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Magico S5 Speaker - SET UP ADVICE PLEASE - Tow-In - Etc.

Any Magico Owners or Dealers or Folks or anyone that may have some basic advice, ideas or feedback from hearing or seeing in a friends, dealers system or owned older version of Magico or something like or anything really that can help me? How are yours or theirs set up? The smallest moves makes huge changes and I am coming from speakers that are so very different so any and all feedback would so welcomed.

I CAN EMAIL YOU PICS of Room / Set up / Etc  fsmthjack at YAH00

THANK YOU

BACKGROUND INFO:

ROOM:                         24 x 14 with cathedral ceilings 
MUSIC:                        Good mix - no hard metal / large orchestra and the like
LOUDNESS:                normal levels - just loud enough to sound best
SPEAKERS                  Magico S5 Speakers
AMP:                            Pass Labs X350.5 Amp
SOURCE:                     Bricasti M1SE DAC
TRANSPORT:               mircoRendu 1.4 w/Full suite of Uptone Audio products
CABLES                       HiDiamond Full Loom 
CONDITIONER            HiDiamond HDX2
SUBWOOFERS           (2) Sumiko S.9 Subs (hoping not needed with new Magico's) 

Thanks guys - I am kind of lost here and any help or feedback to get me heading in the right directions would be so appreciated.







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fsmithjack OP
712 posts
 
What are best cables for taming brightness?? That are not stupid expensive - I believe in cables but not paying more than my speakers or DAC or amp?

i have HiDiamond D8 Speaker Cables that are copper and pretty smooth and decent. Not Nordost Oden but compitant decent SC's.

i am running with no Preamp going direct from my Bricasti M1SE to my Pass Labs X350.5.

The IC I am using is single ended RCA Verestarr Grand Illusion Signature 2m and this is a very nice IC - not cheap and a bit warm very nice with my other speakers. 

Power cable for DAC and Preamp is the also very nice matching Verestarr Grand Illusion II 2m. These are nice and open sounding PC's - not cheap but used not insane either.

i don't see any apparent / glaring weeklink?? 

Im thinking getting a tube preamp.
BAT VK-32SE and maybe a warmer not hyper detailed IC - maybe Cardas Golden Reference or Kubaba Sosna Facination - both balanced - I chose these because a bit warm and phat but not too much so but that's where my brain is at which proves I need help?

any idea guys? Is a MIT cable better - so many models.

The way sound now is sort like you would think Spectral amps sound without MIT cables just too much of a good thing - the highs are to the heavens but too much. It lacks balance - meat - blood - midrange - earth - needs all of it.

Help !!!  
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
In my experience if the speakers are "too bright", a tube preamp will not tame the brightness by a big margin. What it might do is make the mids a bit more pronounced in contrast giving the initial perception that the highs are less hot but you'll know they are there when you listen to music for an extended period. Less toe in usually helps with reducing the highs. But these are temporary solutions. Room treatment, warm IC, etc., are probably better solutions.
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 

I would think that this combination of gear, DAC/Amp/Speaker would have a very strong, detailed, but potentially bright sound. I'm not surprised that you are getting that result. I  have no issue with Pass Labs; I have reviewed them and used them extensively, but I would think a Pass/Magico combo would be tough to work with.

A friend of mine who had trouble with too much stridency and upper end energy with a Pass/Thiel combo put in a CJ (Conrad Johnson) tubed preamp and that has been a lovely combo. So, perhaps a warmer sounding preamp in the chain could help. I know from experience that often when going direct from DAC to amp it can be very tricky to get the tonal balance correct. In fact, most DAC to amp pairings require a fair bit of adjustment. So, no need to despair; it's really fairly common.

When you have that much of an issue often one has to change components, not just cables.

One thing you can try; you already have the subs. With many systems adding subwoofers can ameliorate a perceived overemphasis on the high end. It balances out the spectrum and it is amazing how the addition of deep LF makes extension on the top not as glaring. So, I would try the subs with the speakers as a first step.

If you have some additional interconnects, try whatever ICs you have on hand. Often a very good combination can be found where the IC - as an easy change - can address some high level stridency.

Also, if you have different brands of power cords, rotate them between gear. The results can be helpful.

These are among the simplest and easiest changes. If doing all this does not seem to improve the situation enough for your taste, then you are looking at either a speaker or component change. Or, you can swap out entire looms of cables to find some that mesh better with the system.

Regarding positioning, toeing in the speakers or not is entirely your option. I would not simply place them parallel, but would experiment with some toe in, because it influences the center image and that image in relation to the soundstage. Even if the manufacturer says no toe in is necessary, still try it, as you may prefer it.

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audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
3,844 posts
 
There are a number of things you can do, positioning is best done using the Wilson grid method. 

You may also need to play with tweeter rake angle sometimes if the tweeter is off axiss when you are sitting it can cause the speakers to sound bright.

I believe in what Mr. Schroeder said, the Briscati is a Levinson design, by ex Levinson designers, therefore it is not big on tone color. Adding a good tube preamp will add a bit more warmth to the system.

Also moving into a good power conditioner can help. I think your Hidiamond is a power distrbutor rather than a power conditioner, we have had amazing results with the Audio Magic line of conditioners and the Running Springs, which tend to improve a system greatly in musicality.

As per tube preamps we have a number of demo preamp from CJ, BAT, and a few others that we could bring over to you.

We talked briefly about the Kef Blades. We are the NJ based dealer we do offer a tuning service and I can almost certainly guarantee that we can fix your issues with the Magicos. 

Please feel free to contact us, to schedule a tuning session.

Dave owner,
Audio Doctor NJ
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