Magico speakers too clinical and fatiguing?

@emergingsoul 

Your results with Magico speakers will vary depending on amplifier synergy and Magico model designation.  In other words making assumptions that all Magico speakers sound bright and clinical with all amplifiers is not correct. 

I listened to the A3 model with beryllium tweeter during a long demo driven by a smooth high end Class D amplifier and the sound was very good.  Exceptional bass, smooth, clear midrange and treble, nothing overly bright or fatiguing.   

The lack of cabinet resonance takes some getting used to but once you hear what it offers a conventional MDF box speaker can sound colored and veiled in comparison.

Overall there are speakers that I prefer more than the A3 in its price range but it isn't caused by them sounding clinical of fatiguing.  

Another example was hearing the Magico S5 speakers at AXPONA audio show driven by Luxman mono blocks.  The sound overall was OK, loud and powerful but inorganic and un-natural. Poor system matching. 

The best I have heard Magico speakers sound was at a dealer in their showcase room featuring the model M2 speakers driven by a top of the line McIntosh system with two chassis tube preamp and 1KW mono blocks.  This system had the best sound of any system I have heard.  Incredibly clear and life like, literally extraordinary. No fatigue, clinical nature or excessive brightness at all. Too expensive for my budget but impressive sounding nonetheless.   

A lot of what’s been posted on this thread isn’t wrong (the ad hominem stuff is) and it’s kind of reassuring that many people are hearing the same thing - they’re just placing a different value on what they’ve experienced and, yes, listening conditions (show/dealer vs. carefully calibrated listening room) and associated equipment matter a lot.

I’m one of those TAS writers that admires the brand. I’m currently experimenting with Atmos (for music) and own ten (!) Magicos (M2s, an S3 for the center channel), S1s, 4 A1s for the height channels, and an SSub.) Of course, most of my listening is in stereo and the M2s work very well for me. What some folks refer to as "clinical," I call "lean", in comparison to many of the excellent loudspeakers I’ve had in my room over the last 10 years. There’s loads of detail and dynamic nuance, as well as speed and a complete lack of coloration. As you might imagine, Magicos can be a great point of reference for a reviewer, both in terms of comparisons to other speakers and evaluating an electronic component preceding them in the listening chain. They sound terrific with "appropriately priced" amplification (that is, gear that’s in a particular Magico model’s price category) but even better with the most elite electronics. That’s a mark of a great design.

I’ve learned that many audiophiles want a speaker with "character" - either to better match other components in the chain, room issues, or just plain old personal preference. No loudspeaker is perfect but, for me, Magicos retrieve most of what’s on a recording, good, bad, or indifferent, and then get out of the way.

Andy Quint

The Absolute Sound

1) they are not fatiguing 

2) OP is not buying them, or any other speaker any time soon.  

@mtbiker29 

If a speakers dynamics are limited adding power should fix that issue, once that's done then decide if you like the speakers.