Yes, I saw that and I'd be very interested to hear them. I never paid much attention to Magico as they were so far out of my reach. Nothing about them yet on the Magico web site, but they are supposed to start shipping in early 2018.
Magico A3
Finally a set of Magicos that seem worth the price (to me):
http://www.monoandstereo.com/2017/12/new-magico-a3-speakers-photos-and-info.html
I'd love to hear these.
http://www.monoandstereo.com/2017/12/new-magico-a3-speakers-photos-and-info.html
I'd love to hear these.
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It's an interesting thought. I think if this is say, the flagship, I'd assume a smaller floorstander (minus one woofer) at 8K and a monitor at maybe even 5/6K. Or if this is the middle of the range, a larger floor stander at 12-14K. Either way, since Magico has become a 'prestige' brand, it's great to see them offer a hi-tech 'affordable' range of speakers. |
Well, this is interesting. It's a few grand cheaper than the S1 Mk. II, which was a pretty odd speaker in some ways, but keeps the very smooth, very wide dispersion drivers, and significantly improves on the sensitivity. Would be interesting to know the grade of crossover caps used as well. In my mind, this is a much easier to sell speaker than the S1 Mk II. Shame it looks a little clunky, but I am sure the sound quality will make up for it. This is also going to be within good striking distance of the Focal Sopras. If it sounds as good as the S1, with better sensitivity and bass, it will spank the Sopras. Best, E |
@yyzsantabarbara In terms of an office speaker, just keep in mind, the S3 requires a ton of side-space to sound its best, I imagine the A3 will too, so be sure to check that out. On the other hand, the improved sensitivity and bass hopefully makes the A3 easier to drive, and a little less chesty. Best, E |
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erik_squires, Room size is the key to any speaker. I am just exploring all options at the moment while I get ready to move to a house. The CA drought and fires may make my move happen faster than expected. I have been looking at all types of speakers, passive, active, omni, dynamic. I want to go a little out of the box for the office system (experiment). The Magico S3 (which I like) are definitely not an office speaker that I think I could find room for. However the S1 would likely work room size wise. Although I have no interest in that speaker, too expensive for what it delivers. The A3 could be a viable alternative for a S1. |
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Other than you can have it any color you want, so long as its black, its very impressive release. It appears that many builders are targeting this price point, each with a distinctive approach. Just a few off hand, Dynaudio Contour 60, Revel F228Be, B&W 804D3, Focal Kanta No2, Paradigm Persona 3F, and the Canton Reference 5K. This being a small listing of more broadly available brands, even if none can be considered truly broad products. Focal made style and finishing options major point on the Kanta. Dynaudio went quite large and while simple in appearance, has some distinctive finishes. A history of very good sound doesn't hurt. The Revel isn't much of a looker itself, but they have a history of very coherent and balanced sound. The Persona is sleek looking entry, but might just be a bit light on the bottom in respect to its price peers. B&W has their house sound and you need to be into it or not at all. Canton has limited looks and finish, but also a solid entry sound wise. That little twitch that says maybe something new is really making itself ever known ;-). |
eric_squires: Better tyhan te Sopra-1's (Focal) ? The KEF Reference-1's spank the Sopra's -Focal's sorely failed attempt at delivering ......... ? at a more reasonable price. I'd bet that the older (but current) 1028/38 Be series is better than the Slo-pokers. Seriously, not one of the Sopra's compare to the brilliant performance of the KEF REF range; the REF-3 ($14K US/pr.) a floor-standing champ. So, if the A3 (Magico) can keep pace with any of the KEF (Reference), 'look-out' it will be on constantl back-order from Magico -and may very well be my next loudspeaker. Also bear in mind, the Magico use high-strength BOLTS to secure the drive-units (and cabinet components no doubt), out of necessity of course, but a highly desirable method ensuring the vital driver/baffle interface is appropriately coupled. You'd think competitor's do this as well ? No. Vandersteen, Paradigm 'Persona', GET 'Reference-1' (in the general price range) use self-tapping wood screws to mount the drivers ! Which is laughable. And unfortunate for a $10K + loudspeaker. It must be acknowledged that the Magico A3 (any Magico of course) can easily be 'handed-down' to multiple generations whereas wood-screwed driver models are far less durable -or desirable, for that matter. The sheer level of quality/sophistication of the Magico A3 (at $10K) is nothing short of a hi-fi bargain -assuming it has the sonic chops. peter jasz |
@allhifi - My only point was that around the time the S3 Mk II came out it was similarly priced to the Sopra, and while the S3 is a more musical speaker, it was lacking in the bass, chesty, demanding of room and amplifier. As for your comments about construction, I really do like the all aluminum construction, but I find your overall take demeaning without good cause. It will be interesting to learn the full set of cost saving measures employed in the A3. The rest of this post is speculation, so Magico fans, cut me some slack. I think the high-end Magico's use billet, machined aluminum, while the A3 uses what appear to be extrusions. Not a bad thing, I think. What makes the A3 a potential killer in the price range (IMHO) is bass extension and sensitivity of a "normal" speaker (compared to the S3) with the fabulously smooth mid-treble of the S3. It could in fact fix everything I complained about in my review of the S3, at a better price point. Best, E |
I recently went on a tour of the Magico factory in Hayward Ca. and it was amazing to see the work that goes into these speakers. The machined aluminum enclosures alone are a piece of art before finishing and populating the driver holes. The tour also included a demonstration of their flagship speakers in their listening room. But still, even the $9500 version is still out of my price range. Maybe in a few years I can get a pair used from this site. |
Some pretty interesting details from the A3 design and build came out recently and most of the cost reduction come from the cabinet construction being outsourced to a larger shop instead of their own in house tools and using flat walled cabinets over curved. Alon admitted the outsource shop being able to provide better finishing over the house machines. Alon does go out and say that the target was to exceed the performance of any speaker from any make at this price point. Granted, that is what anyone would say, but the company does have a good reputation at the sharp end of things, so I would certainly take the claim with some weight. |
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@nitewulf , I sort of took your advice and bought the Audience 1+1 crossover less speaker for my office. It is being built now and should be shipped in a week or 2. Not much low end but supposed to sound great outside those frequencies. I have a 30 day trial. The reset of the system will be Benchmark DAC3L Benchmark AHB2 amp Magnum Dynalab 102 Tuner Audience AU24 SE speaker cables Audience AU24 and AU24e interconnects Audience 1+1 speaker I am currently using the KEF LS50 while the 1+1 is being built and shipped. The system sounds great in my tiny office. The next office will be bigger so I was looking for a bigger sounding speaker. No A3 for me, though I will be going to hear it sometime in the Spring at a local dealer. |
I talked to a couple of dealers this week about them and got no concrete info,made me take a good look at the used market for S3 mk1,but decided to spend my money on 2 different sets of used speakers instead. Silverline Bolero Supremes Lawrence Audio Double Bass I’ve heard the Q3’s powered with pass xp10 and 30.8 and I also took my Lyngdorf 2170 over and we tried that.The Q3’s used If you can find a pair are a little bit above what I want to spend for one pair of speakers. Kenny. |
I listened last Saturday to a pair of Magico A3 speakers. They were outstanding. The bass extension was surprisingly good, and their high frequency sound was very detailed while smooth, without seeming brassy or fatiguing. In my humble opinion, they were far superior to the Elac Andante AF61s and the Goldenear references, which I also listened to recently, and on par with a pair of B&W 803D3 that I also listen to recently. |
Went to Axpona heard the MAGICO A3 with Constellation amp and preamp they sounded wonderful a great sounding speaker in there price range.Then on Sunday i heard them with Dan Dagostino Progression amp and preamp they sounded even better.These speaker will tell you in a minute if they don't have the best cables and amp and preamp they sounded great with great detail,imaging,bass weight and detail.Im sure Magico will sell many A3s they are the best value in the Magico line.The show also had many other great sounding as well. |
Thank's for sharing your impressions! Where did you hear them? Have you heard the dynaudio contour 60s to compare as well? And/or Persona 3Fs or 5Fs? Thanks!Sound Innovations, 29400 Kohoutek Way #100 Union City, CA 94587, has a pair Magic A3s for demoing and you can order them there. Unfortunately, I have not heard dynaudio contours nor the personas. I heard the paradigm prestige 85F about a year ago, but was not impressed (too brassy and underwhemly at the low frequency range) - the personas are supposed to be much better. |
I got to hear the Magico A3 over at Suncoast Audio in Sarasota,Fl and I was very impressed the resolution and balance the speakers have. Very much the Magico sound signature. I have owned the S1Mk2 and now own S3Mk2 and in comparison as you go up the line the sound just gets bigger specially the bass. The A3 is no slouch and is good entry level into the line. I still like the S1mk2 better aesthetics wise and even sound wise ,but whether the gains are worth the Money is debatable now. Under 10K they would be my choice for speaker of an entry level high end system. |
Finally here... WORTH the wait!!! SO much detail and finesse. Low end is insane(in a good way) they are easily comparing to KEF reference 3 in terms of extension and I don’t even have 2 hours on these yet. Their soundstage is deep and wide. Wyred for Sound separates with SX 1000’s with a Denon DCD 3910 for a transport. I haven’t even listened to the analog front end yet. These are worth WAY more than the price of admission IMHO. A VPI Prime and Soundsmith Aida will be the front end as well. Morrow cables throughout. And Equi-Core keeps the power liquid clean. The midrange is very open already without a hint of of harshness. I don’t think we are going to sleep tonight....😎😎🎶🎼🎶😎😎 |
They are very backordered. Bass performance is excellent and what you would expect from a Magico design, but the smaller bass drivers means less total displacement versus an S3 MkII for example. After hearing them, I stopped caring about integrating them with a subwoofer. In my experience, other speakers that advertise similar degrees of low frequency extension would often still clearly benefit from a subwoofer during typical music playback. |
I can't contribute the experience of an A3 owner. But FWIW from my own audition of the A3 in a dealer's home (purportedly a room that allowed for smooth bass response): I found the A3 bass to be very deep and not wanting for a subwoofer. But I also found it a bit bloomy at the very bottom and, though I often sort of dislike the term "pace," it did seem to be a bit lackadaisical in the punch/pace department. Not a terribly toe-tapping sound vs what I am used to at home (Thiel) and from some other speakers I auditioned. But...hey...that's just one single long audition. |
A few months ago I auditioned the Magico A3 at a local dealer with the intention that I would probably buy/order a pair. Well, I ended up buying the Focal Sopra 2’s. You can read my journey in this speaker section https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/focal-sopra-2 and in the Members Review section under Sopra 2. https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/my-speaker-journey-and-focal-sopra-2 ozzy |
Prof, Mostly it is Upgraditus. I am always looking for more detail. I have had the thiels for awhile (5 years maybe) and I am just board with them now. I have not demoed the newest models from the major brands. Last time I looked around at Sophia 3, 802d, focal 1037b, thiel 3.7s, revel studio 2, and felt like they all had pluses and minuses and after demoing I just added the two subs to the 2.4s (using the internal crossovers at 60hz) due to not thinking the upgrade was worth the cash layout and bought a projector with the “extra” cash. I though the magicos might have the details I want in the mids and I am intrigued by the brand. |
