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Magico, Aerial, Dali

I have my next speaker upgrade narrowed down to the Magico V2's, Aerial 7t's, and Dali Helicon 400 MK2's. The only problem is I haven't heard any of them in my own system consisting of ARC LS17SE pre, and Bryston 4Bsst2 amp. I can get the Magico's for a decent price but they're still more expensive than the other options and the dealer will not let me demo at home unless I pay him. I thought this was odd and kind of turned me off to this dealer in general. Seems like for that kind of money in this economy the dealer should be willing to let a serious buyer demo at home.
I heard the 7t's on ARC reference and Levinson amps and was very impressed. Hard not to be with those kind of components. The Dali's are less expensive and I heard them on much cheaper gear but they still sounded fabulous. The dealer has arranged a demo later this week. If I went that route I'd have some money left over to buy a phono pre. I currently have the Aerial 6's and like their sound but they're not enough speaker for my room and if I sell now I can get the same amount that I bought them for.
Does anyone have experience with these three speaker's and/or companies? I am looking for detail, transparency, and realism. Any suggestions? Are the Magico's worth the extra money? I know it comes down to subjective taste, but is there a consensus on what the strengths are of each of these speakers?
minibox

Showing 3 responses by brownsfan

brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
I gave a serious listen to all three. These were on different days, in different stores, with different front ends. That said, I would rank the Magico above the others, especially given your criteria. For the money, I was disappointed with the Aerials, and they were in a good room with a superb front end. I agree the Dalis offer a lot for the money. I wanted to hear the 800 MK2 but did not get the chance. I liked the Wilson Sophia III's better than the Magicos. If you haven't heard them, I suggest you consider putting them on your list to hear. I ended up buying maggie 3.7's.
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
Minibox, As I'm sure you can imagine, the 3.7's are a much better speaker than the 1.7's. As it turns out, I auditioned the 3.7's and the 7Ts on the same day in the same room using the same superb front end. On the music I listen to, mostly orchestral stuff, I did not really miss the lower octaves that the Aerials bring to the party. I may add a couple of subs at some point, but its not a high priority for me. I found the bass on the Aerials somewhat tubby, but that could have been room placement issues. For me, there was something not quite right with the Aerials. The timber seemed off just a bit. The Wilson's hit instrumental timber dead on. I am sensitive to pitch and timber, to the point where something being just a tad off is a show stopper. The Dali's also got that right, as do the maggies.
With respect to WAF, my wife thinks the maggies look cool, and they are in our living room, 5 feet out from the back wall. She hated the appearance of the Wilsons, and fortunately, I had the good sense not to show her the Dalis and Aerials, both of which are just drop dead gorgeous visually. Any chance you could audition the Dali 800Mk II's? I really worried about the 400's with orchestral stuff. In the end, you are probably not going to go terribly wrong with any of the 3 you are thinking about.
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
Minbox, the cremonas are terrific speakers but if your priorities are detail and transparency they may not be the way to go. They are superbly musical, and I almost pulled the trigger on a pair at a great price.
If you don't mind me asking, what kind of music do you listen to? The dalis are superb on vocals. If I were an opera fan, I'd lean hard in that direction. I thought they beat everything I heard (including the maggies that I bought) on vocals. I thought there was too much congestion on complex orchestral passages with the 400's, hence, my interest in the 800's which ought to handle climaxes better. At some point, I will probably buy the 400s for my bedroom. Loved those speakers. There are just too many wonderful speakers and I would love to own them all.
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