Usher S-520 question...

[sideways]

Greetings!!!

So...has anyone successfully modded their 520's to get rid of that stupid exaggerated sibilance that is heard on so many vocal tracks??

Annoys the crap out of my LOL!!!

Any input would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!!

[variable reluctance]

hi, the 'stupid sibilance' can be easily cured by matching the s520 to a better system. the 520 is a very picky little speaker that likes to be matched with equipment of good quality and usually far more expensive than their cost would suggest , the old saying "crapola in crapola out" springs to mind , you may also want to try some Tellurium q cables .

[Inductor]

@sideways
That's right, after looking at the graphs at Usher Audio Technology S-520 loudspeaker Measurements | Stereophile.com
Is it from the woofer mid/high frequency or from the tweeter? Probably it should be cured going to the lpad (if one) on the crossover high pass. This tweeter doesn't look very good/high quality to me.
I'm looking for the xover on Google.

[Inductor]

Originally Posted by variable reluctance

hi, the 'stupid sibilance' can be easily cured by matching the s520 to a better system. the 520 is a very picky little speaker that likes to be matched with equipment of good quality and usually far more expensive than their cost would suggest , the old saying "crapola in crapola out" springs to mind , you may also want to try some Tellurium q cables .

That's very possible also, poster should discuss also his setup. Thanks.

[variable reluctance]

my system is a very humble , incatech claymore with power supply upgrade and recap , systemdek IIX with alphson xenon mcs (rewired with silver litz continuous loom) denon dl103 nuded and in alu body with sapphire cantilever and paratrace tip , CA 640p phono stage with Tellurium q black interconnect, speaker cables are Tellurium q green running to usher s520 with felt covered tweeter face plate ,BK xls 300 sub rolled off at 45Hz just to fill out the bottom end a touch,
the system can be run all day with the volume at the 4 oclock and the only sibilance i get is that inherent in some recordings . its not the last word in 'hi fi' but it is utterly entertaining and keeps me coming back for more .
all the best,
VR

[variable reluctance]

meant to add that adding a 0.4mh inductor in series with the usher (on the positive or negative ,it doesnt matter which )can give a helpful tilt in the overall response if they seem a bit bright in your system.
regs,
VR

[Inductor]

Originally Posted by variable reluctance

meant to add that adding a 0.4mh inductor in series with the usher (on the positive or negative ,it doesnt matter which )can give a helpful tilt in the overall response if they seem a bit bright in your system.
regs,
VR

Interesting, again.

Also to note, that others had similar problems, solved (maybe in part) by a total/partial recapping of the culprit.
Usher S-520 nudies

NEW S520 positive change electrical capacity upgrade package!
Treble crossover capacitance:
MKP2000 8uF/100V x2
Bass crossover capacitance:
MKP2000 10uF/100V x2

It seems some old speakers had a bad (litic) cap on the woofer that needed better new MKP type cap also.

[variable reluctance]

ah, i had read somewhere that some 520 speakers had less than ideal caps inside , wasnt sure if it was the case though,
regs
VR

[Inductor]

Also according to my first post,

Depending on your personal opinion on the upper end of this speaker, we can cut or boost the attenuation for the tweeter. My personal findings are that cutting the tweeter by about 1/2dB worked nicely for my system.

Also used in the Level 2 will be a 3 way attenuation switch on the back of the speaker. This switch will allow the user to maintain the current tweeter level or tone it down 1/2dB and 1dB.

Usher S-520 upgrade

[variable reluctance]

thanks for sharing , the link is 'sadly' dead, shame as i have been wondering how the little 520 would sound with a more upmarket tweeter to lift the response above 11k or so, (i think thats where it starts to droop?)
i will keep checking the link to see if it becomes live,
cheers any way
best regs,
VR