May I ask which Boulder electronics do you use ?
36 responses Add your response
Read MF's review as well. Agree with WS. The bass comment was odd. I have never heard a real cello "churning stomachs". Besides, if you look at the measurements, it looks like the Q5 extend an octave lower (And higher) then the Wilson's. As JA asked, is MF referring to the "energy between 200 and 400Hz, which is where the Wilsons have an excess?" I wonder what this does to the human voice? |
I find it very difficult to form any real opinion in short dealer demos. Impressions yes, but impressions are just that and often subject to change . I think you are absolutely right ... the fine tuning is essential to push loudspeaker to show their best and then, they are too many dealers around just puting "things" or better said, brands together with mediocre results |
Just read MF's review of the Q5. Very good review. MF uses 'the best' several times as well. But I am really surprised that he said he didn't 'churn' and complain that the bass doesn't hit his stomach... maybe his time with the Maxx3 has 'ruined' him! haha =) I have listened to the Q5 twice at HK's dealer, with FM Acoustics and Spectral. IMHO, the Q5 are certainly the best Magico's yet. Probably the most neutral & full range... not easy to get these two qualities in the same sentence. |
I believe that Michael Fremer will be reviewing the Q5 for Stereophile, so there should be measurements and someone other than JV of TAS with a mainstream review in print. I own the Mini 2 and have heard the M5 and Q5 at dealerships. The Mini 2 sounded fine at two dealers and bad at another but it really became musical in my own system after a lot of fine tuning. The M5 sounded very good in a short demo and the Q5 sounded good with some material and not so good with other music. I find it very difficult to form any real opinion in short dealer demos. Impressions yes, but impressions are just that and often subject to change . The best dealer demo I have ever heard was of the Magico V2 with SME and Spectral and MIT. Everything was extremely well dialed in and well matched. Very memorable indeed. |
James63, JV does sometimes publish the in room freq response of the speaker he reviews - he did it for the M5 which has been "on loan" to him for the past 2 years. IMO, Magico really needs to rely on a more credible reviewer than JV. He has cried wolf too many times in his reviews. I also heard the Magico Model 6, a $130k+ speaker. I am sad to say it was one of the most unmusical megabuck speaker I have ever heard. After enduring 20 minutes of trying to like the speaker, I had to give up. Mainly, I could not stand the "hard" unnatural sound despite being driven by Spectral and Boulder electronics. In contrast, the Rockport Altair was the antithesis of the Model 6, very enjoyable and natural sounding to these ears. The Magico house sound so far is just not my cup of tea. Hopefully, this will change with the Q series. |
Wait these things already went up in price, really? What they were out 4 months before they went up. Hi-end is going to price itself into extinction. I read the article when it came out but did not feel it was worth posting. Every speaker he reviews is the "best loudspeaker I have ever heard".... its getting old. They really need to have measurements with these types of reviews. At the very least an in-room frequency response would help. TAS could use the National Research Council of Canada for a baseline (actually the manufacture could too...). Until then I pretty much blow off their reviews. I should note I have not heard any magico speaker yet. |
I'm a little cynical when it comes to JV reviews. He seems to go through speakers like toilet paper. His latest speaker is always the greatest since slice bread. Since he is a reviewer for a well established mag, he doesn't pay for his equipment. His speakers are on "indefinite loan" by the manufacturer. The two Magicos I'm very familiar with, the Mini and M5, have never sounded like real music to me. But I really hope the Q5 is a different kind of speaker. If it offers similar flavor of sound I heard witn the Mini and M5, you can count me out. I might give a serious audition of a Mini version of the Q5, if the Q5 lives up to its reputation. |
"The best loudspeaker I have ever heard" http://www.avguide.com/blog/the-best-loudspeaker-i-ve-heard-the-magico-q5 |
Hi Weseixas: The answer is both. While audio is a wonderful hobby my true passion is going to live concerts - mostly symphony and chamber. Been doing this for about 25 years in both Chicago and San Francisco. This is my musical reference point. I went to the California Audio Show and spent two days listening to about twenty set ups. Tonian was one of my two favorite rooms. The single ended PHY drivers may not do everything well, but they absolutely nail timing and tone. A lot of the other rooms (Magico included) did many things well but when I closed my eyes and listened to an orchestral or solo piano piece the illusion vanished pretty quickly. Just my $.02 |
I am curious to what amp did you hear the speakers with. I am not familiar with any 2kW amplifier that I would like to listen to. You are not talking about McIntosh, I hope... Would you care to elaborate? I heard them in HK with a Spectral set up and it was absolutely fantastic. Truly a revelatory experience. |
I thought the tonality was reasonable, and with some attention and experimentation, had potential. My problem is that the speaker totally dissociated the performance from the listener. It was like the musicians were placed on a pedestal, behind 2 inches of plexiglass. The sound was clear and 'accurate', but it had no soul. The sound was not relaxed, effortless, flowing, or beautiful. It did not pull me into the performance. The focus was the speakers, not the music. Although the speakers 'disappear' from a soundstage persepctive, they did not disappear from a musical perspective. This was with 2kW of amplifier muscle, so not an issue of more juice needed to have them open and sing. Also used was a tubed preamp. There may be an amp-preamp-cable combination which could work, but it would probably be a challenge. |
IMHO, That applies to the whole line of Magico. While I respect their build quality and to some extent their sound, their marketing has been stellar in the last few years. The line is priced ridiculously and their used values are in an indictor of how over-priced and hyped their products are, again IMHO. |
| Post removed |
Finally I've got the chance to listen to the Magico Q5 at the top audio show in Milan. The setup was with Spectral amplifiers (the same I have). Even if there were many people and it was a "show" listening (no dealer will let me try them at my home), I was very very impressed. I would like to hear some more about those speakers and opinions of the owners. Thanks and greetings from Switzerland Sergio |
I got to go hear them on Saturday as well. They starting out sounding "cold" to me, or perhaps because the first piece Terry demo'ed was a piano solo piece on a German Steinway. As the demo went on, the speakers just sounded better and better. I particularly liked the jazz and rock aspects of the sound, where the dynamic strengths and resolving aspects of the speakers really came into light. I would love to go back and demo the same setup (Spectral amps and cd player) with some of my own discs as well. |
I didn't get to Terry's place to hear them--but did hear the Magico 2's and the 3's elswhere a month ago. I thought them to be superior to Avalons (the 3's more than the 2's which to me sound somewhat 'hooded' in the harmonics above the midrange, could have been something else, but my gut says its the speaker)in virtually every regard. The one important factor is they (the 3's) let me forget, more than with the Avalons, that I was listening to a great speaker. That indefinable 'moment' when you can slide into the recording and get lost. Magico has all the markings of a long term, 'Watch this company' player in the audio market. I hope they do the product justice with their marketing scheme. Larry Staples |
Yes, hat's off to Tim and the crew, very nice event. Great to hear Alon the speaker's creator comments and to talk with him after the demo as well. On the speaker itself, a true reference. Sitting off to the far side, I did not feel the dispersion to be very impressive. But every other aspect of a truly great speaker came across. Author Robert Harley also on hand. Nice to have a conversation with a audio all star. Can't wait to hear the speakers with some of my own discs. And paired to some other gear just for the heck of it. Overtrue and the Magico Q's rock. |