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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? 

jmeyers
deep_333
1,732 posts
 

Fatigue and some level of your reference to a ’shriek’ may continue to be there. A metallic sheen in the midrange shall also be hard to ignore.

It is fine for electronic music, etc, but, if you really know something, for example, about ’how’ a violin, etc sounds and then heard the magico or a wilson, prepare for some disappointment. Fortunately, it came with a 30 or 60 day return window, I hope.

But, it isn’t all a sob story...Get a mofi 888. Since the latter was designed by a high iq individual, you can get a high caliber of sound at a fraction of the cost....Gobs of bass, non-fatiguing detail, coherent, listenable for long periods, etc.

Donate cash saved to the grandson for his house down-payment and hifi rig.

 

tomcarr
1,587 posts
 

You might play around with toe-in. My B&W 803D sounded too bright when positioned toed-in to face the listening seat as per the manufacturer's recommendation, but I was able to tame that down significantly by re-positioning the speakers so they face forward (no toe-in).

Added plus is the soundstage image enlarged.

norton
88 posts
 

I upgraded my speakers a few years ago and even tho it was the same brand, the newer more expensive ones also had that problem. Tweeter sounded harsh to me.

Two or three notches down on the treble control on the pre-amp solved that.

rsf507
2,380 posts
 

Several weeks ago I visited another audiophile who bought A5’s many months back. He’s always complaining about the hard top end. He now doesn’t listen long. Not a happy camper. Good luck hope break-in helps. 

fastfreight
883 posts
 

Hi @jmeyers,  I think the Revel studios (and Salons) are known for their laid back, easy to listen to tweeters.  I have owned the Studios and own the Salons.   I also have owned YG Haileys in my reference system, and even when fully broken in can lead to ear fatigue, especially with harsher music.  What cables and other equipment are you using?

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