My girlfriend is not happy

Mordante said:
Any tips and or ideas how to do those measurement?
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I use REW (Room EQ Wizard) which is a free download. The measurement microphone I use is UMIK-1 which is $75. In a nutshell, measure the frequency response below 250Hz every 6" through the room to get a feel for the peaks and dips at various frequencies and select the position that has the smoothest response (smallest variation between peaks and dips). Of course, listen to ensure that what you are hearing matches the measurements, but it should. Then adjust speakers around new listening position. Definitely recommend the book, Get Better Sound, by Jim Smith for further details. Setting the listening position first is critical. Speaker position should always be second. Hope that helps!
 
This link below is a pretty good resource to get started in room measurement. Basic low frequency response measurement is pretty straightforward, but this starts to get into the next level. I wouldn't get too wrapped up in room measurements to start with. Getting the smoothest bass in your room by selecting the best position for your chair will yield significant benefits without going overboard.

http://www.acousticfrontiers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/acoustic_measurement_standards.pdf
 
Mordante said:
The A5 costs €30k for a pair. Say if I were to change my speakers that is about double the amount I would be able to spend. Say I can sell my X5 for 8k to 10k I guesd. A pair of second hand S3 mkI costs about 12 to 14k. That would be affordable. The A3 is about 15k.
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If you can find S3 mk1 for less than A3, go for it. I think S3 mk1 still is a lot more speaker than A3.
 
For reference my living room:

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You said you moved the speakers around a bit. Did you try moving your listening seat forward to see what that does?

Also, as was suggested earlier new set of power tubes will not break the bank.

It is also possible that you and your girlfriend like a different type of sound, if you are happy with what you currently have.
 
Another thing that springs to my mind is , that it might be worth going to some Hi-Fi shops ( your girlfriend and you ) and listen to different setups / speakers to see if you both like the same sound .
And if you both like the same sound in a system try to see where your own setup differs from what you hear in the shop.
 
Mordante said:
my girlfriend it lacks some sparkle some brightness and the lower octaves are too present
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That's symbiotic. A peak in the bass will obscure/dull the highs.
As others have suggested, take the guesswork out, get a U-mik and free REW, measure. You'll see the peak(s) that need to be mitigated.
Buy, borrow or steal a MiniDSP 2X4HD or RME ADI-2 for a temporary(?) hardware solution inserted in system. Or find software that has EQ. Foobar2000 for example, is free. Cut down the bass peaks (don't touch anything else). Listen with GF.
Have fun.

cheers,

AJ
 
The first and by far least expensive thing to do is get Jim Smith's book, "Get Better Sound". A great reference for setting up and configuring your system and most importantly, your room.
 
Mordante,

At least your girlfriend likes to listen to music - thats not necessarily the case for many others in here…. So count your blessings!

A carpet on the floor in front of the speakers would also be a cheap test, worked wonders in my room, for what its worth.

Take Care,

Soren
 
kiwi_1282001 said:
I’m also surprised to read your girlfriend’s comments about the tweeter lacking “sparkle” and “brightness”. In my experience, the Raidho tweeter is a work of art.
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If/when he measures and then surgically mitigates large bass peak(s) (via trivially easy EQ of said peaks) - will do wonders for the treble.
 
Maybe stupid idea but why for the starter you don't place a rug on the floor as looking at the room as such, you have huge window behind speakers, floor is "naked" so lots of big reflection areas overall...I guess when you close the curtains behind, there are some changes in SQ so why not also trying with the floor and move from there as others suggested...
 
Looks like you have a near full loom of Ansuz gear. Any reason you haven’t gotten Ansuz speaker cables? Based on what I have been told full loom works well with Ansuz given their focus in inductance. I know the Rocket 88s fairly well and they are fairly entry level for AQ. You may want to borrow or try out a higher gauge cable. I went from Rocket 88s to older Mont Blanc and the sound was much more 3D and balanced. Then moved up all the way to Thunderbirds over the years and the differences were all very noticeable especially with clarity and transparency.

Edit: Want to add with Raidho speakers toe in is really important. If I am not mistaken they need to point to your shoulders. Otherwise highs may be impacted.
 
Quick update

1) Some people have suggested putting a rug on the floor. While this might help, it will create another problem. I use floor heating so a rug would insulate my floor and could even cause overheating

2) Cables all of the powercords are by Ansuz. Reason I haven't gone full Ansuz is costs. My speaker cable are the first to be replaced for a Ansuz when the funds are there. My 6meter long Purist Audio interlink. That might be costly. But I might place my setup differently so that I can use a 2 or 3 meter interlink.

3) Yesterday the owner of A10 audio and Imprezza who is active on this forum came over.
a) We moved the speakers to a different position. A bit wider closer to the wall. Distance to the rear wall was not changed this helped for the soundstage
b) The Daad4 bass traps were stacked on top of each other in a different corner. We listened in each corner where the most bass was build up and placed both bass traps there. This really helped a lot
c) 3 Ansuz A series Darkz were placed under my preamp. hard to say what this did. It created a bit more rest, less noise. Hard to explain
d) An Ansuz A series ethernet cable replaced my stock CAT6A cable. Not sure yet if this helped much. Will need to listen a bit more.

4) I still have a bass problem in the room. When people with a lower voice are speaking you can hear that the room amplifies it. A kind a rumble/echo. Not really sure how to deal with that. I don't want to damp too much. I'm afraid more absorption in the bass will also mean absorption in mid/high and I don't want that.

I need to google what the frequencies of the male voice are and see if any absorption is available for that. Maybe the GIK CT Alpha Series Corner Bass might be a good solution GIK in general look like they have good products. Like the 4A Alpha Pro Series Bass Trap Diffusor / Absorber.

All the tweaks did help and it really sounds better now. But the room still needs more work.
 
Looks like you are making some great changes and heading in the right direction. Baby steps. Good luck with the next fixes.

Thank you for the update.
 
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