Harsh grainy vocals on Magnepan 3.7i

SteveFord · « **Reply #40 on:** 26 Mar 2018, 09:27 am »

http://www.natural-sound.com/

This is your local Magnepan dealer.
Why not take a trip over there and give a listen to a pair and see if the sound is similar to what you're experiencing at home?

guest61169 · « **Reply #41 on:** 26 Mar 2018, 02:39 pm »

Rule out that just one speaker is the problem: Try a mono recording using the left speaker and right speaker separately, with each speaker placed at the same place in the room. Do they sound the same?

Wind Chaser · « **Reply #42 on:** 26 Mar 2018, 02:58 pm »

Noway,

That's a good point ... if on the off chance there is damage, chances are it is contained to one speaker. But given how few hours these have on them, I still maintain that they are far from being broken in.

Break in requires working them hard at high volumes for a long time. It took almost a full 100 hours for my speakers just to become tolerable. Prior to that I was very disappointed and unimpressed.

Tyson · « **Reply #43 on:** 26 Mar 2018, 03:09 pm »

Pink noise at loud volumes works great for break in of planars and ribbons. I try to not be in the house when I do it, or wear earphones/earplugs. It's less pleasant than using music to burn in the speakers, but faster.

Elizabeth · « **Reply #44 on:** 26 Mar 2018, 04:40 pm »

My experience with both new 3.6 back in 2010, and two pairs of 20.7s.
Break in is a bit noticeable, but certainly not a problem.
And there is absolutely no need to 'play so loud you need earplugs!
I just listen to music. And the music over a few days gets better. and becomes more enjoyable (toe tapping etc). Then after a few weeks it gets even better.
I have never owned stereo speakers which sounded 'bad' day one.

The worst piece of electronics sounding horrible was a Sony 100 disc changer. It SUCKED! I returned it the next day. Then a Sony digital preamp. That was a long time ago, and it took me half a year to realize it was a POS.

I also had a long pair of Hero 7 meter XLR cables that did sound bad day one. I thought I should return them, But after a few days they got a lot better.
And years later a pair of 7 meter Cardas Parsec which never resolved from lean, and I did return those.

Emil · « **Reply #45 on:** 26 Mar 2018, 05:26 pm »

johnto

Gonna give it to you straight. Unfortunately, there is something wrong with those speakers.
You bought them used without the the ability to audition them. It's the risk we all take when doing so.
They may have only had 20 hours on them but that doesn't mean that could not have been damaged by the previous owner or even arrived that way from the factory ( just ask Elizabeth)
Consider selling them with the caveat and move on or make the trip to the local dealer. They should be able to help you if the 3.7s need to be sent back to magnepan.

Call them first. They might not be so accommodating since you didn't purchase from them.
Better yet, call magnepan. They may arrange it all for you.

thunderbrick · « **Reply #46 on:** 26 Mar 2018, 06:12 pm »

Quote from: Emil on 26 Mar 2018, 05:26 pm

johnto

Gonna give it to you straight. Unfortunately, there is something wrong with those speakers.
You bought them used without the the ability to audition them. It's the risk we all take when doing so.
They may have only had 20 hours on them but that doesn't mean that could not have been damaged by the previous owner or even arrived that way from the factory ( just ask Elizabeth)
Consider selling them with the caveat and move on or make the trip to the local dealer. They should be able to help you if the 3.7s need to be sent back to magnepan.

Call them first. They might not be so accommodating since you didn't purchase from them.
Better yet, call magnepan. They may arrange it all for you.

What Emil said. ^^^^

I.Greyhound Fan · « **Reply #47 on:** 26 Mar 2018, 09:47 pm »

Sadly, I agree with Emil and TB. However, you won't know for sure until you try another amp. Certainly try on speaker at a time to see if it is only 1 speaker or channel. But give magnepan a call and see what they say.

johnto · « **Reply #48 on:** 27 Mar 2018, 12:43 pm »

Trying to find a mono that sounds grainy. Beatles cd Pepper was that way in steteo but mono version sounded fine.
Also trying to give my ears a bit of a rest

johnto · « **Reply #49 on:** 15 Apr 2018, 02:56 am »

More listening completed. Also speaker placement changed and resistors installed some music sounds great but most of my beloved R&R vocals from the 60's and 70's still sound grainy maybe that's just the nature of the beast.

josh358 · « **Reply #50 on:** 4 May 2018, 11:33 am »

Many classic rock recordings from the 60's sound grainy and distorted, including most of the Beatles albums -- George Martin wasn't known for a clean sound. And unfortunately the more revealing the speakers the more you'll hear the distortion. It's one case in which muddy dynamics can be better than ribbons and stats, since they hide the distortion and other artifacts.

johnto · « **Reply #51 on:** 5 May 2018, 02:03 pm »

Played Elton John Tumbleweed Connection on lp and the sound was horrible.
I didn't have these problems with the 1.7 or 1.7i when playing the same music.
Anyone else in the Bosto area with these speakers like to do some listening to each others systems send a pm.

josh358 · « **Reply #52 on:** 5 May 2018, 03:54 pm »

I just tried listening to Tumbleweed Connection on my IVA's. Don't have the LP but there are two digital versions. The "remastered" one is horrible, ultra-compressed and overmodulated. The "deluxe addition" seems better but my impression is that it's a harsh recording -- the vocals are anything but clean. Listened to some samples from Sgt. Pepper, again digital. 2009 mono and original stereo release were both cleaner than the 2009 stereo remaster.

None of these are what I would call clean recordings, but neither were they offensive to listen to. Great if you can find someone in your area to listen, but I really think it's time to call Wendell Diller at Magnepan to see if he can help you out.

Roger Gustavsson · « **Reply #53 on:** 5 May 2018, 05:44 pm »

Yes, pop music from the sixties or seventhties often sound harsh. Rolling Stones use to be bad sounding. The Animals is really bad. Now we have all these "remastered" albums, really a very big step backwords. Try out the remastered Paul Simon's "Graceland" or Michael Jackson's "Bad" or "Thriller". Originally, great recordings if you can find the earliest release on CD.

Have you seen Michael Fremer on youtube? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qHvOaUYwWQ

josh358 · « **Reply #54 on:** 5 May 2018, 10:57 pm »

Quote from: Roger Gustavsson on 5 May 2018, 05:44 pm

Yes, pop music from the sixties or seventhties often sound harsh. Rolling Stones use to be bad sounding. The Animals is really bad. Now we have all these "remastered" albums, really a very big step backwords. Try out the remastered Paul Simon's "Graceland" or Michael Jackson's "Bad" or "Thriller". Originally, great recordings if you can find the earliest release on CD.

Have you seen Michael Fremer on youtube? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qHvOaUYwWQ

Great story, and Fremer tells it well.

Those remastered albums are awful, aren't they? Most of them, anyway.

Rusty Jefferson · « **Reply #55 on:** 5 May 2018, 11:12 pm »

All of those recordings you mentioned are terrible. Before you call Magnepan you need some locals to help determine whether there's a problem with your speakers or your source material.

If someone here doesn't respond (you may want to start a new thread) pm me, I have a friend who I believe has some friends at the Boston Audio Society who may be able to help figure out where the problem is.

I.Greyhound Fan · « **Reply #56 on:** 6 May 2018, 12:22 am »

One thing that you can try to help with harshness is insert a 1 ohm 12 watt resistor in place of the jumper for the tweeters. It can help tame the harshness at bit. I recommended it to a fellow Ac'er for his Magnepan 20 series speakers and he really liked what it did.

https://www.parts-express.com/mills-1-ohm-12w-non-inductive-resistor--005-1

I use Deulund resistors in my Magnepan 1.6's but also have tried and like the Mills. The Mills have a warmer more forgiving sound when it comes to bright or harsh music. For $10pr they are worth a shot.

Unfortunately as you move up the chain with higher end gear and its better detail and resolution, you will find that some of your music will be less enjoyable due to poor recording quality. It is the price you pay. Even Steve Guttenberg the Audiophile producer and reviewer for CNET has complained about this issue.

johnto · « **Reply #57 on:** 6 May 2018, 01:13 am »

I have a friend that's a professional musician that will make it over sometime and see what we can do.
Just finished Kinks Muswell Hill on lp again grainy and distorted on the high end but maybe another bad revording that shows up on good speakers.

SteveFord · « **Reply #58 on:** 6 May 2018, 09:58 am »

Did you ever make it over to your local Magnepan dealer to give a listen to a set of 3.7s there?

josh358 · « **Reply #59 on:** 6 May 2018, 11:01 am »

Quote from: johnto on 6 May 2018, 01:13 am

I have a friend that's a professional musician that will make it over sometime and see what we can do.
Just finished Kinks Muswell Hill on lp again grainy and distorted on the high end but maybe another bad revording that shows up on good speakers.

I just listened to a couple of digitized versions on Tidal, one better than the other. This recording sounds tizzy on the IVA's. However, I'm thoroughly enjoying the record -- it isn't going to win any audiophile prizes, but neither should it be unpleasant to listen to.

You can try taming the recordings with EQ. Setup and component choices can also minimize the problem.

I think Steve's idea of listening to 3.7i's at a dealer's is great. And do call Wendell. The last thing a director of sales wants is a long thread about someone who's having trouble with his speakers. He can work with the dealers to solve your problem whereas all we can do without hearing the problem ourselves is to speculate.

Harsh grainy vocals on Magnepan 3.7i

guest61169