Magico vs the world

There's a lot to like about Magico's.  Dynamic range, wide dispersion, low distortion.  Tonally there's a couple of things they do that irritate me.

Sometimes they are just too cool sounding.  They also, to my ears, emphasize certain tones and make themselves sound chesty.  Bottom of a woman's voice, and piano.  Just sounds like a little too much there.

That wide dispersion can also be a real PITA in anything but a wide room.

I got to listen to the S1 before it was released.  Yes, it's small but it has the feeding habits of a much larger speaker.  Needs a lot of room and a lot of power to sound it's best. 

 

The Tonda's are gorgeous.

Despite being absolutely entranced by the technology in ceramic drivers I don't actually like the sound of them nearly as much as I do composite fiber drivers.

Hopefully I'll be able to hear them soon.

Best,

E

i’ve never heard a magico speaker but from what i can gather one has to purchase ‘warm’ gear to enjoy them? is this true?

@4425

The only true answer to this is how you like your balance.

They are not harsh or biting like B&W and their ilk. They also don't share the Dali treble lift.

You might like this balance, especially at lower volumes.

Hey @stereo5

The more modern GE speakers may sound much better than the Triton 1 I originally heard, but given the quarantine it is going to be a very long time before I listen to any commercial speaker again. :)

I'm also ridiculously happy with my current speakers, so I can't possibly justify spending money on speakers.

Best,

E

Of course, this is all my humble opinion. Please keep things civil and love them if you love them. :)

I’ve gotten to hear the Magico S1 in the Magico demo room, and the A3 at a local dealer.

Here’s what they do well:

• Glass smooth mid to treble
• Fantastic off-axis imaging
• Very good dynamic range
  

But are they perfect and perfectly neutral? Not to me. What keeps them from that:

• Slightly cool tuned treble
• Scintillating color in the mid to treble, kind of makes them sound like ribbons (in the sense of adding things not in the recording)
  
• Extra resonance in the bottom of female vocal range / piano makes them sound chesty to me, like they hit a range where it is going to be more pronounced.
  
• That extra wide imaging also needs a great room or lots of space.
  

The Revels do as good a job with off-axis imaging, and modern Wilson’s have a better tonal balance with similar or better dynamic range. The humble Fritz line to me sounds overall much closer to neutral with great dynamic range and live-ability ( low total cost of ownership, small size, affordable), while the top-end Vandersteens sound great in a number of rooms neither Magico or Wilson would.

As always, buy what you like. This is of course based on my personal preferences and limited experience, and I don’t really need to impose my beliefs or values on you, so please afford me the same level of respect.

Best,

E