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

The idea of "taming brightness" or "changing tone" with ridiculously expensive cables always seems very nonsensical to me.  Essentially you're ok buying 5K cables to filter the signal, but you are not OK with just introducing a decent equalizer in the chain.  Perhaps check out and buy a nice tone controller? There's one from Schiit that just came out, very affordable, so that's worth a shot.

Hey Guys - I borrowed an inexpensive tube preamp and man what a difference. My rig was screaming for tubes. So much so now I'm thinking about a tube amp also?

I think what you're hearing is just impedance mismatch between your DAC and the Power Amp. Like someone suggested earlier you can play around with the gain settings on the DAC or buy a decent tube preamp.  I'd recommend the Dehavilland Ultraverve 3. Since you are using SE connections, you have a lot of options. Active preamps do make a lot of difference.

OK, that's your room. Cover as much of the floor, walls and windows with rugs, drapes, tapestries, etc. Especially cover the first-reflection points at the side walls, front wall, ceiling and floor between your listening seat and the tweeters. Also cover the wall behind your seat if it's within 5-6 feet behind the seat.
Jim Smith's book, (Get Better Sound), is very helpful and it's only $40 or so. 
Please post updates on (hopefully) progress...

Tom 

Nitewulf - the speaker cable change I made cost me a total of $150 dollars.

I bought my $3,200 HiDiamond D8 Speaker Cables 3-meters as demo’s for $1,200 and then sold them for $1,200.

I then purchased $3,300 Cardas Golden Reflection Speaker Cables 3-meters for $1,350.

Hence the net cost of $150

Regardless of what anyone says about cables I know they make a gigantic difference in my systems.

Moreover, my former speaker (that I still own and love) has a wizzer cone and phase plug vs a top quality beryllium tweeter - my old speaker had a semi-shelved treble and the Magico’s extend to the heavens and then some with a rather robust treble.

These are not perceived differences or a matter of how one hears somthing differently but rather legit, actual, physical - mechanical differences in designs that work differently with different types of cables and components.

My old speaker cables were known to be very high resolution and a bit forward and up front and worked great with tubes and SET amps as they peeled off the layers nicely but in a different system such as my new system they can be bright. No big surprises there. I knew it might be an issue when I bought these Speakers. 

The Cardas Cables are modern so not warm per say like the old legacy models but in relative terms a better match and compared to the HiDiamond definitely a richer, fuller, warmer cable.

The idea being that this $150 investment would be a good spend and provide me a better match or synergy to get closer to the type of sound I prefer. My goal was not to use as a tone control but rather to do less damage. My old cable was the wrong cable and I’m hoping this cable helps.

If the HiDiamond was a more balanced and nuetral cable then this change would not have been nessessary but I bought those to light up and peel of the layers of my Tube SET amp that was driving a speaker who’s treble was derived from a wizzer come and phase plug.

Now when plugged into a solid state amp with no tubes driving the ruthless Magico’s I was just asking for trouble and trouble I got. 

Along with these cables im also adding:

BAT VK-32SE Preamp Factory Certified w/1 year Warranty and built in MM phono and remote and brand new tubes. 

Im looking forward to the changes.

Another member wrote that I am making too many changes too quickly.

There is some truth to that I’m sure but I knew my Speaker Cables needed to be changed and I wanted to get a tube preamp in there also. I’m hoping these changes combined with more break in time make a big difference.

Enough that I can start enjoying these great speakers. I will give these changes a little bit of time but if I don’t like it then I’m off to a tube amp. The most powerful I can afford with my trade. 

Most of my buys include either a trade or the sale of somthing else to fund most all of it.

Just didn’t want everyone thinking I was buying all this stuff for crazy money or anything like. It’s the exact opposite actually. Many times only a few hundred dollars is the net difference that changes hands.

As far as putting an EQ in there somewhere. I’m just trying to get my rig where the different parts play nice together and are good matches.

Trying to mix and match and use this site to get info and feedback to help me do that. Trying to minimize and reduce poor match causeing damage. I think I have good enough components where if I can get the synergy match right they should all do what they do best which is sound great. That’s the hope and goal anyways! 

Excellent thread! fsmithjack-
have you considered a B.A.T amp to match the B.A.T. VK-32SE ?
Happy Listening!