[thunderbrick]

Got Maggie 20.1s and at times they seem bright. On a whim I threw in the HF resistors and they dampened/muted the sound too much.

Is there a different resistor value that might tame the HF just a touch?

Thanks all!

TB

[Chris Adams]

What value resistor did you insert?

[thunderbrick]

10 watt, 1.2 ohms, that came with the speakers.

[Chris Adams]

The only way to know is try some different values. I'd start with .5 ohms and adjust from there. You can buy a few values of the inexpensive sand filled like I am assuming you have. Then when you settle on a value you like, buy a pair of Duelund graphite and you're done.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

I use Duelund 10watt 1.2 ohm resistors in my 1.6's.  You could try the 1 ohm resistors.  They are much better than the stock sand resistors that Magnepan supplies (cleaner sounding).  You can also try a Mills  12 watt 1 ohm.  I tried the Mills.  It is warmer and darker sounding than the Duelund but the sound stage seemed a little narrower in comparison.  I preferred the Duelund 1.2 over the 1 ohm.  It took more of the sibilants and brightness out.  I was very surprised at the difference they made and how much better the speakers sounded. They are on sale at Partsconnexion.  They are a bit expensive but well worth it in my book.  You might want to buy both the Mills and Duelunds an see what sounds best for you.

I did try 0.9, 0.86 and 0.75 sand resistors and they never did remove enough of the hot top end of the tweeters.

I have a friend on this forum who heard my speakers with and without the Duelund's and he was pleasantly surprised at the improvement.  Maybe he will chime in.


http://www.partsconnexion.com/resistors_duelund_cast.html

http://www.partsconnexion.com/resistors_mills_mra12.html

[thunderbrick]

Thanks, guys!  That's a huge help!   

TB

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Post your experience with what ever resistors you get.

Larry

[thunderbrick]

Will do!  Do I want cast resistors or non-inductive wire wound resistors?  I have no idea the difference.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Will do!  Do I want cast resistors or non-inductive wire wound resistors?  I have no idea the difference.

I used the Dueland Cast  Carbon Silver resistors and the Mills MRA  or you can use these really cheap Wirewound Cermet resistors that are the same as the one's Magnepan supplies but they definitely do not sound as good as the Duelund and Mills.  If  you have the 20.1's go for the best.

http://www.nteinc.com/resistor_web/pdf/tenwire.pdf

the above pdf is from here-

http://www.nteinc.com/resistors.php?a=11

Here is a video comparing the different resistors.  It is not the best quality though and I am not sure that you can tell the differences due to the quality.  There were significant differences in my system using my BAT Vk-51se preamp and Pass X250 amp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnezplX1zlc

[thunderbrick]

Thanks, I.GF!

I ordered three values of the Mills MRA.  If I hear an improvement I'll order that value in the Dueland brand.

TB

[Elizabeth]

My suggestion for brightness is adding a power conditioner..
One question about the brightness:
Is it just irritating or plain old too loud? Usually most of the time annoying treble is not 'too loud' just damn irritating (due to grunge, digital harpies..) So one wants to hear less of it!

I wold say the Magnepan tweeters are real pass through devices. So what you hear is what your equipment is handing you. also have you tried reversing the location of the tweeter? tweets in vs tweets out? I use mine with the tweeters to the inside edge, and toed in..)

IMO the best way to tame the treble is to fix it at the AC source. Which means some sort of AC transmogrification device. Either power cords or a power conditioner.

I use a Furman EF20i I was able to buy used. plus Pangea power cords.
On just my digital gear I use a PS Audio P600.
I am a treble freak, and the treble is the most important part of the sound to get right to me..

[timind]

I ended up with 2 ohm Mills MRAs on my 1.6s. Gave me the most realistic cymbals I've ever heard; the perfect amount of splash.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Thanks, I.GF!

I ordered three values of the Mills MRA.  If I hear an improvement I'll order that value in the Dueland brand.

TB

TB, I can send you the Duelund 1 ohm resistors to try to see if you like them.  I was planning on putting them in my MMG's where I am using the Cerment 1 ohm resistors.  I rarely use the system with the MMG's.  So just send them back to me when you are done giving them a try.  Let me know if interested.


Larry

[thunderbrick]

Here's what's bugging me, Liz.   A few months back everything was just where I liked it, then in short order a pair Sophia 6SN7 tubes went south on my Modwright LS-100; lots of noise in both channels.  Replaced them with the stock tubes.   Just weeks later the 5AR4 rectifier tube shorted and blew power fuses over and over. 

As a test I bought a Groove Tube 5AR4 to see if it was a tube problem, and that solved it.  About that time I noticed listening wasn't as much fun anymore.   I listen loud, but something was missing.

Tried the 1.2ohm resistor and it calmed the highs but sounded like a blanket had been thrown over things.  Installed a  couple of leftover Rat Shack jumper wires in parallel with the 10W resistor for a quick comparison, and now am unhappy, resulting in starting this thread.

Of course I can re-install the stock jumpers; maybe I'll do that this evening. With the 3+ days of Missouri thunderstorms most everything is unhooked.   Just thought I'd do a little AC research in the interim.

Thanks all!

Bob (NOT in ST Louis)

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Bob, you should take me up on trying the 1 ohm Duelunds.  They did not roll off the highs as much as the 1 ohm cerment resistors for some reason.  Maybe because the sound was more clear with better high end detail.  And I would not call the high frequency rolled off.  The resistors just lower the high frequency out put by 3dB.

[thunderbrick]

OK, OK, you talked me into it!   

PM on it's way, and thanks ever so much!   I'll set aside a few nights of listening before they arrive.  Gotta do this the right way!

[I.Greyhound Fan]

OK, OK, you talked me into it!   

PM on it's way, and thanks ever so much!   I'll set aside a few nights of listening before they arrive.  Gotta do this the right way!

PM sent.

[Paul McNeil]

Are the resistors superior to tone/treble adjustments made on the pre-amp?

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Are the resistors superior to tone/treble adjustments made on the pre-amp?

All the resistors do is lower the db of high frequency.  I believe the 1 or 1.2 ohm resistors lower the high frequencies by 3db according to magnepan.  For me, the resistors removed sibilants and fatigue. 

[BobRex]

Are the resistors superior to tone/treble adjustments made on the pre-amp?

Short answer - yes.  The resistors only affect the tweeter output, based around the crossover frequency.  A treble control may (or may not, depending upon the turnover frequency) go lower into the midrange.  Also, the slope will be different.  You might get lucky, but using the tone control is more of a crap shoot.