Usher S-520 speaker and highs...

[Tino]

I just picked up a set used but the guy said they were only used for a few hours and not even broken in. He didnt like it because it was too bright.

I'm listening to them and I find them to sound nice but I actually find the tweeter too laid back and missing a bit of detail. I tried angling the speakers a bit more towards me as opposed to having them sit straight but it didnt make any difference...and neither did removing the grill.

Do tweeters need some break in time as well? Is it possible it will open up a bit more with time? The guy said he played about 4-5 hours only and even that was at lower volumes.

These are the speakers by the way:
http://powerthings.com/pics/usher/1.jpg

[wigginjs]

Is that a commercial speaker? Hmm... I thought Usher used all their own drivers in their commercial products, but that woofer looks like it's from Seas? Maybe I'm wrong.

[Tino]

Ya its a budget commercial speaker. Supposed to be quote well regarded actually... I mean it sounds pleasant but just lacks detail IMO.

I found this online after digging.

1" UA025-10 tweeter and 5" YS-13325-1PX mid bass

Supposedly thats what its got in there.

[bastek]

You must find the tweeter padding resistor and adjust it accordingly. 1-2 db of boost will do the trick. Or maybe you'll get used to it (burn-in) with time.

[sreten]

(averaged response tweeter axis, 30 degree horizontal window)

Hi,

They are slightly challenged in the top octave and adjusting the
tweeter level will not help, it is about right. Tall stands that set
the tweeter at normal ear height and angled in will help a lot.

Depending on age the roll off towards 20Khz might be audible,
but for most it will not matter. If you really care then a cheap
(but not poor) supertweeter could be used in a little pod.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=275-025

Would do the job nicely .... but probably chasing your tail.

The Ushers are good for the price but not the most uber detailed.
They have some techical limitations but are not "bad" speakers.

/sreten.

[Jay_WJ]

This Usher is an entry level model. I heard that this speaker lacks BSC, due to which I suspect the original owner felt "brightness." The Stereophile measurement does not show this because it merged a nearfield bass response without considering baffle step loss.

[Tino]

Strange thing is that I dont find it bright at all. Infact I find it quite warm. I also wish it had a bit more detail in the upper midrange and highs. It seems subdued. Its not a bad sound...easy to listen to but I think I prefer the sound of the monitor audio RS1 bookshelf....but then again that is more $$.

Now I wonder if my amp or preamp might be the cause of the speaker sounding warm. Its an older early 90's Rotel preamp and a Threshold SA3 power amp.

[sreten]

Hi,

The basics are that it is a very nice looking speaker, with apparently
high quality drivers at a very good price. Dealers like them because
they are easy to sell and they have been given some good reviews.

However .......

Just how good are they ? Not bad for small speaker. Are they great ?
No. Do they need top notch ancillaries ? No. do they suit top notch
ancillaries ? No. But as compromises go given the size and finish
there is not much commercially out there that betters the value.



This is a DIY forum, not a hi-fi one. FWIW the apparent raw performance
of each driver makes them not particulary appealing. The bass/mid might
have good bass distortion but it also a has a step in the response around
1.5KHz most would not accept and the tweeter does not look too flash
either, a step around 6kHz and limited treble extension / dispersion.

They are not a serious high quality miniature and playing around
with the driving electronics etc. will likely not get you very far ......
There are better choices for the serious hifi enthusiast ...

/sreten.