Has any one heard Magico Speakers?

It was a real pleasure to have finally meet with Alon Wolf at a gathering organized by the HK dealer, Sound Chamber. Alon passed by HK after attending a Hi-Fi show in Japan. The gathering was small and two Magico setup were up and playing, including the familiar Audio Research Reference (610T) setup driving a pair of Magico Mini and the USD98k Model 6 setup driven by a Japanese preamp/amp setup, called "Ba labo" (http://www.ba-labo.com/). The preamp costs USD50k, and the amp costs USD70k.

Another friend of mine, also a MM owner, went to the gathering. We chatted briefly and listened to both the Model 6 and Mini setup. The Model 6 sounded very smooth and threw a huge soundstage. The sound is much fuller but remain very well mannered, very well proportioned, and ultimately, realistically balanced. There was none of the bloatedness so often found with larger speakers. The highs on the Model 6 sounded very different to my ears. It was a different rendering, very detailed, no edginess at all. But it sounded very different from the Mini's Super Revelator. Alon explained to me what kind of tweeter it was but I have already forgotten.

Due to another appointment, my friend and I left early, but decided to get together with Alon on Monday to lunch with him. I asked my other friend, also a MM owner (so together 3 MM owners) to join us as well.

We got more time to talk with Alon during lunch and we touched on various topics, from photography to, of course, speakers. He is very approachable and his 'attitude' towards 'sloppiness' is obvious. It is clear that Alon is a perfectionist and believes that speakers design need to be a 'science' first before an 'art' form. For example, he mentioned that speakers should not be thought of as instruments since the speakers cabinets, for example, must play a minimal role in the sound. His criticisms on many well known brands left me a deep impression, and his explainations on various design philosophies (such as ported vs sealed) also made some very convincing (and true imho) arguments. He explains to us the construction of the Mini, the parts he used etc. All truly impressive, and all because he wants to make them a statement 2 way loudspeaker.

Apparently, the whole Mini project started because of one of his audio-industry friends in Hong Kong requested him to make the best he could for a 2 way speakers for the HK market.

The three of us came back feeling really good that we bought the Mini. He did hint at us that some new products are on the horizon (I cannot imagine any company sitting on their butts not doing anything new), but more importantly, he reassured us that the Mini is a true statement product that will become a classic. The three of us (owners) have listened to a large range of speakers in the 22k range, and frankly, none of us could 'go back' to the mass produced sound. The Magico Mini are truly a class above and are excellent value. The high quality RAW parts used, the craftmanship, and ultimately, the sound quality, truly make them a classic 2 way design.

Magico: biological minded speakers

Let me to explain how it started. It is well know that being a Dentist is in a blood of any Jewish boy and Alon Wolf was no exception. When he was little, the local kids teased that he might grow up without a dentist license and the little Alon was running away crying, begging in his tears God to send him something “dentistian”.

When the littlie Alon group up, he did not act in the medical fields but was working out of large White Vans, selling loudspeakers to the mid-age shopping malls visitors. Still, the unfulfilled dream of dentistry drilled Alon perception and Alon was desperately looking to do something about it.

Another day he was selling from his White Vans a speaker with asphalt-made drivers to a nice elderly woman who had a high pitch voice. When she picked the speaker up the asphalt-made drivers fallen out from the speakers and right on the tow of the old woman. The woman was in pain and was screaming like a wounded in ass hippopotamus only very high. She was screaming so loud and so high that windows in a nearby department store were crashed and pigeons were falling dead from sky, no just dead but already baked. Even the Alon himself was hurt. The loud high-pitch scream of that women boiled coffee in the Alon’s thermos, bent muffler in the Alon White Van and a shut out a gold filings from the Alon mouth…

Everyone went crazy then but the smart boy Alon took this event as a prodigious sign. He said if a loud high frequency pitch is capable to remove filings form my teeth then why should be a dentist to fulfill the obligation to my heritage? I might very much be a speaker builder and making some kind of loudspeakers that would inflict a long term dental consequences…

So, Alon Wolf filed in a new article of incorporation and become Doctor Wolf. Now, many years after the remarkable White Vans event the “Doctor Wolf of Magico, Incorporated” produce a wide range speaker of narrow application. Out reporter Anderson Cupper visited the Doctor Wolf’s office and asked him about the uniqueness of his products:
“Year after year the medical physicians treat us with the same bogus advice to brash our teeth.” - Doctor Wolf was explaining – but since my revolutionary devise entered market there is no needs to torture out gums anymore. I call my, the White-Van-incident-inspired invention – Magico, because it is a real magic.

Instead of sticking on out mouths the ugly brushes with that bizarre tasting toothpaste now my patients can just fill their mouth with any juice with heavy pulp. Then they need to play sounds via my Magico loudspeakers. The unique sound that my loudspeakers produce will induce the micro vibration of the juice’s pulp that provides very gentile but very efficient abrasive tension on the patient’s teeth. You might adjust the volume of my loudspeakers, affectively regulating the depth of the teeth whitening. In particular my methodology works well at the very high volumes. I have some patients who run my loudspeakers at 145dB and they not only had their teeth cleaned but also my speakers removed stones from their kidneys. My further clinical studiers suggest that when my loudspeakers reach 165dB they might be also affective to treat brain tumors, abort pregnancies and cure conscious suffering.”

“Oh, Doctor Wolf, this is a pure radical work in audio therapy. What underling principle your invention uses?”
“My invention is based on careful observation of nature of sound. I call the underling principle of my Magico system as: “Sonic Allergy Utilization”. Our human hearing is developed over millions years and we have within us a build up sense of harmonic appropriateness. When my loudspeakers deliver their own Special Sound to the patient’s ears then a patient hears severally twisted high frequency fundamentals with harmonic structure that is revolting to any mammals and practically it is emetic for humans.

As the reaction to Magico Sound a human body dives in deep micro-seizure of very high intensity that is not observable externally but strong enough to make for instance the juice’s dispersed pulp to micro vibrate.”

“This is truly remarkable, Alon, and how did not discover which frequencies and at which volumes should be sent to a human body in order to accomplish the desirable effect?”
“During the research phase I use a lot of lob animals, testing how they would react to my Magico Sound. I trued different species: mice, ruts, dogs, snakes, hyena but the biggest success I got when I received a fresh party of mature male vultures, adult male audio reviewers and female adolescent coyotes. Those species turned out to be incredibly useful for my experiments. Some of them become almost members of my little lab family. I remember then was one hyena that we affectionably called Johnny Wowlin because it produce a very distinctive “Wow” noise as it’s reaction to anything.

Anyhow, using those excremental animals I was able to learn how disgusting my speakers should be in order a patient were affected in desirable for me direction.

“Doctor Wolf, and the last question: your plans. What would be the next step for your great enterprise?”

“Currently my FDA and FCC and FRC approval are pending and after it will be through I see large spectra of application for my methodology. Nowdays it is only dentistry but in future it might be anything. It might be used for law enforcement to broadcast sound for low disobedient crowd in order the crowd instantaneously forgot why they all come together. Or it might be used across the nation for job interviews as test the candidate reaction to heavy stress condition. The application is really endless.”

Did anyone hear the Model 6? I understand it won the 2007 Grand Prix award in Japan. Can the Model 6 be all that the mini is on a larger scale?

Hi Dan,
I have listened to the Model 6! They are simply magically magico. Despite the heft, my first impression was how nicely proportioned (and correctly) they sound. No bloatedness in the bottom end. Midrange is so 'solid', rich, and the highs have such a 'full body' that the super revelator on the Mini simply cannot achieve.
They are, USD98k. It only seems to make sense for Magico to fill the gap between the 22k Mini and the 98k, sooner or mater. I am waiting.

Thanks, I can wait to hear them. I also am waiting for something in between. It will only make sense for Magico to do so.