sounds is something that sometimes accompanies tinnitus. Going to an ENT physician is an excellent idea. Please keep us posted on how you're doing.

 

I didn't want to wait for an ENT appointment so I went to the local clinic and the doctor told me I have nothing blocking my ears. She said I might have a drainage problem in the tubes behind my ears based on the symptoms I was describing so she gave me some Flonase and told me to check with her in 2 weeks. The problem seems to be getting worse unfortunately. Both ears have a blocked feeling now and the sounds I make (talking, blowing my nose) sound different than they used to. I will try again to see if an audiologist will see me on Monday.

 

I had similar hearing problems two years ago when I repeatedly went into a pool off a large water slide. It really messed up my left ear and caused pain as well as that full feeling you are describing. It took a full 6 months to go away but it eventually did so don't get discouraged. I have tinnitus in the left ear and just deal with it. It can be annoying on lov volume passages in jazz but is manageable. Good luck.

 

Thanks Ellsworth. Did this incident cause the tinnitus? How long have you had the tinnitus?

 

I feel your pain. I saw an ENT back in April because I have some ringing in both ears. I had come across some Klipsch KG 3.5s with the horn tweeter, which some is pretty harsh on top. I loved the mid range and transparency, so I really tried to like them. But that's when I started to notice my ringing at night and when the house is quiet. I freaked out thinking I had damaged my hearing because I did crank it a few times. Anyway, as it turns out I have very good hearing overall (I am 41) and had no ear wax buildup, which I was hoping to be the cause of this. The doc said it is probably allergies, which can cause tinnitus because of the way mucus can drain close to the ear. She told me to take allergy medication every day and Mucinex as needed. No way. Who knows what the cause is.

So I have just been learning to live with it. I live in the south, and we have a lot of cicada noise at night. I just keep telling myself I am listening to the "sounds of life." I did change speakers recently though: I had some Fostex FF-series full range drivers that I think was acerbating the tinnitus. I got a pair of Tekton Mini-Lores and they seem much easier on the ears. Also, I don't listen at high levels anymore. I never really did anyway, but I just go out of my way to try to protect my hearing now.

 

"A nod to the gods, that perfection is unattainable... Then grip it and rip it." -Roy "Tin Cup" McElvoy

 

I'm happy to say this problem seems to be going away. I had my hearing tested at Costco yesterday (those guys are NOT happy to test a 33-year-old) and it came out fine. I'm also shaking up my system big-time. I think my Nordost cables were responsible for a large part of the problem.

 

I think that you need to sell all of the super detailed SS gear nice romantic sounding system which makes everything sound good.

 

I'm coming to a similar conclusion. Neutrality is no longer my goal. What would you recommend?

 

Vintage McIntosh. MC30 mono blocks

 

Two points come to mind;
1.) There is a synergy missing between the components or system and room or both.
2.) You have fallen into the trap of reading reviews and listening to others discuss great equipment and listening rooms to then wonder if your system or room couldn't be improved somehow.

The first is easy to solve. As someone said start over and buy a complete set of components from one source who knows which components at your price point work well together. I however believe you suffer from the second as do many people, me included at times. When this happens I isolate myself from reading reviews and discussions on equipment and focus on the music which always brings me back to focus on what is really important and it isn't the components. Think back to your first system that was in your bedroom as a kid. Inexpensive and set up horribly but it brought tremendous joy.

Good luck.

 

Late reply on this post but the tinnitus was there before the incident. My Mom and Sister also have it so it could run in the family.

 

An old CJ PV6 or perhaps a PV2AR preamp combined with a Mcintosh MC225 amp. This combo sounds heavenly, and is one of the best compromises I have encountered between detail and romance. This will give you nice liquid mids, sweet highs, and a very 3D soundstage.

Possible preamps alternatives include an ARC SP6, or SP8, but you'll have to use some especially romantic-sounding tubes to keep these from sounding too analytical. This combo will outperform the CJs in the detail, resolution and in the bass departments, and can roughly equal them in terms of romance, if the right tubes are chosen. Possible amp alternatives include the Marantz 8b.

If you want full-on romance, with no pretense at detail, then try one of the Fisher tube receivers or integrated amps, an old Scott tube integrated amp, or one of the Mcintosh tube tuner-preamps (sorry, but I forget the model), in combination with an MC225. Other Mac tube amps may sound great too, but I have less experience with these. However the modern MC275s that I have heard did not sound romantic (although it is possible that with the right choice in tubes that these might sound glorious too). All of these can make even some terrible sounding recordings sound listenable.

Unfortunately with most of these the choice of tubes is critical for them to sound great. But some of the current russian tubes may surprise you with how good they sound without breaking the bank.

 

Are any of these non-vintage besides the MC275?

 

This is what is known as a "complain brag" that means it is a brag hidden within a silly first world type of complaint.

It is just a little late in the thread to say it.

 

You wish. For the third time, I do not own both homes or both systems. I used to live in HI and now I live in CA. Some moderator changed my thread title to say: "I have two great systems". My title was simply: "Audio Sucks".

 

It is not really meant as a dig. It is a common phrase all my friend's use on each other to bust chops and keep things in perspective.

As my Grandmother used to say about such things, "This should be your biggest problem in life. You would be very lucky."

 

Thanks Grammy. Not meant as a dig either, just some humor.

 

Get a pair of sonus faber guarneri homage and some tube gears pure romantic and beautiful sound.
These last few days, i have an error in my hearing too. It seems all the soundstage is focusing to the left. Feels like my left ears are listening louder than my right...checked with the audiologist and everything seems fine. Weird feeling. Now i feel the vocals are always going left, and getting further left as time goes..any idea what symptom is this. Still wont stop me enjoying my music

 

This sounds very appealing to me. I love those Guarneri peakers.