Cwlondon, I have had MG-20's for over a decade and never found them to be "unmusical or lacking emotional involvement" at all. They just get better and better with finer gear upstream in my system. Yes, the ribbon tweeters are very revealing, but if driven with the right gear they sound musical not "hi fi" in a false sense. It might be time to update some of your pieces in your system, and if you are still using your Monster cable/IC's I think your really missing out on what your Tympani 1D's could really give you sonicly. I also think its time for a new digital front end to move you back to a more "musical/organic" sonic signature that you are looking for.
"Air, Extension, Resolution" Music or Hi Fi?
I have mentioned in other threads my efforts to tame the treble on my Tympani IV a's which has led to a number of upgrades:
tweaky resistors in line with the tweeters
MYE stands
a Musical Fidelity tube buffer
new tubes for the Audio Research SP11
new Signal Cable speaker cables and interconnects
Once in a while, with the right recording, late at night, the system sounds very, very good, and although not quite the midrange magic of my Apogess Stages with Jadis preamp and Aragon 4004 MK II, probably some of the best "sound" I have ever heard.
But to be honest, I dont find myself compelled to go and listen to the system and often, the system still sounds fatiguing.
Ever the audiophile, I have wondered if
Rives Audio room treatment and/or
Replacing the SCD-1 with a TURNTABLE
would really restore the passion that got me into this hobby nearly 30 years ago.
But reading an ad for Tympani 1-Ds on ebay a couple of days ago gave me a Eureka?! moment:
As much as the ribbon tweeters sound really impressive, with air, extension and detail that the non ribboned models clearly dont have...
...I am suddenly wondering if all of this comes at the expense of the MUSIC.
I cant ever remember, for example, listening to my Magneplanr MG-1Bs, for example, and saying:
"I stayed up all night listening to MUSIC, but sadly the experience was ruined by my craving for more "extension" "air" and/or "inner detail".
All of this is making me wonder if the evolutionary push for "transparency" "lifting veils" "inner detail" "resolution" is exactly what turns music into hi fi, and if I might enjoy a newly restored pair of Tympani 1D's more than my Tympani IVa's.
Just my latest thought.....thank you for listening.
tweaky resistors in line with the tweeters
MYE stands
a Musical Fidelity tube buffer
new tubes for the Audio Research SP11
new Signal Cable speaker cables and interconnects
Once in a while, with the right recording, late at night, the system sounds very, very good, and although not quite the midrange magic of my Apogess Stages with Jadis preamp and Aragon 4004 MK II, probably some of the best "sound" I have ever heard.
But to be honest, I dont find myself compelled to go and listen to the system and often, the system still sounds fatiguing.
Ever the audiophile, I have wondered if
Rives Audio room treatment and/or
Replacing the SCD-1 with a TURNTABLE
would really restore the passion that got me into this hobby nearly 30 years ago.
But reading an ad for Tympani 1-Ds on ebay a couple of days ago gave me a Eureka?! moment:
As much as the ribbon tweeters sound really impressive, with air, extension and detail that the non ribboned models clearly dont have...
...I am suddenly wondering if all of this comes at the expense of the MUSIC.
I cant ever remember, for example, listening to my Magneplanr MG-1Bs, for example, and saying:
"I stayed up all night listening to MUSIC, but sadly the experience was ruined by my craving for more "extension" "air" and/or "inner detail".
All of this is making me wonder if the evolutionary push for "transparency" "lifting veils" "inner detail" "resolution" is exactly what turns music into hi fi, and if I might enjoy a newly restored pair of Tympani 1D's more than my Tympani IVa's.
Just my latest thought.....thank you for listening.