Is recorded music (mostly) too bright?

Music has been too bright for a long, long time. Then again, maybe it's your speakers or headphones or electronics or DAC or phono cartridge.
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[@mymixture965]

You are right, I am a musician, I know what happens in a studio, they all turn up the EQ, that is a fact. So much to the taste of most audiophiles.....they always say they want a natural, realistic sound.-) it makes me laugh. And btw, it is the upper mids, they hurt, 2k and up. over 10k? if someone says that he just proofs he knows nothing.

[@donvito8652]

What you're referring to is "mid-range suckout" or " boom and sizzle" as those high and low extremes of the audio frequency range are where the bulk of the buying public live and emphasize as "good sound".

[@ac.creations]

"Scooped" is a term ive heard. Where the lows and highs are eq'd up. The recording should be flatter and allow the system reproducing it change the sound with its own physical characteristics.

[@donvito8652]

@@ac.creations In recordings of the late 50's and early 60's, there's a better chance that ALL of the frequencies are present equally and naturally but the "presence" of lower and mid range frequencies can crowd out the higher frequencies as it all arrives at your ears together. You can't always hear all of the frequencies of what your sound sources produce, simultaneously. Your ears can't physically handle it all. At this point most tend to focus on the frequency range they consider the most important. You get hearing overload and eventually, ear fatigue. Your ears are bodily organs that tire out like any other muscles. Once the recording industry started E.Q.'ing, multi-tracking and digitizing they wrecked it the entire recording process. Now, record companies don't consider acoustic instrumentation like a symphonic orchestra or acoustic jazz very important as they want to sell cheap and easy to produce mediocrity as attention worthy. They've managed to starve out artistry with junk. So not only have they managed to wreck the audio industry but the performing arts as well... Killing the goose that laid the golden egg! So now, it doesn't matter what the performers do. It doesn't matter what the gear does because it's all sliced, diced, compressed, homogenized, and digitized to attain a desired effect.

[@ac.creations]

@@donvito8652 im always looking for newly produced music that has the vibrant life like crispness like Steve said with trumpets in real life. Streamed music loses a lot of that vs .WAVs

[@donvito8652]

@@ac.creations My cynicism is born out of 60 years(started at my father's side as a little kid) of hearing the unfullfilled propoganda/ promises: 1)solid state home audio equipment will outperform replace vacuum tube equipment in the near future .. provide the power necessary to drive the newly innovated acoustic suspension speakers from AR, KLH et al. 2) acoustic suspension speakers will outperform full range-open baffle and horn-loaded speaker systems, 3)MC cartridges will outperform MM cartridges, 4)Compact Disc/Digital Audio is "perfect sound forever" and will make vinyl LP's obsolete. 60 years later: 1) Many high-end audio equipment manufacturers still manufacture vacuum tube equipment. Those manufacturing solid state gear use vintage vacuum tube gear as reference pieces to try to emulate in their solid state designs . Audio enthusiasts around the world will pay nose-bleed prices for vintage tube gear from Marantz, Macintosh, Dynaco, Audio Research, Conrad Johnson and many more. So ... Why is it that so many are willing to pay a small fortune for a pair of Mac 30's or Marantz 9's? , 2) The basic box speaker acoustic suspension designs have not changed in 60 years and have only elevated performance slightly if at all. People still obsess over raw full range drivers from Zenith! Open baffle with full range drivers ala Decware still outperform and are becoming more and more prominent and prevalent by the day. Minor tweaking in the Klipsch Heritage series have made them as popular as ever. These designs are far more efficient than the acoustic suspension designs and make mega-watt, solid state amps that gobble up and waste energy and require huge chunks of metal for heat sinks ...obsolete! 3) Right now Nagaoka, Grado and others are manufacturing MM carts that not only compete with but outperform MC carts costing two and 3 times as much and don't require that major $1000.00 investment in a MC step up transformer as an unnecessary expense. 4) Digital Sound sources are still 40 years later, lagging behind analogue sound sources from 20 to 30 years ago in terms of accurate, true to life sound despite all of the oversampling and algorithmic contortions. The Ladder DAC approach from decades ago is making a big comeback as well but still ... no match for a nice, clean LP on a mid-level turntable with a mid level tone arm and a $150.00 Nagaoka MP110 or Grado Red! Upgraded materials not withstanding, Home Audio peaked for the most part back in the late 50's/early 60's. NONE of the major breakthroughs aforementioned since have panned out and fulfilled their promises. The LP''s recorded with simple micing techniques and produced on ALL-Vacuum Tube recording and mastering are still the best sounding and most coveted of all-time(Think: Kind of Blue). The place to go for one-stop shopping is Decware.com and Steve Deckert. Sean Casey at Zu Audio does a wonderful job with his modern interpretations of full range drivers with whizzer cones. Visit Kevin's site ... glowinthedarkaudio.com for a terrific overview of what is now possible with the designs of pre-1960.

[@SveinOlavGlesaaenNyberg]

My explanation (since you asked): Cheaper audio gear sounds "muffled", so they need to up the treble to make it sound clear on such aquipment.

[@newdeep19]

I agree on this. But i think music like that looses so much depth and aura that is a tragedy when you realize the trade off

[@dreyn7780]

All records are making smaller sounds than the band does.

[@billfife6569]

As I upgraded my components which are paired to be neutral, brightness became an issue on a lot of my music. I think in many cases the better your gear is the more revealing of bright and poor recordings they become.

[@wildcat1065]

True

[@oldestpunkinargentina7766]

Yes indeed ! My old speakers made everything sound muffled. My new ones sound a)ace or b)bright, and sometimes muddy, depending on the recording.

[@dreyn7780]

Owning Randy Rhoads's amplifier informed me all recordings lack 90% of the real sound. Amplifiers allow you to get a tiny version of the original sound. Tune in the stereo to a real sound. That's why they installed adjusting features.

[@garykarlin1777]

That's why I use tone controls, and don't understand why so many manufacturers omit them!

[@jameslangley5696]

Agreed!! Why do they do this?!? It's tough finding high-end amps with tone controls.

[@alpzepta]

People told me to leave it bass and treble flat for the reference sound.

[@stevenvox6549]

I sometimes turn the treble down one or two notches until it affects the female vocals. The extra brightness obscures the midrange.

[@rojona]

As a longtime recording engineer who does a lot of jazz and a fair amount of pop, I'd just like to confirm and be more specific about how my clients are preferring a much brighter sound whether it's pop, jazz or classical. My experience is that starting at 5K going all the way up in frequency, recordings are about 4 to 5db brighter than they were 25 years ago. This, combined with the additional volume that digital limiters allow us to add without overt distortion, has made contemporary recordings very very aggressive sounding. I agree with Steve that this is about cutting through the noise of our daily lives. It's a shame but I always recommend hearing music in a live unamplified setting as a tonic to get relief from this sonic assault.

[@stimpy1226]

Jon Rosenberg... Your response is possibly the best of this topic. The only thing I may disagree with you about is that listening to live music in a relaxing atmosphere may not be the best way to hear this particular music because the acoustics in the Jazz Club or Concert Hall are sometimes pretty rotten. I can tell you that Avery Fisher Hall was a nightmare especially in certain areas and after Carnegie Hall went through a redesign it was not right and had to be corrected yet again as the stage was not shored up properly. Many Jazz Clubs are too noisy and too hard so some equivalent recordings can be more pleasing than their live counterpart.

[@johnclark1884]

This is a very interesting and timely video. Over the past year I've moved to a larger, 15" dual concentric speaker driven by a 30w class-A integrated (Luxman). Apart from being a great combination, what it made me realise is just how much I'd become accustomed to a brighter in-room presentation. A bit like adding a little salt to food, and then a little more, you end up needing that salt just to taste anything. So it was with my system - at first, it did sound a little bit shut-in, and maybe some of that was my room and speaker placement, but even after a while I often wondered why, in this system, with great speakers and amp, I wasn't getting some of the classic 'audiophile' air and sparkle. What I've concluded is that, somewhat in agreement with Steve's video, one shouldn't be overly aware of any frequency band - either by its presence (or absence). I realised that my new system had all of the detail, but never added the 'salt' like other systems I've had would do. There was no artificial 'brightening' of upper frequencies that I think some brands seem to do, just a beautifully balanced, super controlled yet musical and 'complete' sound. Without bringing attention to any one frequency band. But it did take some faith and adjustment on my part, getting back to the true sound over the slightly surrealistic 'artifice' of previous systems. (Aside: I have variable 'energy' on the speaker and the amp has a superbly well-implemented tone control system, so I can 'season to taste', but overall it's subtle and I've had to re-learn how I think music really sounds (relative to the 'tizzy' sound of some audiophile options))...

[@joesymes2808]

I know what's bright, your "shirt". Luv your work and I do like the shirt, don't change. Cheers from Albany WA

[@IAmRyan25]

Lol, I'm pretty sure he did it intentionally...that is some shirt Steve.

[@dmitriybelousov8128]

Oh, it's, actually, just a small part of a huge question "why the industry doesn't produce audiophile quality records anymore?". I have an answer, but even a superficial version of it will be at least one hour long with deep dives into philosophy, economics, and the current state of affairs in audio engineering, professional audio gear industry, recording studio business, etc. Long story very short: there is a necessity for transferability with a stunning first impression achieved the cheapest way possible in as many listening environments as possible. Overall "brightness" is just one of the weapons in the loudness war and the inevitable consequence of it at the same time, but it is just the icing on the cake. The whole arrangement of modern "commercial" music is shaped around this goal, then recording, then mixing, then mastering. You can't just "remaster" a modern commercial track and make it "better", it was born to be squashed. And to be "bright".

[@dmitriybelousov8128]

@@davidfromamerica1871 Yep. Easy to achieve transferability, easy, cheap, and fast to produce, easy to achieve impact, "stars" are expendable, etc. These genres have very materialistic reasons behind their popularity. Audiophiles don't get how the current generation of young music makers, who are entering the market, even think. One of my young clients said to me, that he doesn't like the vocal in the mix I've done for him because he can't hear that his voice is obviously tuned. Yes, he WANTS to be audible (auto)tuned, it's considered as a desirable effect nowadays.

[@antonelloc2258]

@@dmitriybelousov8128 "Yes, he WANTS to be audible (auto)tuned, it's considered as a desirable effect nowadays." Oh my...!

[@jimshaw899]

Actually, they do. But only classical, jazz, and serious music solo performers. If your tastes don't extend to these genres, you are at the mercy of recording and mastering technicians who are working to make their pop product sound hot on a car radio or airpods, and to get played on rock stations. I recently watched a video from a well regarded pop music studio mixer/masterer who admitted that, after being satisfied with a step in the process, he took it to the garage and played it in his car as one check of its suitability. These guys aren't working for your business or hi fi listening pleasure. And Klipsch Cornwalls and McIntosh's cannot make silk purses out of sow's ears.

[@jimshaw899]

@@davidfromamerica1871 AND, they have that producer sitting next to them holding their paycheck....

[@dmitriybelousov8128]

​@@jimshaw899, I am a professional audio engineer and a recording studio owner with some experience in professional audio gear design (microphones and preamplifiers mostly). So I'm perfectly aware, how exactly modern records are made. And modern pro audio gear as well. I've worked with musicians from the level where I had to play every instrument myself for them because they were terrible at it to professional classical musicians with decades of training. Yes, Austrians and Germans (mostly) still make terrific classical records (when I visited Vienna I understood why) but it is not an "industry" (IMO). All the system of classical music is heavily subsidized and would be dead without it. I produced lots of quantized, tuned, overcompressed, oversaturated, extremely limited, and, of course, overly bright records. In the case of "modern" production, I am a very heavy-handed engineer. I was just curious why I'm doing it, the question, lots of engineers, especially young, don't even ask themselves. The long answer is too long, the very short answer was summarized earlier.

[@amirjubran1845]

When I bought my most recent pair of speakers my dealer was so kind as to gift me a CD produced by the speaker maker themselves. The booklet for the disc goes over the production and the equipment used, which according to them was produced with as little EQ and compression as possible. And let me say, it is shocking how much difference that makes. It's incredible what your speakers can sound like when the producers, mixers and engineers all agree to lay down their weapons.

[@dreyn7780]

Black Sabbath's 50th anniversary CD is the best sound I've ever heard but it actually sounds dull and lifeless when compared to black Sabbath's vinyl LP of Sabbath bloody Sabbath. That sounds 3D.

[@thomasjacques5286]

Reminds me of how TVs are set for display out of the box, unofficially this was called "TORCH MODE" and unless you knew about it and how to adjust it, many consumers unbox their new BIG screen TV and set it up and plug it in and leave it. But get one calibrated and in side-by-side comparisons, many folks still think the BRIGHT picture looks better. A friend paid $350 to have his new TV professionally calibrated and on the first movie, they watch as a family everyone complained and wanted the OLD BRIGHT look back. His wife said who cares what the DIRECTOR wanted I like this look. And for the record I have JBL L-100's I bought new in 1974, so what do I know.

[@prabinpaudel5572]

How many Times have you tried to recreate the maxell ad so far? 😂

[@Labor_Jones]

I bought 4311 in the same year (overseas)

[@thomasjacques5286]

@@prabinpaudel5572 more times than I can count…….

[@alm5693]

Ditto on the '74 L-100's, but I had the crossovers rebuilt a couple years ago with new equivalent pots and caps. Also had the tech install 5-way binding posts to replace those awful spring loaded clips. Grilles are fabric now - same color blue as the original. I couldn't afford new foam fronts and I wouldn't trust them to not self-destruct like the originals.

[@dreyn7780]

You're in a 1974 time warp along with many delusional people. I've gone through 60 different settings on the TV and they're all valid. I've gone through 60 different sound settings too. You're allowed to be changed by the new TV. Buying into futuristic products is a guess. My TV taught me more things than the audio man.

[@jeremyhughes6485]

The problem is distortion from heavy compression (CD Loudness) as well as most speakers being totally inadequate in the mid range.

[@JerryRutten]

I think you have a point here. If there’s distortion it fatigues.

[@dreyn7780]

The band sound can't fit into your house. I heard KISS from 8Km away. A sound that travels 8km isn't going to fit into ear buds.

[@mikedeboard1197]

Ever been in a room with a drum kit or trumpet? They’re really bright.

[@DrinkWater713]

Trumpets are usually unbearable. I don't know how jazz fans tolerate that tone

[@dajack761]

I think everything in the audio chain can contribute to the overall persecuted brightness.

[@edholmwood]

2 kHz to 4 kHz. It is everything. Recordings, electronics, speakers, DACs, everything. I have spent a lot of time trying to find a system that compensates for that. I got about close as I think I will get. A Schiit Loki can really help. I learned that from you, Steve. Thx.

[@dashcammer4322]

I think when middle-aged and older folks edit and mix music, their age-degraded ears hear higher frequencies less well, so they boost the highs on the mixer slides a bit.

[@mattmatthews3545]

Great topic! A couple of personal observations. First, I may or may not be speaking for all of us who've made it to a certain age, but I find the frequencies in question - 2k to 5 or 6k - to be more quickly fatiguing as I've gotten older. At the same time, I don't hear the extended highs as well. Let's say when I was younger, I could hear up to around 18k on a good day. These days may 12k? Secondly, we can thank Fletcher and Munson for naming this phenomenon as the frequency response curve that bears their names demonstrates that this narrow range is what we perceive to be the loudest if everything is flat. To my mind, this is all the proof you need to realize that a measured flat frequency response is not what we really want.

[@mikemarion2154]

KZbin suggested that I watch: Here's the REAL Reason Headlights are TOO DAMN BRIGHT! coincidence? they are brighter than they use to be

[@geminijinxies7258]

It's like a screaming contest where the loudest and most bright sounding mix will get the attention. It can be fun and exciting though but when listening to for example a 1950's recording, me and my ears can relax with how natural and easygoing it sounds.

[@stephenstevens6573]

Thank you for asking this question. Uncomfortable? Maybe? Necessary? Absolutely. Interested in the responses! Thank you, Steve!

[@andrewallison70]

I think its because most music is designed to be played on rubbish mobile phone and tablet speakers and rubbish cheap in ear headphones. Then these youngsters think its 'good quality', its sad. Plus there is no dynamic range so everything is just at maximum volume level and all of the song can be heard all the time anywhere. Also this can be heard with so many remasters where they ruining older music with this technique. In addition, it could be the way its being processed by the internet radio and streaming services to make them sound more 'exciting' than their rivals. Orginal CD's do sound different than streaming and definitely more natural to my ears

[@JD-lk7im]

Correct.

[@stephenstevens6573]

That is a part of it!

[@andrewforsythe7240]

Remastered CD's don't sound as good as most original CD's, I think.

[@martinfox2244]

Well said

[@timcrane9737]

I agee with this. Recordings are not made for audiophiles, or to be heard over systems in a listening room anymore. Its all earbuds. I'm too old to hear the very high frequencies,so I highly doubt that 10K is where the brightness problem lives. And folks don't hear nearly enough live music to know what live even means- naturalness is just not valued.

[@ttiwehde]

Thank god my brother and friends,were into music and there stereo systems in 1970 were ridiculous expensive. Vinyl, reel to reel, with master recordings, were to my ears like being at a concert.The L.A. music scene amplified my brain music processor.Definitely different sounds back then, less plastic sounding.

[@michaelhead4387]

This was timely. I was using my schiit loki just yesterday to cut some of the brightness and take off the aggressive/harshness of a record. Then left that setting for the next few records I put on. Luckily I don't find my PSB's to be too bright. I think the overly bright sound is too fatiguing. I guess I'm saying yesterday I started thinking about how bright the recordings are. Thanks.

[@steelgtr]

Which PSB's?

[@michaelhead4387]

@@steelgtr T20's. I love them.

[@RasheedKhan-he6xx]

Without question. Its why I lament most remasters.

[@billharper7523]

I draw a line between between brightness and openness. I like the top end to have all the detail but I like it to be smooth sounding which can be a real trick when it comes to choosing a cartridge. One that I find that works for my particular system is an Ortophon M-1 turbo. The beauty of the M-1 is that it operates on a voltage of 6.6 mv so does not require any transformer. I have used this cartridge for some time with great results. My system is all vintage. Love your channel Steve!

[@v.i.l.o.]

That's exactly why I purchased Nighthawks! A perfect solution to the problem of brightness. Thank you Audioquest

[@neilfisher7999]

I think the brightness comes from too many people listening to music on their phones. So a lot of music is mastered to play on a crappy tinny sounding speaker to begin with. Maybe we need more EQ's on the market for audiophiles to tune their equipment to compensate for the brightness effect. Shiit Loki perhaps?

[@rickmathis8590]

One reason that I love tubes is that they tend to mitigate some (but obviously not all) of that. Also, a cartridge like the Soundsmith MIMC really goes a long way in helping, but those things can only go so far with correcting the problem when the source material was recorded that way. Not sure why so much new music is so bright, but some people seem to equate brightness with detail for some reason. The two are not interchangeable. A great, warm recording can be immensely detailed as well, but without the sharpness. Great video, Steve!

[@helgar791]

People say recordings are too bright. Yet if any of you rockers went to listen to live music you'd be amazed at how aggressive the high frequencies are. Even we classical and jazz lovers are amazed at how much high frequency energy there is at live performances.

[@jimshaw899]

Totally agree. Maybe the difference is that the high frequencies aren't distorted at live *acoustic* performances. Nor are the highs 'beamed' at you from two point sources. There is also the truth that anything coming from a Marshall-type cabinet or a drum kit mic'd with 7 microphones, hasn't a prayer of sounding real. Nor a vocalist singing just 1" from a microphone diaphragm. In pop recordings, you don't get 'real' because you don't want real. You want unreal. It rocks more.

[@raymondlau6507]

I'm now in my early sixties and believe I have lost a bit of high frequency hearing. (can't hear over 12k). Without the nice clearly defined treble, the music can sound a bit mushy and undefined.

[@kuglepen64]

Yes! This!

[@johnsittard7025]

Some of the best recent recordings (within the past 15 years) I’ve heard are DSD classical recordings. They are warm and spacious. Chandos are particularly great! Even the LSO recordings, which are just a tad dry, still present a beautiful soundstage and are very pleasant to listen to. I’m using an SMSL Su-8 DAC with a Sony universal Blu-Ray player. I run it through a hi-res splitter with HDML and run it from the splitter to the DAC through an optical connector. The DAC uses DoP at 176.4 kHz. Great sound!

[@MP_pov]

Totally agree. Many people blame listening equipment (headphones, speakers, amps - I have done this many times too) but I have a spectrum analyser always on and it’s clear to me that lots of recordings have a lot going on in the top end

[@Woodzyowl0309]

I mostly listen to fairly old music (the 1960 to 1990 range), so I haven't noticed it too much. Then again, I love my old school Klipsch speakers, so maybe my ears are damaged 😉 On a more "objective" note, I have some of the aforementioned old school Klipsch speakers hooked up to my home theater receiver, so I tried swapping the Audyssey target curve between their default "warm" curve and their "flat" curve just to see the difference. I much preferred my test tracks (the entirety of Norah Jones's Come Away With Me album) on the flat curve. The warm curve just didn't give me the same emotional connection to the music.

[@vinylrules4838]

As a trumpet player, I see a lot of recording engineers using ribbon microphones on them. They roll off the high end. One recording used Coles ribbon microphones. I thought the trumpet sound was horrible. The upper harmonics of a trumpet go above 20 kHz.

[@HUMPTY2301]

When I was in my twenties my Marantz system had an equalizer so I could control the music to my taste. This year at 70 went to my audio store to buy system for about $40000 and discovered no equalizer was sold and basically it was a taboo subject as well as loudness button. I was told that I have to listen to music the way it sounds and not change it in any way. If I want to change it I have to go on my audio "journey" and trade and buy more equipment until I'm happy with the sound. What's the difference? I'm still changing the sound to my taste . One way is a lot easier and less expensive than the other. Sounds like scam to spend tons of money by the industry so that you can be called an audiophile.

[@gregsturgess3876]

My first taste of bright was the chrome tape then the cd ,but if you never had it you can't control it still remember that first chrome tape . love your stuff Steve,,,, cheers

[@jeffmpvd7689]

This is why I must have EQ on my system. I know what I like and can fine tune my system to my taste.

[@gtodave6768]

I agree. At least with th EQ you can pull down on overly bright recordings and get closer to a realistic presentation.

[@EclecticApotheosis]

An argument for tone controls! I used to despise the notion of tone controls. With some hearing loss in upper frequencies, I find many recordings need some tweaking to bring clarity or to reduce some brightness that can be annoying.

[@zardoz2627]

It's the over compression and cranking the levels

[@gtodave6768]

I happen to agree with you 100%. I have felt that way for a while. Especially with regard to the drums and trumpet. I play drums and "Live" and recorded drums have never sounded the same to me. And as for the trumpet , your statement about that is "spot on". I had the pleasure of seeing Winton Marsalis on a few occasions and I noticed the difference in the sound of the live trumpet vs the recorded renditions of the same songs! The live trumpet is way more dynamic in my view. And of course Bright speakers dont help the situation any either. I own Kliptch Speakers which are already "foward" to begin with. So that's why I utilize an EQ on occasion to balance things out. I know that many Audiophiles hate the use of Equalizers in HIFI setups but why suffer through a piece of music when you can enjoy it instead?

[@36karpatoruski]

It’s the recording. Around a zillion people who want it to sound good with a smart (dumb) speaker or cheap earbuds for every audiophile who wants it to sound good on at least a decent if not high end hifi rig. Max the loudness, max the brightness, max the vocals, max the drums, max everything and brick wall the whole mess.

[@popzeus3000]

I’m so glad you’re calling this out! It’s definitely a compounding factor with all types of gear artificially boosting treble. Speakers, headphones, and IEMs seem to be the worst or most obvious. IEMs tunings are particularly peaky up top. And as someone who is treble sensitive, and prefers a neutral warm/bassy sound, it does feel like we’re in the minority compared to the rest of the hobby.

[@matt.pma.kresnaputra5458]

I personally find modern music to be released digitally with such a “low ceiling”. Not sure the right term, but basically it sounds like its on max volume even at low volumes, with vocals suffocating my head space.

[@gurdyman1]

I think the word you are thinking of is they have high compression.

[@dragonshipva]

I am an engineer and A: you’re not wrong but also B: the artists are a huge part of the problem. If I try to get away with a tasteful amount of treble content the artists, especially if they are older and especially if they are rockers… ALWAYS DEMAND AN ABUNDANCE OF TREBLE CONTENT. The mastering loudness war also didn’t help. I’ve also always been astounded by the amount of nasty vocal sibilance that is present in major pop mixes.

[@chrispicquet733]

Steve,you are right! Recording engineers are paid to produce tracts that appeal to the Masse's.Audiophiles only spend a fraction of the capital that the mobile youth spends on music! Most of that music is heavily altered by equalization/compressor,limiters....etc....most youth listen to music as loud background party music. Music recorded without compressor/limiters is not that bright! I have versatile equipment that can accomplish what I'm looking for.most are not as lucky as I am.

[@SenSimha]

Most of the Remastered materials ARE bright by design, in my opinion. New releases ( fully commercial ones ) too are compressed and bright. These might have something to do with the fact that too many listen to them, like you said, in noisy ambience. Some people need to show off their car stereos - brightness helps apart from boomy, tubby bass. DJs boost brightness to be heard and also to penetrate soZzled ears! Another reason could be the overload of instruments on not-too-impressive vocals!

[@stewartashton6997]

I agree that so much of today's recordings seem brighter. Also, they seem over compressed. As far as great Trumpet and brass recordings, the Direct To Disk recording of the Harry James Band by Sheffield Labs is excellent. I worked at a high end audio store in the 70's, and that recording was a consistent go to for demo.

[@milehighed52801]

Bingo, Stewart. Same here. I also used that record quite a bit for demos. That was a phenomenal recording on vinyl. No compression issues there. Many years ago, my wife (now deceased) got rid of both her’s and my vinyl records in the basement one day. There were quite a number of them as we both had large collections. Many were well used/played records, but in my collection I had a few real gems. Namely the two standouts were the Harry James record along with a Telarc recording of the 1812 Overture. Both top notch sound engineering on vinyl. I wish I still had both of them, plus a number of others.

[@stewartashton6997]

@@milehighed52801 Hi milehighed. So sorry for the loss of your wife. Another great Sheffield Labs recording we used for demo was the Thelma Houston Pressure Cooker album. The band on the recording was Tom Scott and the LA Express ( I believe). These recordings sounded amazing on everything from Klipsch to Magneplanars.

[@DPSingh-px4xu]

Yeah Steve too bright little or no dynamics...harsh music for a harsh World...

[@rezimulov1]

Maybe it would be beneficial to hire youngsters (teens) as recording engineers or at least "sound" consultants while cutting tracks, so the high frequency hearing losses naturally suffered by aging mixing board engineers aren't inadvertently being compensated for by treble-happy equalization in the final mix.

[@rosswarren436]

Yep, like the old advice from the 1970s went...."Always take your girlfriend with you when you buy speakers". Why? Because girls generally have better hearing than guys whether they appreciate it or not...

[@stefanogaule949]

You are so right Steve !!! Brightness wars !! I think 5-6 kherz can be very uncomfortables sometimes !

[@mondoenterprises6710]

Check your eq settings in your avr menus. It helps Tone down the brightness from too bright a chain and helps minimize fatigue.

[@dieterleonard2309]

I use a amplifier with Dirac Room Correction. So I am able to adjust the frequencies in the way I like. Perhaps not very audiophile but very performimg to achieve a linear, detailed and smooth image that don‘t hurt my ears.

[@davidnord1979]

im 65 years old and there is nothing better then martin guitars violins banjos mandolins and some piano playing in a livingroom...i was 5 years old then and still remember the sound you could hear it a block away and even the neighbors came over ....

[@alm5693]

Now the neighbors will call the cops.

[@xcvbxcvb2179]

Agree with Steve. A lot of old and good sounding recordings are now being re-masterd for our streaming services, often for the worse. That's one reason to why I stoped streaming music and went back for CD instead. Now planning on taking up vinyl. I just sold my high end Arcam amp and kept a Denon pma2000. One big factor in my decision was, Denon has tone controls, Arcam hasn't.

[@meshplates]

Could this be related to the general disappearance of full range speakers? Back in the old days speakers were bigger in average homes. Most people don’t even have speakers anymore. If they do it’s a sound bar. Music is mixed on little speaker and aimed at listeners with ear buds.

[@MrGorpm]

I object most to hardness in the upper midrange (which is probably where the problems lie) rather than a bit of bite in the high treble. I think the main problem is that people don't sit down and listen to music for extended periods any more, for example, listening to a complete album. The brightness and loudness is there to grab your attention, which will attract you initially, but trash your senses over more than a few minutes, forcing you to switch off. I, personally, don't like my ears ringing after a listening session!

[@sdjgfashjasbfasd]

My Moms old 70s console stereo was so dark you couldn't even hear the cowbell.

[@LA-db9xj]

This(brightness) is why I have a designated music listening-station with all of my old gear. It allows me to separate what to me is today's modern sound(bright) on my two home theater setups. From the vintage(more natural sound) equipment of my 70s to 80s equipment. I enjoy both, but I do feel they both have their place for my ears. That's my take!

[@user-mo9wp2ed7u]

I also found a lot of music to bright, especially when my electronics were all in "correct" AC polarity, reversing AC polarity of my streamer fixed this, everything became much more relaxed / in balance, at least it worked for me.

[@oldestpunkinargentina7766]

Great point !

[@dorkvader5332]

Love the shirt Steve. In my experience changing some cables improved my sound. Also buying a decent audio rack improved things further.

[@HouseofRecordsTacoma]

There's an A/B switch on my Yamaha A-S2100. It's remarkable how different higher end ($2k&up) speakers can sound.

[@sheerenergy8602]

Electronics and speakers are bright because its sounds more exciting, more musically, more lively, less boring and less dull. Not because enviroment is loud. Next its gives possibilty to wider range variety of matching components to choose from darker to brighter tonality. My speakers sounded bright and forward and i didnt like it - it was too bright. But but trumpets and sax sounded phenomenally. Illinois Jaquett what a sound. I put my speaker to sell for a month and ended auction. I decided im gonna fight for the sound of those speakers. I have changed placement and toe in of my speakers, i put grills on, i've done first reflections points dumping, bought different cables. I've done all that cause of potential of midrange frquency. And after all that, wow, what a sound. Brightnes was killing about 30% of midrange information. Now im pretty happy about the sound its delivers. Its not so biteing on trumpet and sax, but my speakers was designed to listen with grills on. If i want get some more bite of sax I just get grills off. If I want to get even more bite I just toe in more. So thats are the reasons why manufacturers voicing components like that. And in my speakers brightness is about 3- 4khz. Its flatening when toe out or puting grills off.

[@Kevin_Carlson]

In my younger days I used to like "bright" audio. Now I frequently find myself turning down the treble.

[@kloss213]

In dynamic loudspeaker designs, the only driver that is close to the size of wavelengths that it is meant to produce is the tweeter.

[@josepharchila1496]

Great shirt Steve!

[@mikeaustin3485]

So true Steve. Since my Maggies are bi-amped, I use the external crossover to adjust any overly bright recording. I also have several acoustic panels in my listening room. And using my Freya+ in passive mode helps as well.

[@paulpresleyjr9600]

Alot of today's recorded music just has a really compressed sharp piercing sound that gives you listening fatigue pretty quick

[@jamesadey8744]

I think I may have successfully tackled this problem in my system. I found that my old speakers were the biggest culprit until I installed a pair of Harbeths and then I could actually enjoy what I'd considered to be harsh recordings for the first time. I would still consider them bright but listenable. Other pieces of equipment will also have an effect but I think speakers can be the biggest cause of harshness in my opinion. It's a shame the record labels don't pay more attention to their final products too.

[@callebergstrom2807]

Yes I agree to most of your thoughts! To much brightness is not fun. At least the not so bright sounds are not in the right level compared to the bright sound. But I see another problem. The bright sound often gett's distorted in the HiFi-system, also due to bad acoustics. A bright sound can sound warm in a way and not make your ears tired. As you spoke about the trumpet or a cymbal, it's bright. And it should be. It should really twist your skin even played live and therefore also through your HiFi-system. Real sounds in our analogue world, like from real instruments, can be bright and harsh but at the same time very pleasant. Many Hifi-system have problems to do this right and I think it's due to that they ad distorsion in the upper frequencie-range. Bright sound should be bright but controlled and with a small amount of distorsion. There are products that can manage this. The bright sound can be clean and sterile due to bad reproduction of the lower frequencies as well. I think this problem has multiple causes and quite obvious we are not always getting better at it.

[@NoEgg4u]

Although "Too bright" is an issue, I find the biggest issues are: 1) Compression, and 2) Excessive gain on stems that contain vocals and guitars. As it pertains to #2, the simpletons in the studio also lower the gain on the drums, banishing them to background taps. Equalization screws up the purity of the sound, too, as we end up hearing the active processing from that superfluous box. @5:25 -- Alex Sterling is an example of why so much music sounds awful. pm1.narvii.com/6245/c5758e76979203aa1b98a503a05d26702b9dbfe3_hq.jpg He is a proponent of compression, and in a big way. He takes sonic works of art, worked on by talented artists, for hours on end, and vandalizes them. As to brightness: There are people that cannot have enough salt. They empty packets of salt on their fries. But at least the rest of us can order fries with little or no salt, and taste the great flavor of the actual fries. Alex chooses to salt everything, excessively. When Alex salts his mixes, there is no undo. Every copy of those songs that make it into our homes are covered in salt. Don't like it? Too bad. Alex does not care. Unnatural sound quality is his preference. Alex wants you to hear his mixing equipment. I want to hear the artists.

[@zaoria123]

Amen!

[@clonesteak]

For music listening I definitely prefer rolled off highs. For movies I preferred those highs and big bass. Would love to get a pair of Heresy IV paired with a sub for movies. I really love my Elac UniFi for my main listening room. Imaging and a little rolled off the top.

[@jimstamatic]

Great video! I have a lot of CDs, and I've wanted to take the bright edge off many of them for a long time - whether it's a vocal, snare drum, alto sax, trumpet, etc. I saw your video on the Schiit Loki, and that made me think that an EQ could be the answer. Well since I didn't want to wait for the Loki, I bought a Bellari EQ570. It has made a dramatic impact on my listening experience. Thank you! What I've done is backed off both the 7500Hz and the 60Hz just a little, going from 12 Noon to 11. (Backing off the low end has made it easier to hear bass clearly; go figure.) I'm a low-budget audiophile who doesn't like to tinker with my system much. I just make incremental adjustments over time. My CD system is Onkyo 7030-C to Topping D50s to Bellari EQ570 to vintage Sansui 6060 to vintage New Advent Loudspeakers. Some test CDs that really showed me the difference (the Bellari has an Active button to A/B test): Belafonte at Carnegie Hall - when he belts out the vocal on Sylvie, I no longer cringe; Sade Love Deluxe has some serious bass that can rattle the windows; Astrud Gilberto, when Stan Getz's sax comes in on Ipanema; and even Brubeck CDs when Paul Desmond comes in on sax. In my experience, recordings with soft vocals or piano contrasting with a bright instrument create the cringiest moments. We also listen to a lot of rock and some rap which have plenty of bright percussion moments. By the way, my Sansui has Bass and Treble knobs that I keep at 0 (Noon). Thanks again for suggesting an inexpensive EQ to add a little more playback control. It has dimmed the brightness with minimal adjustment.

[@alanwigodner5811]

I also recently bought a Bellari eq. It was less expensive than the Shiit and does great especially on my older records from around 70 and 80’s. Also looks cool.

[@armageddonplace]

I don't think it's so much about the location of where people are listening - but it's related. I heard that tracks are being EQ'd for mobile devices, laptops, car systems, etc to make the song legible - not 'hi-fi' as we'd know it (whatever that might be!). EQ-ing for KZbin makes huge commercial sense. But play the same track through 'hi-fi' (sorry again) and it's going to be harsh. Might that be why?

[@laurelhardy4064]

Yes most recordings are too bright, that's why I couldn't do without my Schiit Loki eq, it's a Godsent.

[@cremersalex]

Well, Norah Jones is not bright, sometimes the drums even sound muffled. Many remastered CDs of older albums, however, are very bright (and extra compressed). You can hear the added EQ on the top, but I suppose that's what people want for their money. They gotta hear the change.

[@timgreen7208]

My experience has been that many modern HiFi speakers, for my taste, are too bright. And I think it's designed in like that so that the impression is of greater detail and resolution, for example KEF and B&W speakers. Initially sounding good. But 20 mins later my ears start to hurt. I now use Spendor speakers and they have a wonderful tone. I've used Dirac room correction to try to tame those tiring speakers and found that frequencies above 8 to 10 KHz all the way to 20 need dropping back. That can be a partial solution but it does also reduce some detail. But really its best to get "mature", some may say unexciting, speakers to start with.

[@orealius]

Thanks so much for bringing this up! It is particularly galling in classical music. Violins often sound like the engineers are trying to replicate synthesizers rather than acoustic music. Maybe they don’t know the difference anymore. I wouldn’t be surprised! Fortunately, you can compensate for this to a large extent with a good equalizer and tube simulator software. Together they soften the blow of today’s not so bright idea “brightness.” You need a host for these VST-3 add-ones many of which are free.

[@ridirefain6606]

Great topic. A few observations: Live music is not much of an event anymore, it is usually something that is in the background, that one parties or dances to. Second, Acoustic unamplified performances have become rarer and rarer, even at the coffee houses where it is just one person singing and playing. You will find a mixing board and a speaker. So, there is no real reference as to what the instruments or the vocalist actually sounds like. It is not uncommon, for the performer to go beyond correcting for the acoustics at their venue, but boost the treble, use reverb, even Autotune on their voice to achieve an desired effect. So what is a live performance in the first place? Lastly, when talking gear at one of my favorite HiFi haunts. I lamented a brand, they decided to drop. I liked it because it was not crazy expensive, neutral sounding, with an emphasis on accuracy. The rep replied that even though they loved the sound too, it was just not selling. When I asked why? I was told it that people just did not want it. After hearing it, they would yawn and gravitate towards something that was voiced with a "Brand Name Sound". What the rep told me was people think they want something that is neutral and highly accurate, until they actually hear something that is.

[@PoulPetersen]

I mainly listen to older jazz and classical through tube amps and Stirling speakers in the bbc tradition. Not bright at all.

[@davidmiller1534]

There are some recordings that are so bright I can't listen to more than a song or two before moving on. A lot of rock recordings seem to suffer from this sort of production.

[@jazz_addict7079]

I have a particular dislike for too-bright music , whether due to the recording or the gear through which it's played. I've experienced some very bright gear and many very bright recordings. I don't keep the latter-- I get rid of them. Having said that, I have thousands of CDs that I find quite listenable. I use a Schiit Loki from time to time when I want to tweak the sound but more importantly, I've chosen components that prioritize musicality over resolution. I realize there are many audiophiles who prize detail above all else. That's fine-- each to his/her own.However, if you are someone who is very sensitive to highs, you have choices, both in terms of CDs and in terms of gear. Listening need not be painful.

[@MrGorpm]

There is so much E.Q. and compression used on the drums that they are unnatural. Sometimes this is a good thing, depending on the musical style.

[@leonarddaneman810]

Thanks for the post . . . you were reading my mind. Last week, I played/streamed an 'Ultra HD' recording of CSN's 'Dejavu' and had to shut it off during the vocal crescendo in 'Carry On.' Didn't make it through the first song on the album, the sibblance and jangly, nerve-tearing vocals hitting the high notes, in perfect harmony, were ripping my ears apart. So, I pulled out my original pressing vinyl album and played it . . . ahhhhhhhhh. Much better. You could hear every voice, and no Early AM Alarm Bells going off in my head. 'Ultra High Definition' on Amazon Music means 're-mastered' I guess, and shoving those EQ's up in the highs. I picked up a vintage pair of Vandersteen's and found the highs really off, jangling badly in the 1 kHz range, so I am replacing the forty-year old electrolytic capacitors with audiophile-grade film capacitors. We'll see if that fixes them . . . as my re-capped Dahlquist DQ-10's (they have a super-tweeter, tweeter, and 4" midrange) sounded smooth as silk with a realistic, open soundstage. So, one could argue the Dynamic Range of digital was the problem, compared to the RIAA curve of vinyl . . . it wasn't the speakers . . . maybe it was the shirt you were wearing on this post! But, I refuse to buy modern recordings unless I know they are AAD, or by a respectable engineer.

[@carlitomelon4610]

Why choose bright sounding (horn?) speakers then? Any review that calls a piece of equipment bright is a red flag to me. I listen mostly to jazz and classical for the sound of real instruments played in real spaces in real time, so what do I know? Just don't care for over processed pop anyway. Dynamic compression and hot treble are negative factors along with the vapid lyrics.

[@johnt1877]

Here is my take on brightness. I had a pair of Audio Technica ATH MSR7 headphones that I was disappointed in because of the lack of bass response. I saw all of these positive reviews of Senheiser 58x and 6xx headphones you could get on Drop, and they had decent bass. So I got a pair. The midrange was pronounced, so I guess that is why people like them, because the singer's voice is pronounced. The only problem is I don't listen to pop music where the voice is everything. I was terribly disappointed in those headphones because I could barely hear the symbols on jazz recordings. It was like a whole part of the recording was muted, even compared to my AT headphones. I purchased some Focal headphones that those same reviewers described as "bright." Suddenly, bass and symbols were both detailed. If bright is considered bad, maybe you might be playing too loud. I admit that I have some recordings (Chicago 2 - Steve Wilson remaster, for example) that are painful to listen to with the Focal headphones and a certain popular headphone amp from Drop. Changing the amp helped. So my take is that I want to hear the full range of frequencies in detail, and anything else is a compromise. If I can hear that without playing too loud, it works for me. I would not say that I like bright sounding equipment, because it seems I also like more bass than some reviewers. If equipment is not capable of reproducing the highs on the recording, it not for me.

[@valdiskrebs566]

The same thing is happening in photography ... very sharp optics with high mega-pixel sensors ... picking up details/noise we really do not want. I watched a top notch portrait photographer take photos of a model, then spend about 30 minutes in Photoshop, with each image, removing/fixing all of the model’s skin imperfections that his tack sharp lens recorded onto the 50MP+ sensor. And then to top it off, he applied a “soft filter” before printing each photo! 🙄 Maybe the “soft filter” was like running a shrill recording through a tube amp???

[@keithkrieger7075]

I have two new products that I think would be great for review. The Canary Audio M350 V2 monos that use 300b tubes and put out 50 watts per side. The second is the Swans M5a self powered monitor speaker.

[@ronshaw80]

The entire electronics chain should be flat. The recording is the culprit. Most are way too bright.

[@davidradke5170]

Totally agree

[@homerjones3291]

As someone who spent many years in various rock bands and standing waay too close to crashing cymbals, things have to be really bright for me to notice. It’s more about the equipment to me, not the recordings as much, as the music seems to be all over the place. My old Boston Acoustics A150 were bright and the KEF LS50’s were ear burners to me. I probably prefer my music a little bit brighter (and a bit louder) than most people. I had a Loki but didn’t use it well (boosted the highs) so i had to wean myself off of it and just listen with no EQ.

[@juanandresjoseignaci]

Nice shirt Steve!

[@nicktube3904]

Most mainstream hifi gear tends hype the sound to hear lots of detail on a black background. Gear like amplifiers and dacs will color the sound by doing tricks to increase resolution. Unfortunately this will result in loss of tone and timbre, you will get analytical bright thin sound. Steve I would really recommend to listen to a full Audio Note where speakers are correctly placed in the corners. This will never sound bright, thin but just like the real thing. It’s amazing!

[@chrisbullock5488]

I don’t know how to fix it overall, too many variables, but I do believe the source (recordings, mixing, mastering) is the best place to start.

[@noone-cf2zo]

I was told that recordings are bright because most people don't have a audiophile listening set up, so the brightness is compensation for the crappy listening equipment: iphone, car stereo, etc

[@pallas787]

Well.. I'm an Old 61th Music Lover and I still use my 18th Pioneer stereo and Kef Q55 standfloor speakers. The complexive "Acoustic Signature"without any tone correction isn't Bright '...i think is made with Vinyl RIAA reference an Is correct for this source. May be new Hardwares are sets mainly for Streaming use.. But in mine...If i use Spotify streaming ..we are more in middle - low tones thus I'm forced to fix with more medium hight EQ.. I think Digital Mix &Mastering make the difference.. more loud and bass emopasis, cause young generation love " Bum..Bum..Bum" in Hip-Hop, Rap, Trap etc. (Dr.Dree...remember.?) But on the other side emphasis is also in Medium -Hight 'cause Music is played "on the go" into noise and with in-ear Headphones. For this IMHO they prefer a V eq. , Loud, + Bass & Treble, Dinamic Compression.. A "Wall of Sound" that for my abitude cause more "Fatigue" in both extremes.

[@arande3]

I think the speakers have a lot to do with it. My AKG K81s never get fatiguing even at super cranked levels but my new Sony Wh1000s do instantly hurt my ears if the volume is up for even a second even though they have a recessed sound. I think it has to do with the plastic vs aluminum diaphragms and the Sony can go stupid loud without any distortion so that might be it too. Transients.

[@simianinc]

I blame lo-Res recordings. The brightness counteracts the lack of detail in an mp3 or Spotify/Apple Music song. And I hate the remastering of classic albums that turn the brightness up to 11

[@heliotrope1000]

I used to own a pair of Sonab OA12s and they reproduced drums like noting else I've ever heard...other than a drum ;) It's a shame they didn't quite reproduce the rest of the music as well (although they were pretty decent,) but drums... it's like the drummer was in the room. Amazing speakers (for drums)

[@simonirvine1628]

It's the "Loudness Wars" strikes again. That is what it is. The Reason it has happened is down to the digital format, Fact. I have worked in and around Commercial Recording Studios for 30 years.