Female vocals metallic overtone. The cause?

My setup are all digital and solid state. For female vocals like Nora Jones Come Away with Me, Diana Krall Live in Paris, etc, I always hear high pitch metallic overtones with their voices. No, this is not the sibilance, but metallic overtone with all words.

I wonder why? Is it:
*My hearing too sensitive to certain tones?
*The actual recording due to the microphone?
*The digital mastering?
*The digital medium (CD, wav files)?
*The DAC?
*The solid state amp?

Do you hear such metallic overtone in your digital setup? How about your all analog setup?

Thanks!

 

Do you have your speaker grilles on? Stereophile measurements show horrible screechy treble peaks without them. Do you have acoustic treatment?

 

Thanks for the reply. The measurements is for Paradigm Signature s2 version 1 I believe. Mine is version 2 and it has different tweeters.

The observation is consistent with following setup:
*My 20 years old, less than $500 setup, with low cost BIC speakers with soft dome tweeter. I observed this many years ago and I no longer using the setup.
*My other soft dome tweeters full range speakers.
*My bedroom setup with KEF LS50
*My current setup in my living room as described in my information (and yes, all with grill on)
*My car setup.
*My headset with my Note9 phone.

I specifically checked with headset to make sure there is no room interaction issue nor grill issue. So, it does not matter about the room nor the type of speakers.

 

Data compression can introduce this effect if it is applied heavily. But, digital in general lacks warmth, which is why tubes made a come back after the intro of the CD.

 

I don't mind lack of warmth. But I can't stand those metallic overtone. Especially when playing loud like 80 dB or more. : (

 

Sometimes letting your system warm up fully will smooth out the treble. Is everything broken in? Sometimes new equipment needs a little time. My new Grado sr225e head phones sounded like you describe when they were new, but now they sound smoother after running in.

 

I've heard this on vinyl. Didn't sound as you describe to me at all. Thought it sounded very good on a friend's system.

jeff

 

Thanks! My headset is less annoying than using my speakers. But my headset is less than a month old and my speakers are over 10 years old now. I think the difference is that my speakers are more sensitive.

 

I have heard digital version of Nora Jones streamed to all tubes McIntosh setup and as I recall based on the brief listening session, there was no obvious metallic tones. Everything was silky smooth.....
I wonder if all those are due to solid state amp or not.

 

I'm not very familiar with those particular albums. I normally associate such behavior with metal-coned speakers, but since you notice it with all your speakers and headphones, I'd chalk it up to the recording.

 

Thanks! I can hear such metallic overtone with youtube version too with my headset. I wonder if you could hear those overtone with this video:

 

Not all solid state is equal. I suppose bad implementations might bring this about, but it most cases it's the source and SS will do nothing to hide it.

That's the data compression I was referring to. Everything sounds metallic on YouTube.

 

I see. So you hear it too. Unfortunately, same issue even with wav file ripped from CD. : (

I guess it is more about the mastering problem and not really solid state related.

 

It could just be your speakers. It's been a very long time since I heard any Paradigm speakers, but I the ones I heard ages ago had a midrange which I always thought was a little strident.

 

Haha, I guess you missed post #3. The issue is observed regardless of room, speakers, nor brand of solid state amp.

But I do agree with you Paradigm can sound bright.

 

With that particular track, it sounds to me like it's just an effect of the recording space.

 

Yeah that sounds like crap. Typical lousy CD mastering IMHO. I don't recall the LP sounding like that at all, but it's been a while.

And, not everything on youtube sounds like that.

jeff

 

Thanks for checking. Interesting, I heard the room effect, but also the metallics overtones.

How about this one? I heard metallic overtone too.

 

Thanks for checking! So far two people heard it. One doesn't. I am not alone after all. : )

 

Hmm, I tried to find a YouTube video that is has better audio quality and without metallic overtone vocal and I can't really find one so far.

Any of you able to find one?

This one seems OK, but it is not exactly vocal focus video:

 

I think I found your problem:

 

I just listened to the Diana Krall youtube mix through my computer system and it sounded fine. The vocals sounded slightly loud, but not harsh. My speakers are the small 1998 vintage Sonus Faber Concertinos using small digital amp.

 

I am playing this CD now.

It is kind of marginal. Her voice has some sibilant overtone, but not so much metallic in my system.

It could be combination of DAC, speaker, cable even amplifier.

Thus it is difficult to sort it out here.

But with too much forgiving system, her voice could sound boring and lifeless.

Jazz vocal is a nice tool to test audio system's detail and purity of sound.

 

Haha, where is the song?

 

That you have for listening to Diana Krall; you need to work on your taste in music (just kiddin' of course)