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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Showing 2 responses by douglas_schroeder

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.

Imo you can never have too much definition; it's how it's managed that counts. 

Pedigree of speaker will not determine how lovely it sounds in your home, and the same is true of components and cables. Finding the proper match not only with quality but also with the house sound is important. There is not a high end speaker made that can assure that all audiophiles will like its sound with all systems. I would expect that half the systems made would not be completely fulfilling, regardless of the brand of speaker. You're expecting perfect sound without doing your due diligence, i.e. system building. Not gonna happen typically. 

The DAC may or may not be an issue. When you have such a strong negative reaction, be prepared to change two or three things It's not about the DAC being better, but rather what components match up better. 

You went from analogue and tube components to all SS and extreme definition speakers. This will take some time and experimentation. It is very, very unlikely you would hit the nail on the head in your first one or two permutations with those speakers. It will simply take more time and experimentation. So be it. Look at it like a project similar to a house remodel. You go at it methodologically and make the changes. In the end you get your dream result. I know some guys who have taken a couple years to get their rigs perfect. It all depends on how much you want to push the schedule. 

Put the subs back in. Toe them in. Keep working it.