[tawmizzzz]

There are many female artists whose voice usually has some sibilance in my system, for example PJ Harvey, Taylor Swift, Lorde and St. Vincent to name a few. Some male vocalists also have some sibilance, for example Nick Cave and Harry Wilkinson (from the band Maruja) come to mind.

A buddy of mine had me use PJ Harvey as a test track for upper-midrange sibilance back in the day for the Rhapsodio Infinity MkII---amazing vocals but her voice can definitely get intense.

I echo the sentiment with others that the Elites compared to other TOTLs are extremely smooth and while there is good sparkle in the treble region to keep it from being too dark, I have had no issues with the upper-midrange or treble (my sensitivity is usually in the 6k). I actually found the upper-mids on stock Caldera more sibilant/harsh than Elites, and ofc Susvara can be less forgiving than Elites as well due to its' extra resolution.

Chain can definitely help alleviate some of that final "dealbreaker" sibilance-a tube amp maybe or a slightly darker or R2R source. GL with the journey!

 

[AntonRisto]

That is very unfortunate. You probably have gone already through all thoughts mentioned below, if so please excuse me.
Could it be that something is wrong with your specific Elite set? Have you, next to the ZMF's, had the possibility to try other headphones in your set? Or have you been able to try the Elite's on another amp, just to be sure?
Maybe I am just lucky that with my Ferrum Erco there is no sibilance at all, not in any track I have tried so far. Not even with Harry Wilkinson, Lorde, or with the other artists you mentioned.
And what about the source itself or the digital connection from the source to the DAC?
Last thing I could think of trying is different 6922 tubes in the Trafomatic?
When I was still using tube amps I found that some input tubes could cause sibilance, but of course YMMV.

Do the Elite's sound much brighter than your ZMF's?

I used to own a Burson Soloist 3XP, and it definitely had a brighter and harsher sound overall.

After I switched to the Head 2, the problem with sibilance definitely diminished a little but has never gone away completely. I've tried Mullard and Philips NOS 6922 tubes with my Head 2 but didn't like the way bass sounded with those so I switched to Genalex Gold Lion 6922 tubes.

I'm using the LAN input of my R26 with the FMC mod, and there are AudioQuest Mackenzie XLR interconnects between my R26 and Head 2.

And no, I don't think the Elites sound much brighter than my ZMFs. They are a bit airier and a bit thinner sounding definitely but I wouldn't really call them bright like an Arya or a Susvara. Actually, I find their tonal balance to be very close to my preference but the sibilance prevents me from enjoying them fully.

 

[AntonRisto]

A buddy of mine had me use PJ Harvey as a test track for upper-midrange sibilance back in the day for the Rhapsodio Infinity MkII---amazing vocals but her voice can definitely get intense.

I echo the sentiment with others that the Elites compared to other TOTLs are extremely smooth and while there is good sparkle in the treble region to keep it from being too dark, I have had no issues with the upper-midrange or treble (my sensitivity is usually in the 6k). I actually found the upper-mids on stock Caldera more sibilant/harsh than Elites, and ofc Susvara can be less forgiving than Elites as well due to its' extra resolution.

Chain can definitely help alleviate some of that final "dealbreaker" sibilance-a tube amp maybe or a slightly darker or R2R source. GL with the journey!

Yeah, PJ Harvey is unfortunately one of those female artists, for me, that has made some amazing music but the intense vocals make it hard to enjoy sometimes.

I also agree that the upper-mids are more aggressive sounding on stock Caldera but with Thick Caldera pads the sound is a little less intense, and I also think that because there is more body to the sound with the Caldera the sibilant sounds are actually less bothersome than with the Elite.

 

[tawmizzzz]

Yeah, PJ Harvey is unfortunately one of those female artists, for me, that has made some amazing music but the intense vocals make it hard to enjoy sometimes.

I also agree that the upper-mids are more aggressive sounding on stock Caldera but with Thick Caldera pads the sound is a little less intense, and I also think that because there is more body to the sound with the Caldera the sibilant sounds are actually less bothersome than with the Elite.

Yeah I liked the thick pads for Calderas. It did make the sound a bit too warm for me afterwards because I find the Calderas are actually treble-shy, but it's those pushed-forward upper mids that add the energy (and ultimately fatigue from stock). However, it is nowhere as aggressive as the stock LCD5, which I did enjoy after using Mitch's filters.

Not sure if your set up allows it, but perhaps also consider EQ'ing a bit of the upper-midrange region out if you don't want to go with the far more expensive/time-consuming/risky gear rolling route. I also saw that you have played around with ICs which definitely can help finetune some of that stuff. Have you considered power as a variable? Outlet vs power conditioner vs power regenerator depending on your power situation etc. I did notice less digital glare and more of an organic, consistent sound using something like the Niagara1200 than from my wall outlet. But your experience may vary and I'd suggest a demo obviously.

Elites are the only headphone to survive with my Susvaras so far---not too much compromise on technicalities while having unparalleled euphonic and easy-listening sessions. Acoustic guitars and vocals are just