I was at the 12:00 demo also. I actually preferred the Q3 demo to the Q5 demo a year ago in the same setting. I agree with Madfloyd, the sound was spectacular. We listened to a soprano on digital that was very believable and finished with a few cuts on vinyl. The acoustic bass and drums sounded the most real that I've ever heard these instruments sound reproduced through a stereo system.
I own the Mini II's so am used to the Magico sound, but this new Q3 takes neutrality, detail and transparency to an all new level. Compared to my Minis, the Q3 seemed just as coherent, but more extended, slightly clearer, and more detailed. The cabinet completely disappeared and the soundstage was immense.
I should ad that Alon Wolf was very friendly and accessible. He was obviously proud of his design and the reception was receiving. Considering that the Q3 is just more than half the price of the Q5, and except for the bottom few Hz, delivers almost all of the sound, and it is more efficient, it should be a real contender in the $30-40K range. It is a very good speaker. |
The Q1 retails for $59 or 60K. I don't know the price of the big Boulders, but you could do a google search. They were the 1000 watt/channel monoblocks. Massive. Regarding the drivers, the tweeter and midrange are the same in both speakers, but the Q1 uses two 9" bass drivers and one 9" mid bass driver while the Q3 uses three new 7" bass drivers.
The Q3 is being moved to a smaller room at Goodwins with less expensive electronics for further, smaller/private auditions. Alon Wolf controlled the music selections during the demo, so it will be interesting to hear the speaker in a different setting with familiar music. |
Sorry, I meant to say the Q5, not the Q1. The Q1 will retail for $24 or 25K. The Q5 is $59 or 60K and has the five drivers. |
Clavil,
I compared the Mini II to the V3 in the same room at Sound By Singer in NYC. I much preferred the Mini II, though the amplification was different, so it was not a direct comparison. I found the Mini II to be far more coherent.
I've heard the Q3 once at Goodwins High End in Boston. It was in a very large room driven by 1000 W Boulder monos. It sounded amazing. Just as coherent as my Mini IIs, but they were more extended both up and down.
I haven't heard the Magnepan 3.7, but the Q3 did sound extremely fast, clear, transparent and neutral, if that helps. |
I understand Folkfreak's comments about scale the same way Weseixas and Usermanual do. I've heard many modern recordings of "singer/songwriter" females sound as though the singer's head is huge. I think this may have more to do with recording technique/quality that system reproduction, but when I hear instruments and voices out of scale, it does hinder the illusion and is quite annoying. I don't know how much a speaker has to do with this, but I do know what Folkfreak means about space and silences. I hear this quality on my Magico Mini II's. Scale, space, air, silence is much better than with my previous speakers.
As to the Magico Q3 - based on the one audition I've had, it is a great speaker. The soprano and orchestral music I heard it play were very convincing. Also the small scale jazz. It just sounded very much like real music.
Feil does sell Pass amps and that is saying something.
Congratulations on your new speakers, Folkfreak. Nice system. |
I think the Q3 retails for $34,000, substantially less than $60K. I too happily live with sub 60K speakers.
The Q3 will soon replace the V3. The Q3 is a better speaker, but it does cost about $7K more, not "WAY less money".
I'm one of the legacy owners of a pair of Magico Mini II's which will soon be replaced by the Q1. There is and will be no outrage from me. I paid considerably less for my speakers than what their replacement will cost. They also have a very different look which suits my living room decor better anyway. Sure the new models sound better. Technology marches on and I'm glad that Magico continues to push the envelope.
For some reason, Magico seems to be controversial. There are quite a few detractors and many pleased customers. |
To the OP: I was at the Goodwin's demo. It was a wonderful afternoon and the Magico Q3 sounded very good in the system in the large room. To my ears, they sounded extremely coherent. They disappeared as sound sources, seemed very neutral and transparent. Soundstaging was excellent. They were very extended both in the highs and lows. They really sounded very natural. I can't really find anything negative to say about them. If I were in the market for a $30-40K pair of speakers, these would definitely be on my list. |
I humbly submit that I think Ebm was being sarcastic in his remark above. I usually find Ebm's comments both funny and pithy.
I'm now wondering what a future Magico Q2 will cost and sound like. I can guess what it will look like. CES 2012? |
Congratulations Suteetat. It's not about the quantity of bass, but the quality of bass that matters. The Magico bass with the sealed, inert enclosures just sounds more like the real thing, IMO. Great detail, very little distortion and great weight and body. I also listen mostly to classical, though I don't get the same extension with my Mini IIs. |
What happened? I thought the Q3 was $34,000. That excellent review in Ultraaudio says it's now $38,950. Did they even deliver any at the lower price? |
I found the Q3 to be much better than the V3. There is a seamless coherence with the Q3. No frequency range brings attention to itself and there is little to no cabinet sound. I found the bass of the V3 to be disjointed from the rest of the speaker. These auditions were at dealerships in different rooms with different equipment.
I found the Q3 to be as coherent as my Mini II and even more transparent and neutral. Of course, it is also far more extended. It's a great speaker. |
I was lucky to find a heavily discounted used pair of Mini II's. If one needs to be on the bleeding edge, buy the Q's now. Otherwise, enjoy what you have and wait. Look at the prices of V3, M5, Mini II right now. I saw a pair of V2's selling below $10K a short while ago. That was a great deal.
The Q1 should climb to over $30K after a good review as it is supposed to be much better than the Mini II which last sold for $32,500. The Q2 will end up in the high $30's (think TAD CR1) and the Q3 will be $45-50K in a year. It's all about what the market will support and these are very good speakers compared to their equally priced competition, IMO. Magico is pushing the technology. |
Rasmika,
If your "good deal" quote is referring to my post about seeing a Magico V2 sell for less than $10K, I only meant that it is a great speaker in absolute terms and represents a particularly good value relative to other speakers available for that amount of money, used or new, IMO. The market is dealerships and Audiogon and everything in between. I came close to buying the V2 before I bought my Mini II and I was willing to pay a lot more than that $10K.
I agree with Bvdiman that the Q series may represent an even better value than the older Magico speakers because of the incredible technology and sound they offer. The M5/Q5 for example and the Q1 will cost less than the last price for the Mini II and is supposed to sound better. Unfortunately, I can't afford a pair.
These are extreme prices but so are luxury cars, watches etc. |
