Keep us posted on how the magico breakin is going.enjoy the music.
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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@jmeyers -- How are things with the new A5s? |
For those who are interested, here is an update. The best news is that, after about 100 hours of breaking in, the A5s are beginning to sound noticeably better. One of my most challenging demo tracks is the 176/24 version of the famous "Take Five" piece. At this point, the drum play sounds terrific, as does the piano. The one aspect that still isn’t as good as it ought to be is the tenor (or, maybe alto) sax. The loudest notes still have a bit of harshness to them that is not present in real life. [Recently, I went to a jazz club primarily to hear live playing to both types of sax. Even when played at "full volume", I did not hear that edge of harshness present on the recording -- of which, thanks to Tidal and Qobuz, as well as my CD, I have lots of versions.] Another thing about the A5s is that, despite their three 9" woofers, bass output really falls off a cliff. Playing Stereophile’s original test CD, here are the db levels in my closed 22x21x16 media room at various Hzs: 160 Hz - 63 dB; 125 Hz - 62 db; 100 Hz -53 db; 80 Hz - 48 db; 63 Hz - 48 db; 50Hz - 42 db; 40 Hz - 36 db; 31.5 Hz - 32 db; 25 Hz - 30 db; 20 Hz - 32 db. Fortunately, I own two of the new SVS SB17 subwoofers that have six separate parametric equalizer bands. Integrating them with the A5s, I have a flat (+/- 2db) frequency response (at 70 db) all the way down to 31.5 Hz, and then down 2 db at 25 Hz, and down another 1db at 20 Hz. This integration took me around six to seven hours over two days! Responding to other comments made recently, my Wireworld Silver Eclipse speaker cables are silver over copper, in an unusual (and patented) strand size and configuration. Previously, I found them to be incredibly neutral. As for Akiko Audio Tuning sticks, I certainly will look into them, and I thank classic8 for the suggestion. |
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