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New Magico Speaker Break-in Question

This afternoon, I received my new Magico A5s, which replaced Revel Studios that I have owned for more than 20 years. The A5s are definitely more clear, have superior imaging and provide at least equal soundstaging. The bass is tighter, but, with three 9" woofers, I am surprised that it doesn't go very deep at all (fortunately, I have two SVS SB17-Ultra subwoofers that will easily take care of that shortcoming).

However, there is one aspect of these A5's performance that I find a bit disquieting and the reason for this post. The treble in the 2KHz to 5KHz seems to be a little [what I'll call] shrieking; it is somewhat uncomfortable to listen to for an extended time. I know that this loudspeaker uses a beryllium tweeter, and I have never had a speaker before that employed one. Perhaps, its tonality is what I am reacting to .

And so, my question. I have read that it takes 250+ hours for the A5s to break-in and become the speaker that Mr. Wolf and his colleagues intended. As part of that break-in, will the tweeter also blossom and become easier to listen to? 

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Showing 1 response by 12many

12many
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Congrats on the new speakers. I jumped from Revel to Focal Scala Utopia, which have a beryllium tweeter. I believe there are some similarities between the Magico and Focal speakers in that both are going to be very revealing of the electronics and the track. They will faithfully reproduce the signal you give them. In contrast, long ago I had SF bookshelf speakers and regardless the electronics, they reproduced a smooth, warm sound - good for some music, but not for other types.

Once you break them in, I think you need to decide if you want to go down the path of adjusting your electronics or swapping speakers. Magico are very backordered so you can easily sell them. I have been upgrading all my electronics and the high mids and highs are much better, but there are still a few tracks that are troubling to me. I have the same issue on other speakers so some of what you hear may be your ears or room. I want to blame my benchmark dac, but it could be the tweeters.

My advice is to let them break in and consider your electronics and room. Reducing toe in help me as well and I prefer a wider sound anyway. Be aware that you may be upping the volume to get the bass to hit harder, but then adding too much high frequency at the higher volume.  Also, try to embrace the highs and the details. There are two sides to every coin and that level of detail and reveal is addicting and adds so much to the soundstage and nuances of all instruments and voices. IMO, each system excels in certain areas, but also has drawbacks. If you like all types of music, then an all-around system may have a few rough spots but mostly hits home runs across all genres - I think this will be your system. I listen to everything from slow soft vocals and instruments to techno club music. So embrace the highs and admire them, and don’t ignore or wish them away. I listen into the high mids and highs and am amazed at the clarity and detail. I won’t have these speakers forever so while I do I appreciate their characteristics. It takes time to adjust to new speakers.

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