wierd distortion when I hear piano

[Nolan B]

I have noticed something and only seem to be able to pin point and notice it when I hear some pieces of music with pianos in it. If I put my ear to the tweeter on my B&W FPM it sounds staticy, fuzzy...not crisp and clear.

The average person probably couldnt detect, but I can. I was wondering could it be my speakers are damaged/blown? or is it just a result of a poor quality recording? Why is it most prevalent with sounds from a piano?

[Karma]

HI,
It could be a damaged tweeter. I have found B&W drivers to be rugged but any component can fail at any time.

You seem to be listening to only one piano recording. Without more piano recordings to listen to you can't tell if is the recording or the driver. One thing you could try, since only one channel is in question, is to reverse the channels and see if the fuzz follows to the other speaker. If it does, the problem could be the recording or further into your electronics but not the drivers. If it stays in the same driver, you have a speaker problem.

Sparky

[Sim reality]

Is it consistantly reproduceable?

Is it one speaker or both of them? You are playing bypass mode or have it going through a surround sound processor?

If it's one speaker and you are in in bypass mode you might want to drop by your dealer and try playing the CD with the faulty speaker and see if it happens there. I could still be equipment related.

[Nolan B]

it is happening to all of the speakers not just one, and seems to happen when the processor in the reciever (rotel rsx 1055) is being used. I have noticed it when listening to more then one disc, but only durring times you hear piano. Cold Play, Norah Jones are the two I can think of off the top of my head and it happened to both. Could it be the reciever? Is there a way to test speaker to see if they are blown? They are all pretty new and aside from one "pop" sound when my reciever kicked in wierd there have been no signs of clipping.

[Karma]

HI,
The piano is a difficult instrument both to record and to play. It produces very powerful transients when a key is hit hard. The piano can give analog record players fits too.

However, if it only happens when the processor is switched in, the arrow of blame points towards your receiver and not your speakers assuming the same volume in both cases. May be time for a warranty claim.

Be sure to document the situation and include the documentation with the receiver if you turn it in for repair. If necessary include the problem CD but don't expect to get it back. This is one of those problems that could slip by the best tech so give him as much help as you can.

Sparky

[Dmantis]

I have the very same problem with my Rotel rsp1068 and RMB1095. I know exaclty what your talking about and it drives me crazy. It also seems like my sound stage is now in a small hallway. The static sound goes away in the midrange and bass tones of the music. If you listen to a singer with a high pitch voice, the static will be there.

I got mine in somewhat of control. I found some noise coming in from my cable system. I regrounded it outside and ran only optical to the preamp to not have any metalic connection between the cable box and preamp. They both share the same power. I have a 20 amp circuit deadicated to my system and a monster power center.

Dan

[Nolan B]

I just did a test and still notice the issue with Hi Res DVD-A, so its not the disc/recording. I noticed the problem before and after buying a new DVD/CD player. So its either the speakers are blown (I REALLY hope not, cuz they are new), or something is wrong with the amp in my rotel RSX 1055.

[Dmantis]

check your cable system or dss. See if that clears things up. Disconnect it completely. From the wall, from the preamp everything. If it goes away, you have the same problem I had.

Dan

[Nolan B]

check your cable system or dss. See if that clears things up. Disconnect it completely. From the wall, from the preamp everything. If it goes away, you have the same problem I had.

Dan

I truelly hope this ISNT the issue becuase I would rather buy a new reciever then take appart all my skeaker cables. They are all hidden.

Im buying a new reciever and will let you know if the problem gets fixed. If it doesnt then Im getting a new hobbie

[Mark_C.]

Possibly a blown fuse in the Rotel. Are you able to look under the hood and check fuses?

[Nolan B]

Possibly a blown fuse in the Rotel. Are you able to look under the hood and check fuses?

sure...just let me go look for my hammer.

[Nolan B]

Just wanted to give a final reply in case anyone has the same issue. It truns out that for me the issue was the reciever. I upgradded from a RSX 1055 to RSX 1067 and the problem is not gone.

[Ryx]

Just wanted to give a final reply in case anyone has the same issue. It truns out that for me the issue was the reciever. I upgradded from a RSX 1055 to RSX 1067 and the problem is not gone.

just to clarify, did you mean to say "the problem is now gone" or is what you wrote correct and you still have the same issue??

[Nolan B]

just to clarify, did you mean to say "the problem is now gone" or is what you wrote correct and you still have the same issue??

oops sorry that was a typo. I meant to say that the problem is now gone :T

[grit]

Just to touch on this - my Rotel 1068/1075 and B&W 703's produced a scratchy sound when I heard "S" lyrics in music. The worst offender was Norah Jones' "Sunrise". Finally, I switched to a dedicated CD player... the Rotel 1072. No more scratchy S sounds, and the music sounds better all around. This lead me to believe the culprit was really the DACs in the source (in my case, the Rotel 1060 DVD).

[csorin]

I am experiencing this same problem with my (new to me) RSX-972. I believe this is pretty much the same receiver as the 1055. High, constant tone frequencies become distorted. Piano is pretty unbearable.

I tried plugging in the Rotel to a seperate wall outlet to no avail.

As a test, I hooked up my old NAD integrated via the pre-outs on the Rotel to my main L and R speakers. The Rotel was acting as a the pre-amp, and the NAD as the main's amplifier. The distortion was not present.

This test shows that the amplifier of the Rotel is distorting like crazy. It's pre-amp section (DATS included) is just fine. What could cause an amplifier section to go bad? I've pretty much accepted that I need to buy an external amp, but if there is something I can check internally, then I'll go that route.

[Nolan B]

I am experiencing this same problem with my (new to me) RSX-972. I believe this is pretty much the same receiver as the 1055. High, constant tone frequencies become distorted. Piano is pretty unbearable.

I tried plugging in the Rotel to a seperate wall outlet to no avail.

As a test, I hooked up my old NAD integrated via the pre-outs on the Rotel to my main L and R speakers. The Rotel was acting as a the pre-amp, and the NAD as the main's amplifier. The distortion was not present.

This test shows that the amplifier of the Rotel is distorting like crazy. It's pre-amp section (DATS included) is just fine. What could cause an amplifier section to go bad? I've pretty much accepted that I need to buy an external amp, but if there is something I can check internally, then I'll go that route.

holy thread resurrection batman!

I found the only fix was to replace my 1055.

[dknightd]

I wonder what is about piano that makes it so hard to reproduce well?

Edit: Any recommendations for well recorded piano? If it is hard to reproduce I'm guessing it also hard to record.

[RLBURNSIDE]

Hi there, I registered here justo to post in this thread.

I just bought a new Kawai digital stage piano (mp8-ii, awesome in every way, wooden keys, like butter), and wanted to say that I also experience a horrible distortion when I hit a solid chord in the midrange, say, middle c. I thought my speakers were blown, they're b&ws 602s from ten years ago (single kevlar cone), and got a 20 watt nad amp powering them. I was hoping it would be just the tweeter I could replace myself for 30 bucks each as opposed to the main driver, has anyone done this? If it turns out to be the speakers and not the amp. I have noticed a distortion once in a while on other material, but it's more rare and happens mostly when I play piano (it vexes me).

Are you guys saying it's most likely the amp causing this? I'm going to make an audio cd with different chords as tracks and play them back when I audition amps at my local B&W dealer (same place I bought my old 602s).

What are the rotel model numbers if I may ask? I need a decent multichannel but want audiophile music quality for not too much---Lol that's the magic trick isn't it.

"Any recommendations for well recorded piano? If it is hard to reproduce I'm guessing it also hard to record."

I'm guessing each amp and speaker has their own particular fundamental frequency. Some are negative peaks that they can't/don't handle well. Everything has one. You, me, bob over there. The rock, the tree. Read Godel, Escher and Bach for more on that.

[RobP]

Edit: Any recommendations for well recorded piano? If it is hard to reproduce I'm guessing it also hard to record.

Anything by the artist Hiromi, she is on the Telarc label. Excellent recording. :T

[dknightd]

thanks, I'll look for one of her cd's.
Edit: That was easy $6.99 from yourmusic.com