I think the Maggies I owned may be an exception. Out of the box they sounded like crap. They were as bad as I've ever heard. It was a week or two of constant playing before I could even sit down and listen for more than a few minutes. When they finally settled down, they were very nice. I really wanted to send them back after the initial listen (and well before the free trial period expired) but I'm glad I kept them. I really don't believe there was any psychoacoustics involved.....C