Sibilance Poll.....

pjdami

Just wanted to get a feel out there of how you like to listen to music. Lots of different gear out there, wire, tubes, etc. All of which can dramatically alter the sound IMHO.

Sibilance is the ssssssss that one can hear at the end of vocals especially with the female recordings.

So how do you like it?
Paul

edit: let me clarify the choices a little better.

All options should be considered with the tone controls (if any) flat.

Option 1) You like it very warm and laid back; you NEVER hear sibilance regardless of the recording but do realize that you are comprimising some treble w/ the cymbal crashes and hihats.

Option 2) Some brightly recorded cds may have an occasional sibilance to them (like if the singer's mouth is close to the mic); cymbals sound and decay like a live set. Overall, the sibilance is minimal almost nonexistant but overall balance is retained with the treble.

Option 3) You like it bright .. period. Very detailed and you don't mind the sibilance.

RuSsMaN

Don't like it, don't have it. Don't have tone controls to roll it off if it reared it's ugly head either.

I'd be willing to bet most here don't even notice it, until it is pointed out.

Cheers,
Russ

HBombToo

Horwible...just Horwible

polkatese

Paul,

I have no issue with sibilance, not that I am paying attention to it in most cases. For me, recording quality, which will determine how many times will I ever play that album again. Thank god that I alter my buying habits to that anal quality of my ears...

I digress, please carry on.

steveinaz

No sibilance in my system. I couldn't tolerate that for a hot second.

PolkThug

The problem is with singers that lisp.

F1nut

NO sibilance and no rolled off highs here. I hate it, makes my ears hurt and I refuse to listen to anything with it.

Willow

Never noticed it. I'll listen for it this weekend

polkatese

Paul,

because of you , now I am paying attention more on the sibilance subject.

Would you like to do a fun long-distance sibilance experiment? I think this would be a fun exercise, I'll be ok if you're not interested. I found a great recording, accoustic, female vocalist, bossanova:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002S94NY/104-0531179-7903930?v=glance

It has plenty of sibilance to rear its head in this recording. Then, what we can do is to compare notes where we think sibilances shows. Let me know your thoughts, thanks.

btw, anyone else who is interested in this non-scientific exercise are welcome too.

Tour2ma

Ah... Rosssssa Passsssosssss...

It happens and it's annoying, but if it's omnipresent rather than in the occassional source material... there are system issues to address...

polkatese

Tour,

Have you listen to her? I really like her album. Somehow, I am into this bossanova bandwagon with almost all female vocalist: Eden Atwood, Jacintha, Ana Caram, Astrud Gilberto, and Rosa Passos. So far, the best two recordings on this subject are Jacintha and Rosa. I thought Rosa has a better voice quality. This recording is great to showcase your speaker, in terms of clarity and details.

pjdami

Thanks for the responses guys and participating in the poll. The results are what I expected and in the general area which I feel I agree with... a little bit of sibilance is natural.

I sort of feel that I can eliminate most of the sibilance (perhaps it is just lisping that remains) but just a teeny iddy biddy little bit of it still exists but it is not annoying to me. This occurs not on every word sung but perhaps every tenth word or so. I can hear it on Diana Krall, Cowboy Junkie's Margo, Patricia Barber, etc.

I can totally eliminate it with a very warm lush sound especially with tube selection but then I feel like I've lost some air and space with the higher treble therefore dulling the overall sound too much.

So as I read the replies, it appears that perhaps I should have made another category with NO sibiliance yet maintain all the treble? I don't think I've been able to accomplish this. I don't have world class gear, but some pretty nice stuff with several sources in the $1,000 retail category range. I think the key for me is finding a system that sounds balanced regardless of what cd I pick out; be it a brightly recorded cd or a warmer sounding recording.

Might be a power conditioning thing for me and that PS Audio UPS200 is something on the short list to get.

I know that this is a highly subjective topic and it has been debated to death over at the audiogon forums. They have even quantified it as "positive" and "negative" sibilance. Crazy hobby I know. What I may be calling sibilance someone else may not even notice. I guess that is why we have Polk gatherings so that everyone is in the same room listening to the same thing at the same time.

Constant sibilance I find very annoying and unlistenable. An example of gear I had that did that was when I had a Yamaha receiver with the paradigm Studio 40s and a Toshiba DVD player as a source several years ago when I was building the house and couldn't afford anything nicer.

PT, I'll have to check that cd out. Last one you turned me on, the Gabriella Anders (I think) was a nice find.

Paul

polkatese

I've been on Anders like a cheap suit. But her "Wanting" album still the best, compared to her most recent one "Last Tango in Rio".

If you like her voice, then I think you will like Rosa too.

I have her on the 400xi and 15. So, I think we can compare apple and apple.

pjdami

Originally posted by polkatese
I've been on Anders like a cheap suit. But her "Wanting" album still the best, compared to her most recent one "Last Tango in Rio".

If you like her voice, then I think you will like Rosa too.

I have her on the 400xi and 15. So, I think we can compare apple and apple.

Hey PT. Just wanted to let you know that I'm not ignoring you here. I've got her playing right now. Just swapped out tubes in the Jolida cdp again. The "Wanting" cd is a very good recording. I can hear what I'm talking about just about everytime she says anything with a "s". I guess it is just lisping but I'm not going to go nuts over about it. Sounds good.

I'll report back later this week after I get these supposedly super cool NOS GE Blackplate 3 mica 5751s in here.

Mjr7531

I like a certain bit of silibance, I think it gives it a bit of crispness and definition overall to a decent recording.

VR3

A little is ok, but when it *really* drags out...its when I cant even listen to the CD, or I listen to it on my compu system...

polkatese

Originally posted by pjdami
Hey PT. Just wanted to let you know that I'm not ignoring you here. I've got her playing right now. Just swapped out tubes in the Jolida cdp again. The "Wanting" cd is a very good recording. I can hear what I'm talking about just about everytime she says anything with a "s". I guess it is just lisping but I'm not going to go nuts over about it. Sounds good.

I'll report back later this week after I get these supposedly super cool NOS GE Blackplate 3 mica 5751s in here.

no biggie, Paul! have fun with the new tubees!