Magnepan 1.6 brightness problem

whalen -- Tue, 04/15/2008 - 15:19

Hello,

I have some Magnepan 1.6 speakers that I'm driving with a NAD 773 AV amp and a Rega Planet CD player and a relatively inexpensive Monster Power power conditioner. I'm using the tone defeat controls on the NAD amp to try to get the best possible sound. I've owned them for about a year, so everything should be broken in.

My problem is that on many recordings, the sound is very bright and this becomes fatiguing after a while. Also, voices have a degree of sibilance that makes them sound unnatural. Listening to 1.6s at the store, I do not notice this brightness. Also, there are some problems with imaging; sometimes images "in the middle" of the soundfield seem fuzzy.

I know that Maggies are sensitive to placement and also to the wall surface of the wall behind them. In my current setup, I've got them pulled out about 3' from the wall, 45" or so apart from each other, and about 8' to me. The wall behind the speakers is wood paneling. My listening room is in the basement with relatively low unfinished ceiling (7'7").

I'd welcome any advice (positioning? wall treatments? ceiling tile?) that you think might take care of the sibilance and imaging issues. I'm a relative novice at hi-fi, so I welcome any and all advice.

Thank you very much!

Mike

Chris Martens -- Wed, 04/16/2008 - 11:27

Mike,

First, a word of reassurance, and then some quick problem-solving thoughts.

Reassurance: I've experienced some of the same problems with my 1.6s that you're encountering with yours, and am confident that solutions can be found. Hang in there.

Problem Solving Step 1 (addressing brightness): Have you given your 1.6s at least 100 hours of break in? I ask because my own pair actually did NOT adequately break-in during the first year I owned them.

Potentially useful hint: When I review speakers for Playback, I often use the Ayre/Cardas System Enhancement Disc version 1.2 (also known as the "Irrational, But Efficacious!" disc) to facilitate break-in. It seems to help speakers move along the break-in curve more rapidly.

Problem Solving Step 2 (also addressing brightness): If you are not already doing so, experiment with the Magnepan-supplied tweeter panel trimming resistors (these help tone down that upper midrange/lower treble "bite" to some degree), and also experiment with bi-wiring the speakers (bi-wiring, in my case, helped smooth the speaker's upper midrange to a considerable degree).

Problem Solving Step 3 and 3A (addressing imaging): Experiment with speaker tilt, toe-in, separation distance, and distance to the back wall. Also, though it is a bit counter-intuitive, experiment with reversing the 1.6s (i.e., try running them both with tweeter panels "outboard" and also "inboard" to see if one approach focuses better than the other).

Problem Solving Step 4: Try moving your listening position fore and aft relative to the 1.6s. In my case, there's a distinct fore/aft position where the 1.6's imaging goes from "pretty good" to "ohmigosh those sound really holographic." See if this works for you.

Chris Martens
Editor, Avguide.com/Playback/The Perfect Vision

whalen -- Sat, 04/19/2008 - 16:45

Chris,

Thank you very much for your help! I'll try the steps you suggest & post to the forum after I give it a shot.

discman -- Sat, 04/19/2008 - 16:58

Also, have you tried any treament (eg borrow some sofa cushions) behind the speakers?

llad -- Sat, 04/19/2008 - 21:10

An old trick that a lot of Maggie owners swear by is to put a ficus tree behind each speaker to break up the back wave.

whalen -- Mon, 04/21/2008 - 11:14

Currently I have no treatments behind the speakers. I've heard that this is a good way to improve the sound, so I'll try a few things out (couch cushions would only be a good temporary solution, as they don't go with the current wall decor, and it would be one less place to sit :-).

Also, any particular reason for ficus trees, i.e., would other trees / plants fit the bill?

Thanks,

llad -- Mon, 04/21/2008 - 11:44

......Also, any particular reason for ficus trees, i.e., would other trees / plants fit the bill?

I don't know of a particular reason other than they are common, grow tall, and if you don't already have a couple around in planters, they are easy to find locally.

Mon1018 -- Wed, 04/23/2008 - 04:05

Thanks very much worked for me too much appreciated.You are a champion.

EasyBigFella -- Fri, 05/09/2008 - 17:22

I installed the 1 dB tweeter attenuators recently and they cured my Maggies' brightness problem wonderfully (I have them in a small-ish room).