Hi everyone, i'm totally new to Hi-Fi, but i have a question with my new setup I recently purchased the B&W 602 s3's along with a NAD 352 amp and NAD 542 cd player based on numerous positive reviews i've read online, and a thorough in-store demo. However, having got them home, the speakers seem unusaully harsh (bright) in the top end. I'm wondering if anyone who has experience with these speakers can suggest an approprite burn in time, and comment on if this mellows out with use. I've used them for about 40-50 hours so far. Thanks
do u feel no difference in 40-50 hrs ? cos mine....yes i could feel a difference within that sort of time and ofcourse with time they got even better n better....and now they r a pure listening pleasure.. give em some more time....definitely u would c the difference !!
Well dude, hopefully after 40-50 hours they sound better than they did out of the box. But I do believe that they would not be completely broken in yet.
I just bought a pair of 602 s3 and a NAD T742 receiver as my first foray into Hi-Fi as well, about 8 months ago. Mine were somewhat bright and pretty lifeless at first, but started sounding quite a bit better after 40 - 50 hours. But I'd have to guess that it took about 150 hours for them to truly reach their final broken-in state though.
During this whole lengthy time, I also was concerned that they were disappointingly brighter than I found them when I was auditioning, but now I don't find this to be true. After months of breaking in and experimenting with placement, here's what I've discovered:
1. They need lots of break-in to get a well-rounded, balanced sound, taming any out-of-the-box overt favoring of the tweeter. Again, 100 - 150 hours is not out of the ordinary. (It's just a guess, but I figure the tweeter's more up to snuff than the woofer right away, and it takes a long time for the Kevlar to find its groove and start performing better).
2. Undeniably, they ARE a few dB too hot in the 8-15 Khz area on-axis. However, this of course goes away with some off-axis positioning. Listen to them this way, or you WILL be faced with a slight treble imbalance. (See the Stereophile Guide to Home Theater review measurements for supporting evidence).
3. They, because of this slight treble lean, will of course be unforgiving of bright recordings. Yeah it sucks a bit, but hopefully you don't have too many of these albums.
Anyways, once they are properly broken in, and provided you aren't listening to them 100% head-on, they should not be too bright and they should NEVER sound harsh. Mine have never sounded harsh to me. I find that I get NO listening fatigue with these speakers, even after hours of straight focused listening. This is sure proof that I do not find my speakers harsh.
I like my 602's quite a bit, and I think I made some great choices for my first attempt at Hi-Fi, given the limited selection that was within my reach. Are they perfect speakers? Hell no. But they totally compete with a lot of the other speakers in their price range. There's a reason they're as popular as they are.
Well man, I hope this, my first ever post here, has been of help to you. Give 'em more time, and hopefully you'll find them to settle into the sound that you fell in love with at your demo. If you do find them still too bright even after all that time, then keep your wonderful amp and Cd player, and have tons of fun shopping for a different pair that's more to your liking.
B&W website says 500 hrs (eg not 50) break in. So be patient & they will sound better in time! Most people just leave their setup running & leave the house.
15-20% off MSRP is normal in Canada. But you can probably find better deals in the USA where dealers are more competitive.
i got mine set at 27% off the retail squeezed the dealer a little bit and JUICE is worth every penny i paid 2437 CAD with taxes in for DM 603, DM601 AND LCR600 SET so what do say guys good or bad? i say it is sweet deal
