Magico S5 vs Wilson Alexia

Day and night to different speaker if you want accurate and musical with great stage and depth Magico .If you want in your face bass etc Wilson.I would certainly get Magico.

At this price point I would certainly travel a distance to hear which speaker I prefered.

Agree with Brf.

I've heard both in less than ideal settings and only briefly. So you can take
these comments in that context. I've heard the Alexia in three
different systems and all I can say is that I prefer it to the Sasha, but I don't
like it or the S5 nearly as much as I do the Q3.

I listen mostly to classical, some jazz and very little rock. The Q3 is
exceptionally accurate to the source and I loved it with acoustic music. It
needs to be in a great system. The Alexia and S5 have more
"slam" and that may appeal to jazz and rock fans more than to
classical fans. I think the S5 is designed to be a bit warmer with a punchier
bass than the other Q-series Magico speakers.

I also think that the Alexia needs a lot of good clean amplifier power to
control those two bass drivers. I heard them with D'Agostino and Doshi
amps. I'm sure they would sound great with the larger Pass amps.

In general, I prefer the sealed cabinet of Magico speakers to the ported Wilson
design. I agree with the others who wrote that you need to hear both of these
speakers in good settings with your own music over a period of hours or days
and then you will know which is best for you.

Skip both and buy either the Evolution Acoustics MM2 or MM3. Neither of the speakers you mention have the musicality of the EA speaker line. Write Mike Lavigne; check out his MM7's! No better speaker line in my mind; I had been a Wilson owner for years and thought they were the best til I replaced my MAXX 2's for the EA MM2's.

These are 2 entirely different speakers. they are both outstanding in their own right. You should pay to travel to hear them if necessary. I prefer the Alexia as they have more (but still realistic) bass and do a better disappearing act. They simply draw me more into the music. I find Magico to be somewhat clinical. But that's just me. Others will say precisely the opposite and they would not be wrong.

I don't find the magic in Magico's
pardon the pun
I also find them clinical.

I am not a fan of either I am afraid, but I have heard the Alexia's sound wonderful in one system. I agree that the Magico's sound dry and clinical to me and that is with a variety of amps and ancillaries, including the most expensive system I have heard, with Dartzeel monoblocks. I just did'nt like the sound at all and others in the long demo, did'nt seem to keen either.

Wilson I find, realy need the right partnering amps. I heard the Sashas with a big Krell and it was painful, edgy, dry, screeching treble. Change to an Audio Research Ref 150 and it was just lovely. I believe the Wilson's are traditionally voiced with ARC amps. At the same show there were a pair of Alexia's than Dan D'Agostino's pre and momentum monoblocks. I can not recall ever hearing anything better, detailed, enormous, but scaled sound stage, no harshness at all, just wonderful.

For me, I would'nt spend that kind of cash, as HiFimaniac says, though I would go for Daedalus Ulysses

Yes, I agree Magico to me is also clinical. I'm not that much of a fan for Wilson either, but I would pick it over Magico.

Both speakers are "top grade" and both seem to have specific strengths and shortcomings, especially when considering the high cost involved vs long term satisfaction. So it remains to know why you chose these two manufacturers
instead of others that generally cost less to acquire. I can personally vouch for Sonus Faber, Von Schweikert, Eggleston, Joseph Audio, Aerial Acoustics, etc.
Evolution Acoustics are very musical as well from the comments many other listeners have made.
I haven't heard Magico's, but Wilsons require optimal acoustics and set-up
to perform at their best level. If you can find a used pair of Alexandrias they are really amazing, and i have only heard the 1st iteration of them.

Magico is only clinical if you have the wrong amp,preamp and cables!!

The S5 is voiced to be slightly warmer and more robust than the Q series. I have read that it is selling briskly for a +$25K speaker. I agree with Ebm. It depends greatly on upstream components. I have heard seven different Magico models and not one has sounded "clinical" to me.

I own the Mini2s. I happen to think that Magico speakers sound best with Class A SS electronics and analog sources.

Who says they are so different from each other? They are much the same in the most important audiophile parameter: Rave reviews in the mags. What else could matter?