[mndave007]

Glad I found this forum!  I have owned a pair of .7s for a month and went through a few receivers and amps before I found the Peachtree Audio 220SE. Imaging and sound are great, plenty of power for the Maggie's.

Even though the speakers sound very good, something is going on with the higher end that leaves my ears fatigued or even ringing at moderate volume levels. No, I'm. It trying to recreate a rock concert - just s typical listening level for an enthusiast.

I have the speakers toed in to my listening position which is about 13 feet away.  Tweeters are on the outside which I understand may cause some of the brightness. Note I am also using a REL 9 sub.  Speaker cable is Kimber 4VS.

Reading the manual and the forums it looks like I can swap the speakers to move the tweeters in, or add the included resistor.

The room is drywall, with a glass patio door on one side and open for 20 feet on the other side of the speakers. Ceilings are 9' and also drywall/knockdown.

Appreciate the feedback.  Love the speakers if I can figure this piece out.

[SteveFord]

You could try the resistors but what's on the floor (carpet?), any curtains, stuff like that?

[steve f]

Try the tweeters inside. It sounds like your walls are very reflective. And as Steve asked, are your floors carpeted?

steve

[louie3]

My experience with Maggies in my room, etc. is that putting the tweeters inside makes the sound more crisp, focused, and bright, not less.

In my room I much prefer the tweeters to the outside.

In addition to your room treatment, or lack of it, maybe there is something upstream of the speakers that is causing the brightness?

In any case, trying the resistor in the tweeter circuit is certainly a way to tame things.

[mndave007]

Thanks everyone. The floor is carpet.

Upstream is the Peachtree 220SE integrated amp which has a class A tube DAC. Sources going into the Peachtree are an Oppo 103 CD/DVD and Sonos Connect. Both are connected to the DAC in the Peachtree.

On Sonos I listen to Tidal mainly. I also use an Apple TV for AirPlay of older music that I have.

I use the CD as my reference. Tidal is very close in quality, just depends on where they got their master from.

Dave

[Minn Mark]

You might try moving the speakers closer or farther away from the front wall (behind the speakers). Also, what is the crossover freq to the sub?  I don't use a subwoofer, but playing with the crossover frequency may also get you the sound you're seeking.  Is this (what you experience) what you are hearing at all listening levels?  Maggie's need a certain amount of energy to interface with the room. Try listening louder and see if you get a more coherent sound presentation.

Lastly, and maybe a no brainer, but make sure your system is all phase correct as regards interconnects. cables, etc.

Let us know how you make out.

Mark

[brooklyn]

I remember my MMG’s sounded bright when I first got them but they calmed down after a few months of break in..

[maplegrovemusic]

What pre amp are you using ? What is your source ? It took me two years to get a pair of panel speakers to sound right . Turned out  Bryston components made the difference .

[Photon46]

Reading your post, it sounds as if you haven't tried the resistor in the circuit. If you haven't, that's the first place to start.

[mndave007]

What pre amp are you using ? What is your source ? It took me two years to get a pair of panel speakers to sound right . Turned out  Bryston components made the difference .

The Peachtree 220SE is an integrated amp, so preamp with DAC is built-in.

I put the resistors in and it did rolloff the high frequencies, but that doesn't seem to be the problem.  I was listening to a Kenny Loggins CD (acoustic stuff) and it's the midrange that is causing the edgy sound.  Tried it with some newer recordings, same thing.

I have messed around with pulling the speakers out further, they are currently 28" from the wall.

Now I'm wondering if the Peachtree is too quick sounding.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

I have been battling brightness with my 1.6's and MMG's for years. (my listening area is wood floors and many large glass windows) Your DAC, Preamp and amp all play a role as does your usb cable.  Music type also figures into the equation,espcially Rock and and older music. I finally settled on a tube preamp, a Pass labs amp and a warmer sounding DAC.  I use to run a tube DAC and I have upgraded to a warmer, analog sounding Luxman DAC which helps with the problem. A friend loaned me a Wire World Platinum 7 usb cable and it warmed up the midrange and high frequencies as well.  Adding an Uptone Audio Regen also warmed and darkened things up in the midrange.  It will never leave my system unless something better comes along. For $175 it is worth a try.  You could also try the Ifi tube buffer.  I heard one with Maggie 3.7's and I was impressed by it.  It clearly smoothed out the midrange and warmed it up as well as giving it more air and space.

http://uptoneaudio.com/products/usb-regen

http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/micro-itube/

If you decide to continue to use the resistors and the roll off is too great, consider buying lower value resistors.  I found that 0.8 worked best for me although I no longer use them.

[steve f]

I was tempted to tease you and suggest that if the Peachtree is too quick, you should keep it on leash so it can't run off. I'm not a fan of audiophile terms.

Try the resistor. If you wantt, make an adjustable one by using a volume potentiometer. Just wire to the left and canter taps and install it in place of the resistor.  Leave the right tab alone. You don't need it. When you find a value you like, measure the pot and substitute the nearest resistor value.

All panels take a bit of time to get right. Some rooms work best tweeters in, others out.  Your distance to the wall usually worts out at 1 1/2 to 4 feet. The amount of toe-in will change that too.  Get you speakers in place as best as you can, then make very small adjustments. Use a tape measure at that point. Small differences in placement can cancel high frequencies. A 10khz wave is only about a 1/2 in. Patience is necessary. Good luck.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Another option would be to go with a non Sabre DAC like the warm sounding Hugo Chord or the Chord 2Qute DAC which is a Hugo without the headphone amp.  The midrange on these dac's are warm, smooth and liquid sounding.  I have a friend that runs a Hugo with his 1.7's.  I have had several high end Sabre based DAC's in my system and they all sounded bright and edgy with my Maggies.

You can find good prices on used Chord DAC's on Audiogon.

You could also tube roll the one tube in the Peach Tree.  If the tube is a 6N1P as in other Peach Tree gear you are out of luck though as there really aren't any other 6N1P's besides the Russian made tubes which all sound the same from my experience with them.  The tube in the PT is a buffer and the 6N1P tube is a brighter sounding tube.  They used it for its durability and long life but as far as tubes goes it is not a good sounding tube.  They would have done better with a 6922 or something similar.

[maplegrovemusic]

I have not owned maggies for years but i went to a look at a Bryston B5 preamp awhile back at a guys house . His room was one hundred percent reflection . He had some 1.6's powered by an Anthem mc20 with the bryston pre . He was using some old cd player and a laptop for a source. Spent a bit of time listening to the setup . Was very surprised at the sound . One turn of the preamp volume control and i could tell the main contributor was the Bryston . Zero distortion as the volume went up . You should definitely let the speakers break in a couple hundred more hours too . And you may need to experiment with more components . The dac suggestion is huge also . A wyred 4 sound dac in my old maggie setup was not good at all .

[steve f]

Just another thought. The Peachtree puts out how many WPC at 8 and 4 Ohms?

steve

[mndave007]

Just another thought. The Peachtree puts out how many WPC at 8 and 4 Ohms?

steve

200 at 8 and 400 at 4.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Just another thought. The Peachtree puts out how many WPC at 8 and 4 Ohms?

steve

200 and 400wpc.   Plenty of power.

You may be able fix the brightness and edginess some with better positioning but until you upgrade or make changes in other area's in you system you will be unhappy.  It sounds like you Maggies are broken in (50-75hours).  I would start with a different source like a DAC that has a warmer sonic signature like a chord or lampizator.

[SteveFord]

Stick a tuner or turntable or cassette deck or something in there and see what happens.
You got any buddies with an amp/preamp or integrated near you? 
I don't think it's the speakers.

[Photon46]

OK, if rolling down the frequency response with the resistor doesn't change your perception of "brightness," then something else is going on other than the usual culprit of too much high frequency energy. SteveFord is suggesting the right course for diagnosing the problem. I also would be surprised if it's the speakers. You mentioned that you'd tried other receivers and amplifiers before settling on your Peachtree. Did you use your current digital source with the earlier amps and receivers? Did the earlier amplification products cause the same sense of "brightness?" Was this problem introduced with the arrival of the Peachtree? At what point in your system's evolution was this problem introduced? In audio as in all deductive processes of discovery, change only one parameter at a time to get a sense of what's really happening.

FWIW, I had Maggie 1.6qr's (with a sub) in a room setup very similar in construction and layout to yours. Open on one side, glass patio door on the other, drywall, carpet, same basic size, etc. I did sit a little closer to the speakers, 9' vs. your current 13'. Excessive brightness or too much high frequency information was never a problem at all with several amp and component changes.

[SteveFord]

Maybe AJZepp can offer some insight - he's using a Peachtree with his 3.6s and is happy with the results.