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Anyone use the tweeter attenuation on Maggies?

Ok, I am in the process of demoing a pair of Magnepan 12QRs from local dealer and they are doing exactly what I hoped in the three-dimensional soundstage area but come across as too bright for my taste. My room is well damped so that shouldn't be the problem. The dealer said the speakers were broken is so not the problem either.
My question is, has anyone tried using a 1 ohm resistor in the tweeter path to soften it a bit. The manual mentions this method so it must have been brought to their attention many times. Any other suggestions?
My room is 11X13, maybe a bit small for the speakers but as I said, it is well treated so the only problem is visual.
Basic system is Resolution Audio CD-50 (very smooth), Bel Canto Pre3 and PS Audio A-100. Speakers that work best for me have been the Meadowlark Audio Kestrels. Thanks.
timrhu

Showing 5 responses by timrhu

timrhu OP
2,779 posts
 
They are 34 inches from the back wall. If they were too close to the wall I would expect excessive bass. Actually the bass seems very good, better than I expected. Working with the toe-in made a huge difference earlier today but the harshness is still there with certain recordings.
The issue is excessive treble. If the music is well recorded they sound very good, I'd say keepers for sure. But if the recording is poor they sound extremely harsh.
My system is built to sound good (listenable) even on poorly mastered recordings. If these speakers aren't capable of this then there's no reason for me to pursue them. They are sounding excellent now with XTC's "Apple Venus."
Thanks, keep it coming.
timrhu OP
2,779 posts
 
Thanks for all the responses.
Drew, I wasn't aware of the lower bass when near wall. I have moved them out a few inches and am now exceeding 3 ft.
Hifiharv and Brownsfan, my room is well treated. I use mostly Aurelex products but have some absorption panels also. Corners are treated with bass traps.
Jult52 and Jimburger, I am picking up some resistors from the dealer tomorrow. We'll see how they work.
I do appreciate the comments. It is reassuring to know people do use the resistors. The sonic presentation is what I had hoped for with these speakers but I can not live with the hot (to my ears) treble. One of my main goals is to be able to listen to poorly engineered music I like without being driven out of the room by excessive upper frequency energy.
timrhu OP
2,779 posts
 
Talked to the dealer and am going to pick up some resistors today. Also. I moved the speakers out into the room as suggested, wow, what a difference. Much improved. We'll see what the resistors do.
Brownsfan, I used the term bass trap lower case. What I do use are Aurelex panels that are affixed to acoustic ceiling tiles and running about 6 feet high.
Magfan, the 12s come with feet that give them a tilt back. I tried propping them up to nearly vertical. They sounded good in the listening chair but terrible anywhere else in the room.
The comments are appreciated.
timrhu OP
2,779 posts
 
After installing the resistors (1.2 ohms) from the dealer and playing a bit more with the position the speakers are sounding very good. I plan on listening a bit more and then swapping my Kestrels back in. I have a feeling though that the Maggies will win this contest. They really do seem to disappear.
timrhu OP
2,779 posts
 
Thought I'd finish this thread off.
After careful evaluation the Magnepan 12s went back to the dealer. I tried all of the suggestions that were possible in the week that I auditioned them but they never got me there. I spent about two solid hours Wednesday evening listening to various music, some well recorded and some not so well recorded. On Thursday I swapped my Kestrels back in and listened to the same music. The Kestrels were truly better for me.
I won't spend time critiquing the Maggies but they just did not work in my small room. Thanks for all the suggestions.
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