Summits - getting the brilliance in the treble

[propower]

Hey all,

I am the lucky new owner of a pair of 2.5 year old Summits!!! On first listen in my room I thought they sounded dark so I vacuumed them the next day (after unplugged overnight). This helped but I still felt the need to turn up the air part of the treble. As an experiment I boosted 1 to 3dB in iTunes 8K and 16K. Now it sounded right. So I started experimenting with the amps I already own.

The system,
Source: All source is Apple Lossless on NAS drive
Digital Transfer: Digital connected with either Sonos or Direct from Mac Pro to
DAC: Rega DAC
Amp: Musical Fidelity A5, Hafler Pro5000 (250W/side), Mackie 1400i (700W/side)
Room: 14X24 - (8 ft ceiling) - 7 2X4 GIK acoustic fiberglass panels, 10pc 2X4 Auralex foam, 4 LENRD bass traps -- room doubles as recording space for acoustic music.

My observations so far:
1) With Hafler amp there is the close to the right treble balance for me. Still want a little more though. On the downside imaging is just so-so with this one.
2) With Mackie amp, nice effortless sense of power but actually less treble than Hafler.
3) Musical Fidelity, least treble of the three but imaging way better - so much so that this is the one I am using now.

In all of these dialing the Bass back on the speakers did not rectify things.

Still to do,
1) I currently have the Summits on the long wall and really want to try them on the short wall. They are about 7 feet apart (at least 2 feet from any side or back wall) with the listening position about 9 feet in front. In the current spot the listening position is along the other long wall

2) Still fine tuning the front panel tilt. Been using the inner third panel flashlight method for toe in. Can certainly work on positioning/toe in fine tuning to see what that brings.

Crazy but the sound I like is when I put my head in the focal position behind the panel. There is the treble sound I am looking for!!

So there is my first post!
Any help with:
1) Set up
2) Amp Selection for what I am looking for (but think under $3K used please - audiophile on the cheap )
3) Therapy ...

Thanks!!
-Lee in Redmond WA

 

[edwinr]

Hi and welcome. Give your ears a little time to adjust to the Summits. I don't know what speakers you had before, but maybe you're used to hotter treble. Toe in has a big influence on the perceived treble output.

I have my speakers on the longer wall = it gives music much more space and air.

 

[Gordon Gray]

As does azimuth. Make sure both panels are set to the same vertical.

GG

 

[JonFo]

In the current spot the listening position is along the other long wall

This might be part of the reason treble does not seem sufficient, as you are sitting in a major bass room mode at the opposing wall.

Have you tried sitting a few feet away from the opposing wall, with ears at least >3' away from wall?

Once you are out a of a room mode in the low-frequencies, then you can better judge other aspects of tonal balance and room positioning.

 

[sb6]

Congrats on the Summits! I bought a pair about a year ago and I love mine. First off - I don't believe they made Summits 2 years ago, so are they Summit X or are they more than 2 years old?

As far as high freq, many factors here, some already mentioned. Tilt angle, toe in, speakers cables, interconnect cables, placement of absorption (sounds like you have a decent amount but where?), amp, DAC, pre, etc. Also note - certain combinations of such factors can result in increasingly deleterious affects. Also, if you're used to cones (especially with metal dome tweeters) or horns and go to electrostatics, different world. My gut says a dose of inexpensive or poorly matched interconnects and/or speaker wires may be part/most of the culprit.

 

[slowGEEZR]

In my opinion, if you have the treble you seek coming from behind the speakers, then the problem is placement, not a deficiency of the speaker. Your listening position and/or your speaker placement need to be changed and/or your acoustical treatments need to be rearranged. I suggest leaning forward from your normal listening position and listening and also listening at various heights to determine if your listening position is a problem. I agree with JonFo's suggestions. I also think the others gave good advice. After you've tried all of these things, let us know what effects you heard and perhaps we may have some more advice. Good luck!