I know they have not been making the Mini for a while as I tried tried to purchase a set from my dealer in October. I am actually surprised to see that the V3 is still listed on the website as they come out with the Q3........although it appears to have a different driver arrangement. Rumor is a launch as CES '11. Also surprising to see the M5 on there. I can't believe they would sell another M5 with Q5 being 30k less and all the reviews claiming it to be superior. I would expect them to move to all aluminum enclosures in the near future. That being said...... I bought the V2 and am anxiously awaiting their arrival.
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Yes, Jonathan Valin mentioned the Q3 on a TAS conference call last night. It will be launched at CES and he speculates that the pricing will be in the low $30Ks. I agree with the suggestions that they will phase out all wooden enclosures for an all aluminum full line of speakers in the future. Who knows about a Qmini in the future. It could be a very nice speaker in the $20K range. |
It's funny how the Q3 resembles my old Eggleston Rosa which I replaced with the Mini II. The Egglestons had a similar aesthetic to the Q3 - black floor standing monoliths (granite sides) with five drivers on the front baffle,. They were narrow and deep and sloped back. I liked the look, but prefer the look of the Mini IIs. Now that I'm living with the smaller wooden cabinet Mini in my formal living room, it will be hard to go back to a black monolithic look. Of course, sonics trumps aesthetics, so time will tell. |
Scar972, I also love the wood/aluminum look. If you have heard the V2 and V3 and like their looks and love the way they sound in your system, you should go out a buy a pair while they are still available. I almost bought a pair of V2's until I heard my Mini IIs. I agree with Ebm, the Mini is wonderful, it's just very expensive. The V series will be replaced, it is just a matter of when. You should be able to save some money by finding a good deal on a used or demo pair, especially once the new Q's arrive. |
There appears to be a new aluminum monitor from Magico called the Q1 Follow the link below and about 1/2 way down the page you will see a picture. Q1 |
From Soundstage: "Magico surprised the CES crowd with the release of not one, but two Q-series loudspeakers. There was the Q3, which we'll get to, and the Q1. Replacing Magico's long-running Mini platform, the Q1 is a bookshelf-sized two-way design with an included bolt-on/off stand. It features a 7" Nano-Tec midrange-woofer and their 1" MBe-1 tweeter. Price is TBA. Availability is second quarter of 2011." |
James63 - thanks for finding this thread and providing your update. The Mini II is no longer listed in their website's product section, but the backplate of the Mini appears on one of their main pages---perhaps a tease for products to come! Anyway, Magico is very serious about sound quality and I'd bet the new speaker will sound better than the prior one. I do agree that the Mini II looks so much better and would be a better fit in a home environment. |
I own the Mini II and love its look and sound. I remember reading all about how important the massive base and the unique three roller bearing coupling between the speaker and base are to its sonics. The top plate is angled at precisely 17 degrees, weighs 110 lbs etc. etc. That base is really is a thing of beauty, is very massive and is very effective sonically. I guess Magico discovered a way to get better sound with a more typical stand bolted to a bookshelf speaker aesthetic. Or, they will be much less difficult to manufacture and should therefore be less costly. I think the wooden cabinets were very expensive to build and not quite as stable a material as all aluminum. I'd love to hear a pair and know what they will cost. |
I just received from Audio Arts in new York a set of Stenheim Alumine monitors and what can I tell you all, this is one magnificent set of speakers. They totally dissapear in your room and you are basically left alone with your recording. I listen mostly to jazz, classic rock, and classical music. I am completely rediscovering some of my collection. I am totally blown away by these Swiss speakers. They totally destroy every Magico and YGA, and I am not even trying to compare them to Wilson Sasha's which I also had a chance to demo. I think YGA, Magico and Wilsons are for audiophiles who buy audio based on corrupt reviews rather than actually listening. By the way, I want to mention that they are 90 db and 8 ohm which makes them also a great tube partner. I measured the DC impedance, and it was 6.3 ohm on both speakers. I take my hat off to Stenheim engineers who created this simple and elegant precision sound reproduction system. P.S. I did some research on the Internet and it seems that Stenheim are all former Goldmund engineers from Switzerland. |
I've never heard the Stenheim monitor. It could be a wonderful sounding speaker. This thread is about the Magico Q1 and it's aesthetics. The Stenheim actually looks like a similar aluminum box, though I have not seen an image of its stand. The design philosophies however seem very different - sealed vs ported, difficult load vs easier load, bass extension, perhaps internal bracing/damping? How much do the Stenheim's cost and have you actually heard the Q1 (or Mini II) to make your assertion that they "totally destroy every Magico and YGA"? The Magico owners I have met did audition their speakers and probably read the reviews, too. I heard the Mini in three systems before I bought mine and yes the reviews are excellent. Congratulations on your new speakers. Nice plug. |
Guys, I'm very sorry if I offended any Magico owners. I forgot how passionate audiophiles can be! I put in my 2 cents here because the new Magico Q1 shares the same all aluminum concept like Stenheim from Switzerland, so it's an interesting comparison. I've not heard the Q1 - only all the other Magico's, especially the Mini I and II which I thought were very detailed with awesome speed, but I did not pull the trigger because they just did not sound like music (to me). As an audio engineer, I think I have a pretty good idea of what music sounds like. I've always like the Goldmund all metal speakers as well as a few others but Goldmund is so expensive. When I found out that Goldmund's ex employees had created a new company with a reasonably priced all aluminum speaker (around 12k for monitors and 3k for aluminum/steel stands), I had to hear them. All I'm saying is that when it comes to the all aluminum approach, I think Stenheim is on to something. I always respect the subjectivity of this hobby so who's to say if you guys would like it. Who knows - maybe the Q1 is amazing - but judging from those screws in the back of it, I'm inclined to think that the structure may be compromised (just my opinion-please don't send a hit-man after me). I think it's good that designers pursuing the aluminum approach - if designed properly, it's unbeatable! |
IMHO - The weight of the evidence is on the side of Magico. We'll find out more about the Q1 in the coming months. Stenheim has to prove themselves. From what I know Goldmund speakers never caught on in the US in any big way. If Stenheim can create a great speaker at an attractive price they will grow market share. |
I don't know if I would refer to it as a plug, just pay additional shipping and handling...... I would love to hear the Q1 and Q3. I think the Q3 will sell very well, as people who would not ordinarily spend that kind of money, especially in this economic environment, who will stretch their budget to afford the Q3 as a sort of "final speaker" purchase. Too bad they are not an OTL friendly impedance, or I'd seriously consider them. |
Guys, the Stenheim and Q1 are the only two monitors that I know of that are made of aluminum and a comparison is fair. No? I thought the topic here was the use of aluminum and this nonsense about a plug is ridiculous. You guys seem to be plugging Magico! It's true that Goldmund products never caught on - but that's because of the insane pricing - but the Epilogue and Logos speakers are absolutely incredible designs. The Stenheim has a great price and is a 90db 8 ohm speaker. What's wrong with that? And why should it not be mentioned in the same vein of the Q1 if both have similar design principles? How many all aluminum monitors are you aware of? In any event, I'd like to hear the Q1 and I always have an open mind. As I said, I think aluminum is the way to go. All the best - I'm signing off from this one.... |
Wow! the Q1 is not much of a looker, hopefully this is not the final product. If so, I don't see Magico selling alot of Q1's unless they're much cheaper than the Mini's and retains the same magic. IMO...Magico is going the wrong direction as far as esthetics goes with all black speakers. At these price, it's not too much to ask for the complete package. |
Emailists, I'm in Chicago so not sure if that will work for you. If you would like to come over, or anybody else for that matter, I only request a bottle of Macallan 12 or older before entry. Also, my wife has to give me permission... I'm using the Stenheim with an older Goldmund system but with the high sensitivity and impedance, I've been playing around with 15-20 wpc and amazed. I think your OTL amps would love these and I'd invite others to come by (in Chicago area) with low powered amps to see what's possible. If anybody is interested just send me an email directly to set it up. But if you're in NYC, best bet is to contact the dealer. As per my friend's request, I'll be starting a new thread soon and posting pics of my system. Hope to actually meet some of you lunatics! |
Newton, That is an interesting proposal, but I think Magico is committed to phasing out the wood. It is too expensive and unstable a material. I would have loved to see a Mini III with the new tweeter and a modified crossover in the same cabinet. Or an all aluminum Q1 with proportions like the Mini II, just with flat sides and the same stand in all black aluminum with rectangular top and bottom plates, curved in front to match the baffle. In other words, a massive mini Q1 with the curved baffle and inset drivers of the Q3/5 but retaining the scale of the original Mini without the horizontal curves. The Q1 just seems too small. But the sonics may be tremendous. Time will tell. |
I heard the Q3s at CES and was stunned. Excellent speakers in every way. I've heard a variety of Magicos at shows over the years, and these were the most impressive given the price. A vast improvement over the V3s, which I think are great speakers. The Mini Qs were in a side room, not playing, and they're not as visually appealing as the Mini IIs but I'm sure they will sound much better. I own Dynaudio C1s, which I love, but the Magico Q3s are in a completely different league. |
Why is a wood enclosure inherently an "unstable material"? I wouldn't take it boating in my 12' yacht, but if I keep it indoors it should be fine, ne c'est pas? i cannot afford the Mini II's, but they certainly are aesthetically pleasing, but the photos of the Q1's are certainly visually unappealing. Must consider WAF too, you know. |
Lapaix, This is all hearsay, and is mostly conjecture on my part, but I heard from a fellow Magico Mini II owner who was told by a dealer that Wolf had a quality control issue with the Birch ply enclosures. The top veneer cracks at the inside corners where it meets the aluminum baffle. I have seen this on two Mini's and apparently the dealer had to send back both of his demo pairs for this repair. Mine are fine, and I haven't heard of that happening to others, but Wolf is such a perfectionist, that I can believe something like that would drive him crazy. The horizontal layers also move with temperature changes. I've noticed this on my pair here in the Northeast and I'm sure this happens to all solid wood speakers, MDF less so. I also heard that the wood enclosures are made in Europe at great expense. The aluminum moves also, but less so and I think the costs are lower as it is all made in house now. I agree with you on the Q1. I love the looks of the other aluminum/wood Magico speakers. |
Magico mini 2 (on a very high end no holds barred tube amp system) has retained a place specifically as a reference standard (along with a similar mbl SS system) for what I want massed strings in large scale orchestral works to sound like. Getting this right has been one of my greatest challenges on a budget. Thanks to having heard the magico Mini system and using that experience as a reference standard, I think I have managed to achieve my goals to the maximum extent in this regard with my current system and the OHM F5s for a small fraction of what either particular reference system I applied cost. |