Maggie versus Magico

Jaybo,

Can I assume you have actually heard the Magicos recently?

My impression from auditioning them is that they are very good indeed and hard to fault, but that there are other similar options out there, some of which I already own, that might match or possibly even exceed them in certain areas for significantly lower cost, however I was not able to do any direct a/b comparisons to be sure.

Also, I heard them on a high end tube system sourced from a $20,000 CD player that probably cost over $100000 total, so I cannot say how much of what I heard was attributable to the electronics and very high end Nordost cabling used versus the MAgico minis alone.

Still, the end result was very good indeed with some challenging symphonic music on CD, as one would expect at that price, but I'm not sure it was that much better if at all compared to some much less expensive setups that I'm familiar with.

The dealer I visited sells an impressively large assortment of high end lines. I got to hear one or two other very expensive systems that did not catch my ear in any particularly special way, but the system with the Magicos did.

The price for Magicos is way up there!

I think part of what I was hearing that I liked was the tube gear used. It provided (added?) a nice warmth to the strings, particularly viola, I believe, that help distinguish them from the violins.

I always listen to the "best" systems I can and then go back to what I own and see how I stand. I'm currently in process of this now.

I've reaffirmed some interesting differences I've observed over the years with various speaks between the SS preamp output versus the "tube simulation" pre-out on my Carver pre-amp based on listening to the tube/Magico system. I need to listen in detail some more and then I may update my system description to describe my findings having applied a few tweaks to my system's configuration based on the tube/Magico listening experience.

By the way, when I say above that the tube gear added a nice warmth to the violas that helped distinguish them from the violins, I mean that in a very positive sense in that I thought this rendering to be very positive and natural and not an artificial coloration, based on my recollection of similar live performances.

Jaybo.

Thanks. The Ohms are keepers for sure! I feel comfortable stating that they are definitely at least in the same league as the best speakers that I've been able to lay my ears on over the years, which is the best I can hope for with a limited budget. Definitely worth a listen for many that might otherwise be tempted to take out a second mortgage to achieve their audio goals with Magico, MBL, German Physik, or many other high end speaker systems.

I figure if the Magicos or MBLs are the audio equivalent of the Boston Red Sox these days, my Ohms are perhaps the Oakland A's (in a good year).

Neway317,

The baseball analogy for the Magicos was a toss up between the Sox and Yankees based on the cost of delivering a quality product. Unfortunately (for NYers), the SOx have been more successful of late so I had to go with them.

Nothing personal NYers, though, I do love NY and that's actually where I heard Magicos even though they are made in California, I believe.

The Ohms are made in Brooklyn, however, so there is a true NY connection there! NY O's? Brooklyn O's anyone?

Maybe the Baltimore O's are heading in the right direction these days, so I could possibly use them for the Ohm analogy sometime soon without any negative connotations.

Jaybo, I was also wondering about nekton dynaco25 replicas. A quick google search came up empty. What are they and what makes them special?

Had a chance to hear the Magico mini system again recently.

Still one of the most striking sounding systems I've heard out there. Fantastic transient attack and detail!

The price did go way up since a year ago, over $30000 now. Yikes!

I suppose these are the cream of the creme though if you are looking for a no holds barred monitor design for use in tight quarters.