@needlebrush.,
Just what are you referring to, enlighten us?
Oh, but he did.............
Magico vs the world
Everywhere I look I only see people (end users and professional reviewers) raving about magico. Build quality, incredible sound, etc... everyone just loves them, especially the modern series, A3, M series, S series (mk2 variant). It is impressive for sure. But I am curious, what speakers have you heard that you compared to magico that you like as much or maybe even better?
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Yeah those GE speakers are so good that you can put them haphazardly anywhere in the room and achieve excellent sound. One right next to your chair and the other somewhere in front of you (location not important)............Not sure whether Ozzy was being sarcastic or not but I've had the same experience with my GE Triton 1r's. My most comfortable recliner is basically right in line with my right channel speaker. While i have a perfectly acceptable sitting position in the "sweet spot", I prefer the recliner and I'm amazed at how well the Triton 1r's image while presenting a wide soundstage. Music is so enjoyable I hardly ever sit in the sweet spot. I switched to GE and traded in my ML stats mainly because because the stats were unforgiving unless you were in the sweet spot. To me, the GE Triton 1r's are amazing in my all tube system and a hell of a bargain although they've raised the price a bit since I purchased them. J.Chip |
Of course he was being sarcastic, but who really cares? Imagine, he doesn't like the way my speakers are set up? I guess I should have consulted the great Oz first. He believes I sit in the easy chair on the side but actually I sit on the couch directly across from the speakers. Next time I am going to drop 8K+ on speakers, I will be sure to consult him as he, like millercarbon, knows everything and us lesser people do not. They both drink from the same Kool Aid cup, and worship the orange guy. |
J. Chip, I agree that placement isn't that critical with the Triton series, but I spent days moving my speakers to get the best imaging I could. I am using Triton Ones in my other system and have been thinking of getting the One R for that system. If our current nightmare ever ends, I will audition the Triton One R speakers. b I am glad you like them, I have heard many good things on the GE forum about them. |
Stereo5 As always, what works great in one system may not be as good in another. For me, the Triton 1r's are ideal. Their high sensitivity (92 spl) and the fact that they have their own powered bass drivers allows me to drive them effortlessly with my modestly powered 50w tubed mono blocks (Cary Audi Six Pacs). Im using a Prima Luna Dialogue Premium tube pre amp and the combination is so musical that I dont even think about hardware anymore. I'm sure there are things I could do to tweek and improve the overall sound but it sounds so good that I'm reluctant to touch anything. I have a Classe 175w SS stereo amp as a backup for when I just want to have background music for parties, etc. Helps keep hours off the tubes. Listen to mostly Jazz and my source is a relatively unknown CD player from Sweden (XTZ 100) which is build like a brick shithouse and pairs up nicely with my gear. Only thing I'm considering is adding a Schitt Bitfrost 2 outboard DAC. Very, very happy. J.Chip |
J.Chip, Your description has piqued my interest immensely. Once the restrictions are relaxed, I will contact the local dealer where I bought my last 3 pairs of GE speakers. I have been dealing with them for years. My wife was in the owners class in Catholic High School. I am sure he will be doing "by appointment only" within the next couple of months. Enjoy your speakers, I love mine. |
The Tidal are beautiful loudspeakers, but for me, just like all other speakers with ceramic drivers, are ultimately fatiguing. I spend hours in front of a system mastering recordings, and what may sound impressive at a demo can become extremely unpleasant in the long run. The Magico don’t jump at you, they are balanced and neutral, and they will take the form of whatever it is you put through them (look at all the different opinions, many are at a complete contradiction with each other). Some will find it boring. Many audiophiles are looking for extra excitement when listening to music. I just want to hear the music as it was capture, it is interesting enough. |
My brother and I wandered into the Magico room at the show in LA last summer. We have been at this for a while. My brother used to set up Von Schweikert speakers at shows for Albert in the 90's. His ear is much better than mine. We both have had high quality systems, while not mega dollar, good solid systems. Anyway, we both had never heard Magico and were really interested in hearing them. At the show, the Magicos were presented by a nice reputable dealer from here in SoCal, so we thought this is going to be good! They were not. We listened for a few minutes and looked at each other and said, 'lets get outta here' Sorry, but these speakers were the most over rated, non-musical, sterile sound, I, personally have ever heard. I figured that most of the folks who were in the room and liked them must not have a good ear. Meaning they would not know a good speaker if it bit them in the rear. I mean not borderline 'not great' but actually, 'really not good'. The cool part of that show was that Albert was there and my bro chatted with him, he had not seen him for 25 years. Plenty of good sound at that show, just not in the Magico room. |
@mikesawtell Which magicos did you hear? I don't think its a matter of people not having a good ear more just a matter of taste. There are also so many variables... what were the electronics, what was the room like, what were they playing? People with well trained ears love magico so I don't think its some issue of them appealing only to novice listeners. Actually the s5mk2 and m2 is on stereophile class A 2020 recommendations. And every pro reviewer and those who listen to magico that I've seen gush about them. Feelings like yours are relatively rare from what I've seen. But of course they may not to be your taste and I am not negatively criticizing you at all. This is subjective. |
Not sure the model number of the speaker. Very expensive room however. The speakers I believe were around $20K per pair. It was the Magico room last summer, 'The Show' in LA. Rooms that impressed me were the ATC speakers from Europe, the Odyssey room, Joseph Audio room. Many rooms were set up poorly. The Magico room as I recall did not benefit from 2 additional very expensive sub woofers they had set up with it. I even asked why would you need 2 sub woofers with $20K speakers? I think the subs were around $5k for the pair. The sound was not at all musical to me. Maybe I heard a bad recording or the room was not set up properly but was not impressed. To each his own. |
Well, I've listened to various Magicos, mainly the S1 MkIIs through to the S5s. I don't really think of the S3s or S5s as being cool or clinical, as some have implied, just very real - with the right matching equipment and lots of watts driving them. Superb soundstaging and imaging with, for the most part, great tonal balance and timbre. However, this doesn't apply to the S1 MkII: I tried a pair for a fortnight and hated them - crystal clear, but also sibilant, with a treble emphasis and limited bass. The S3s seem to be the Magico sweet spot, whereas the A3s are so so - good, but not spectacular - which tells you a lot about the technology in their more expensive speakers. Interestingly, Wilson Benesch reveal many similar benefits, with their carbon fibre models at very high prices; and similar problems with their lesser models. However, even the Act needs the Torus bass emitter - so I would probably buy the Magico S3 MkII. So, after years of experimentation with everything from Sonus Faber to Tannoys, I settled on a brand that gets very little exposure, but is big in terms of its 'bang for your buck' quotient: the Audio Solutions Figaro L - from a distant Lithuania. Superb cabin design, imaging as good as the front end allows, huge soundstage and bass, and tremendous finesse when required. Superb treble extension and control, a slight hint of warmth, but wonderful clarity and articulation of both instruments and voices. Great with jazz, classical music and rock. They are hardly heard of in most audio circles, but offer 95% of what the S5s offer for a fifth of the price. Not the absolute last degree of realism, but certainly more than nearly all of the speakers mentioned above, apart from Magico and Vivid (the Giyas). Note, the "Ls" are significantly larger and better than the "Ms", and they offer considerably more than the likes of Vandersteen, B&W, Kef, Wilson Audio, etc. They are also pretty efficient at 93db, so they love my 35 watt amp. Like Magico, they represent a new wave of innovative design, but at a quite different price point - at least with their Figaro series. For what its worth ................ |
I have heard the Q7 with Dan D'Agostino M400 monoblocks and a crazy expensive dac. I think that my PrimaLuna HP Integrated, Orchid dac and Tekton Design Double Impacts are 80% there, and has more natural sounding voices.It would be fun to compare the Tekton Ulfberht with the Q7 This was in a home, not at a show |
P.s. after a couple of years of listening session with several brands I ended up buying WA Alexia which to my ears have a much more natural (analog) sound. It’s not just about better voice or more natural acoustic instruments, they just give a better “picture”. I would also put my previous speakers (linn Komri) above Magico, as The are less natural than Alexia but incredibly detailed, resulting in a better overall picture. fair to say that it’s a personal assessment based on my taste and I find magico very detailed and balanced too |
Hello,I had a pair of Dunlavy SC V, and those speakers was suppose to be my last one, but when i heard the Magico A3 i was very impressed. For the sound of course, but also for the image. When the set up is good the image is as big as the Dunlavy SC V with much less speakers volume. So,I bought the Magico A3 after listening three other pairs of speakers. It was: Sonus Faber Olympica, Dynaudio Contour 60 and Paradigm Persona 5F. Those speakers was good, but nothing comparable with the Magico A3 for the same price. The sound and the image of the A3 was more than three time better than the others speakers that i heard.It's why i bought them. Note: First if you buy them new, be patient, patient and patient.... Some people sold them after six mounth or less and i hunderstand them. The Magico are very difficult to break in("à rôder" in french). You have to be patient because at the beginning they sound very badly. Acording to Magico it takes 600 hours, but i thing it takes more than that. And when they start to sing ...it's Magico. :-) |
At Axpona last year the two best systems I heard were Magico M6's and the B&W 800D3's. Magico's running off of D'Agostino gear, B&W all Mcintosh gear. The amazing thing about the Magico display was that it was literally in an open air atrium in a dead end of a hallway outside of all the conventions sized listening rooms. It sounded like a concert. Pretty amazing. I wish I could post pictures here, you almost have to see it to believe it - they literally made a hallway sing. |
It's kind of odd to me that, w/the exception of the JMLabs reference above, Focal doesn't seem to be on anyone's radar...I'm thinking that choosing between a Magico S3 and a Sopra 3 would probably be tough, and getting the cost evened out a bit more, how about something from the Utopia line?As many have observed, it's what sound you like/prefer ~ for me, the detail, imaging, and tonal accuracy of the Focals is wonderful...and best of all, I can get a slice of it for less than Magico's "cheapest" speakers [Aria, Kanta]. |
i have an s5mk2 and absolute love it. especially with big class a power from a symphonic line kraft 300, the speakers have incredible tone and texture and have overcome any narrow soundstage issues that can be the case with magicos. i've come to understand that these speakers LOVE power. the more the better. they sounded great with 250watts from my odyssey amp but the 500 or so watts that the kraft can do just opened the speakers up in a massive way. high current designs are the way to go with any magico imo i plan on listing them in the near future to move up to an m2, alsyvox tintoretto, or an mbl101e mk2. the s5's are no slouch compared to any of these and, ironically, the m2 offers the least upgrade (but damn are they cool!). the alsyvox and mbl's have a different magic that only those kind of designs+ribbons can give. that said, i never left those demo's feeling like my s5's were behind. it's more a matter of taste and being a gear hound. i think the s5mk2 can easily be the speakers around which to build a cost no object system. |
Unless some pot of gold falls out of the sky, I won't own these. I personally found the 30K Sonus Faber/MAC more enjoyable than Wilson Sasha DAW/Audio Research. Also like the Paradigm sound. So many brands out there but Magico seems to have plenty of fans. And now for something completely different(Monty Python) the Tannoy sound was good. |
Avantgarde Duo Horns get my vote https://www.avantgarde-acoustic.de/en/ Haven’t heard anything that can touch them But like other posters have said - I need a lottery win :-) |
I really like the Harbeth 40.2, but they are so different vs. the Magico speakers I own that the comparison is meaningless. In my own two systems I have the M3's and the Q3's. They are famous for being neutral - very little, if anything, added to the ultimate sound. I thought the Q3 was the best speaker I ever heard in it's price range - until I bought the M3's. I've listened to nearly all the current models of Magico speakers at trade shows and I like them all - for different reasons and applications. But, they are expensive. A used pair of any Magico, in good condition, might be an affordable option. |
Well sorry to join the "not my cuppa" mob but I tend to agree on the Magico "sound"frankly, beautiful finish, top flight marketing obviously making the Owner lots of dosh! I've heard them in numerous settings from the First launch at CES-sadly my impressions remain the same to this day--rather brittle ,dry and I find them fatiguing especially on Digital material and heaven only knows why they present with a server or digital demo to prospective customers-beats me. No its a brave attempt at a seemingly superior Transducer-but fails in my view. There are far better choices for the prices Magico demand today. I'd suggest Vandersteen 5a Carbons, Tidal Diaceras,Big Verity's-and a Plethora of others for consideration if box speakers are your quest. Sorry Magico-like I said "not my cuppa"--well in my room anyway . IMHO T212 |
I went to hear the Magico A3 with the intention to purchase them based on all the glowing reviews. When I first heard them I thought, aha, now this sounds nice, but after a few minutes I noticed it to be a little cold/sterile sounding. They were being demoed with Ayre equipment. I ended up buying the Focal Sopra 2’s. I liked the sound better. ozzy |
@skyscraper Sorry for the delay. My Magico A3s are on a all digital system of streaming or CD. Here is the system: Power: 20amp dedicated line from the breaker box > Shunyata PS8 with Defender and Greenwave EMI filter > PS Audio PowerPlant P12. Integrated amp in cold months: PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium HP Preamp is warmer months: Pass Labs XP-20 with Revelation Audio Labs power connection cable, with Amps: Benchmark AHB2 monoblocks, First Watt SIT-3 or M-2. Sources: InnuOS Zenith Mk3 w/Innuos Phoenix running Roon Core w/Squeezelite. DACs: a variety which I switch in and out - Chord M Scaler with Chord Quetest (w/SBooster power), PS Audio DirectStream DAC or Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ w/SBooster. CD: PS Audio DS MemoryPlayer with I2S connection to DS DAC. Internet: Eero Pro to SOtM switch Ethernet cables are DH Labs Reunion Interconnects: Shunyata Delta Power Cables: Almost all Shunyata Deltas NR except for Delta EFs on the Benchmark amps due to space constraints for the plugs.USB cables: Shunyata Venom Speaker cables: Shunyata Delta Speakers: Magico A3 I know. It’s a disease. Sources: |
I read over some of the other replies above. At AXPONA last year I heard the Vandersteensn in their listening room and granted it is hard (some would say impossible) to get an accurate audition of a speaker at AXPONA, I will say that they were impressive. I had already purchased my Magico A3s from my local dealer before their price increase. The A3s are well designed and well built. Some say they sound clinical. I say accurate. This is a matter of taste. If you desire warmth get a tube amp or preamp. If you want blacker backgrounds get better cabling and power management. Also make sure your listening room is acoustically ok per your liking. I have space constraints. So the A3s meet my need in that regard. The Vandys or S3 mk2 would not fit. Plus here is the kicker. I live in a 4 story townhouse. Guess which floor my listening room is on? The A3s each weigh 100 lbs. Anything heavier isn’t going to make it to its destination without help from the Chicago Bears offensive line, though I imagine with some N95 masks they might be available. |
One interesting thing is Jeff from soundstageultra downgraded his $400k Magico Q7 system to a $40k system featuring Vimberg Tonda (non diamond). He could have chosen an S series magico for that price easily but he choose vimberg because of the sound. Reading his review it seems he really didn't even give up sound quality compared to the mighty Q7. This is why I think Tidal is one of the clear competitors to magico. |
