New Neat Motive 3 - sounding a bit shrill/bright

stevebrockelsby

Established Member
Joined
May 9, 2012
Messages
654
Reaction score
35
Points
114
I've had them a few days now, finding them a bit shrill will they calm down?
The info sheet that came with them said they need 200 hours to run in!
I will ring Neat tomo and see what they say, but just asking you guys on here what you think!
 
I've had them a few days now, finding them a bit shrill will they calm down?
The info sheet that came with them said they need 200 hours to run in!
I will ring Neat tomo and see what they say, but just asking you guys on here what you think!

I bet Neat will say "they need 200 hours to run in" :D

Sorry, couldn't resist.
 
Was hoping for some reassurance! When I demoed them they sounded brilliant with my amp etc, however I have got a brand new pair, I hope they calm down otherwise they will be going back.
 
Was hoping for some reassurance! When I demoed them they sounded brilliant with my amp etc, however I have got a brand new pair, I hope they calm down otherwise they will be going back.

I would give them the quoted 200 hours before you worry, I've read about people running in speakers by reverse phasing them, placing them close together facing each other, wrapping a duvet around them and than playing a CD on repeat at medium volume while they went away for the weekend :laugh:

Did you demo them at home or in the shop?
 
Was hoping for some reassurance! When I demoed them they sounded brilliant with my amp etc, however I have got a brand new pair, I hope they calm down otherwise they will be going back.

Give them time! If it says they need a couple hundred hrs then play them as much as you can over the coming weeks and I'm sure they'll settle down. You could Leave them playing whilst your at work (obviously at reasonable volume) so that theyll reach their best even quicker
 
Shouldn't do, what amp did you listen to them on and what are you using now? If you want to run them in quick, i haven't tried this, but have been told it works - power your amp off, swap the red and black wires round on one of the speakers, face the speakers at each other as close as you can, power back on and you should be able to play them and they'll not produce much sound. :)
 
I demoed them with the exact same set up I have at home, don't get me wrong I'm happy with them, but they are just a little bright but heard this calms down after use.
 
All indications are that these are very good quality speakers. But they are small bookshelf speakers, if you were hoping to blow the roof off with bass, it seem reasonable you bought the wrong speakers. However, if clarity and detail are more your goal, then you are probably on the right track.

My Diamond 9.6 seemed very bass light when I first got them. So, I played the Day and Night, music and TV, with the bass on full, until I accumulated about 200 hours on them. Though I wasn't playing especially loud, just at my normal casual listening levels. Then around 200 hrs or so the bass stared to seem a bit heavy, so I turned the bass back to neutral and have been happy ever since. So, yes, it does take a few hours to get the speakers to mellow out.

I think you will find that everything mellows with time. If you liked these speakers in the story, then they should come round. But, there are some relevant details you are not telling us, like tone control settings (though I don't think the Rega Brio R has tone controls), and the general room acoustics. If this is a bare ultra-modern room then it is probably highly reflective which is not a good thing. Also, were are the speaker in relation to each other, and to the nearby walls?

Overall, all things considered, I think the speakers will mellow in time. To speed up the break-in, you can leave the radio playing, or put the CD player on repeat or shuffle all day long. Or if you have a iPod/MP3 player, a non-mechanical device, you can leave it playing on Shuffle all day long. Less wear and tear on the iPod.

Steve/bluewizard
 
Blue wizard, thanks for your reply!

I have no problem with the bass, the bass is amazing for the size of them, I actually think i am being too critical to be honest, and am starting to think the quality of the speakers and amplification is starting to show up poor recordings.
Don't get me wrong, it's still very enjoyable listening to them but they do seem a tad bright!
My room is about 16m square, speakers are 2m apart the listening position is 2.2m and yes I think there is a bit of reflection in the room that needs sorting.
Speakers 1 foot from back wall and 2 foot from sidewalls.
 
If you demoed using the same kit but in two different rooms then the most probable cause of them sounding different are the effects of the room. It's that simple.

Whilst the new speakers may indeed benefit from the break-in period (both mechanical and psychoacoustic) any perceived change in sound will most likely be a temporary state of self gratification unless one addresses the route cause.

IMO
 
Are they exactly the same speakers or were the ones you listened to demo/run in and your set are brand new and not run in?
 
My set are brand new and not run in!
 
Yes have toed them in!
Speakers are 14" from rear wall, left hand speaker is in plenty of space, right hand speaker is 20" from side wall which has a curtain.
I have been looking at speaker reflection points, I'm going to get a bookcase for left hand first reflection point and fill with books up to tweeter height. The 2nd reflection is a bit trickier, as it goes into a bay window - however the bay does have a wooden blind which would be better than a bare window.
I guess this all a learning curve and am keen to get my room as acoustically friendly as possible.
The speakers are 2.2m apart and I am 2.5m from them but unfortunately I am against a wall but this is the only option. Ay help will be appreciated!
I think I may experiment and make some DIY panels for the wall behind me-what do you think?
Thanks guys.
 
Forgot to say I spoke to Neat today, and yes they said at least 200 hours to run in. They even said they have had demo speakers back from delaers after a year tha sound significantly better than new ones.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom