Squashed(?) LRS

It’s just the Grills touching the panels from packing and compression nothing
to be concerned.
if you allow things to get to room temperature it should relax . Put The bases on tweeters on outside and enjoy it will fix itself by the time you’ve read this you can try a hair dryer to warm the panel but don’t get too close and burn the grill.
JohnnyR

I was a Magnepan dealer for many years.  That happens every once in  awhile.

The cloth just gets stuck to the panel.  Play the speaker and it should release after a short time.

@OP,
Both audioconnection (John Rutan) and mofimadness have given you great information. 
Trust it implicitly, and congrats on the new speakers.
Bob

Thanks for the replies!

Well they are hooked up and playing (beautifully through a new Hegel H190).

But the cloth is still stuck. Especially tight on the three round 
protrusions (?) that are vertically aligned along the upper middle of the panel.

Looks like it might be a little less around the flat areas since yesterday afternoon though.

Other than that, what an amazing experience!  Especially for this newbie who never owned magnepans before (only listened to larger ones in audiophile store listening rooms).

The wisdom found in this forum certainly rings true.  I truly appreciate the value in not just basic speaker placement, but also in fine tuning (tilt, minor toe adjustments, distance from front and side walls).

Such seemingly minute changes really have a noticeable effect with the LRS vs the dynamic speakers I have been using.

Oh and the sound stage!  My room is only 10 x 12 but I hear instruments now that seem to be way behind the speakers.  Even beyond the front wall!

Something about the imagery,... Can't find the correct words to describe.  But noticeably different with the different tilt angles afforded by the pivoting adjusters.

I could also notice swapping the panels (ribbon tweeter inside vs outside) changed the "shape" of the presentation.

I am not trying to offer any kind of evaluation as I am clearly not qualified/experienced/etc. 

Just a newbie here sharing my immediate impressions on the differences I heard in sound characteristics.

My dynamic speakers used to compare:
Kef LS 50 non wireless
Ologe 5
B&W Matrix 801 S2

Amplification:
Living Room
- Ampzilla 2000 Second Edition monoblocks
 - Bryston P26 Pre amp

Office:
Hegel H190

Thanks again for the helpful replies!

IIRC, the manual states that you can use a piece of masking tape on the grill to pull it away from the panel. I stuck the tape against the cloth and pulled one end vertically (in parallel to the cloth surface), similar to removing one of those 3M Command strips.

just be careful to not press hard when applying the tape to the cloth or risk touching and damaging the diaphragm behind.