Magico compared to Tannoy

@cantorgale I heard the Autograph Mini driven by a Luxman 150 tube integrated amplifier. Yes wonderful sound and looks. I own the Tannoy Sterlings. 

@jond I agree that excessive detail can get exhausting with many (most?) recordings. 

I have a friend that just bought Magico S7s so I will find out soon. He replaced his Wilson Watt/Puppies with them. He has them on either side of a large screen. Big screen, miniature image, interesting combination.
He is driving them with McIntosh gear and Lyndorf's Room Perfect. I'll get over there with my measurement mic and see what it is really doing. Fun!

I am mijostyn's friend who picked up the Magico S7s yesterday.  Obviously I haven't settled in with them yet, but right out of the box I was blown away. I fired up the Dead's Dick's Picks Vol 29 5/19/77 from the Fox Theater, Atlanta, and as soon as I heard the opening banter on Track 1, it brought tears to my eyes, as I thought I was sitting at the sound board. As a veteran of 200+ Grateful Dead shows, this was the first time I felt like I was actually back at the show as opposed to simply listening to a recording. Miniature image? Hahaha, 300lbs of aluminum enclosed speaker with 3 10" woofers and a JL Fathom  f133 sub per side was anything but. They move a lot of freaking air! And at 4 1/2 feet tall they present a realistic sound stage. Sorry, I haven't heard Tannoys in about 50 years, so can't compare.

I was a dealer for Tannoy but it has been a number of years ago. It was my impression that the midrange was not realistic or musical. The Kensington uses the compression horn for not only the highs but also the midrange and the upper base. A little thin...if you ask me. Compared to another speaker that I favored it sounded like a car speaker. I was using really nice tube amplification, Sophia Electric 300B, and Art Audio, and a couple of other ones. 
I have heard the Magico's at a number of show, the RMAF and a show in Vancouver BC. To me they sound over dampened and hard, and not musical. 
I hate to speak without a frame of context so below is a quote from a review at our room at the RMAF, can't remember the year, but you will get the idea.

deHavilland/Kubala-Sosna/Esoteric/Sounds Real room. "Oddly enough, I believe last year, this room was my runner up. The sound was largely how I remember, but even better. I have my reasons for voting this room "the best" and here they are. It played music for me. Its presentation was very big and wide and spacious, yet intimate. It was as if the music was being played just for me. The timing and pace were right on as was the instrument and vocal definition. No, I don't think this system could fool you into believing that an entire orchestra was right in front of you, but then I didn't hear a single system at the show that could. The front-to-back and side-to-side special cues were intoxicating. At the core of the system are the deHavilland KE-50A monoblocks, which were driving Wilson Benesch Curves. The CD player was an Esoteric X-03SE and the preamp was a deHavilland Mercury III with all cables by Kubala-Sosna (which is new to me). The sound was so damn good I told Kara that if they had a turntable there, it might just push me over the edge. Seriously, as amazing as this system sounded, I wonder what level a solid analog front end would take it to. Here's the icing on the cake for the whole deal - the entire system's cost: $50k. $50k! A lot of dough? Yes. Yet for "Best of Show" at an audiophile event - 50 grand is nothing. Kudos to Kara Chaffee and company for setting up an amazing system with amazing components. The system just shined." 

Thad Aerts from The Hi-Fi reader

Not nice to bad rap MAGICO #1.