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?
Will be hard to beat the A3 at its price point, I have looked long and hard.
The YG are very nice, but I don’t think they are great value, my A3, to my ears, get me as close to the music at 1/4 the price (in Europe). The built quality is also superb. I can probably play them louder, the YG can sound strained when pushed.
Anyone considering Magico’s, should also give a listen to Audio Solutions speakers. I have heard both Virtuoso and Figaro and found them to be very musical and a better buy. They were paired with Vitus CD Player and Integrated.
I have nothing against Magico’s but IMO, they are overpriced.
Looking at used prices the Magico name holds its value better than most of the boutique brands and with the new a series coming out I could see myself trying out a used pair of A5's in 5-10 years when I can score a pair. Generally speaking, the more advanced the speaker the less likely i'll be able to afford the complimentary components to drive them. so in reality i'll probably never own a pair.
@
lalitk
I think with magico you are paying for their exceptional cabinets with all the extensive aluminum internal bracing. But can you build a cheaper mdf or composite cabinet for cheaper with great drivers/crossover for less cash? That might be the argument against extensive aluminum cabinet. @mheinze Are you talking about the YG carmel 2?
I don't like the bass impact from the YG Brand of speakers. The bass is there, don't get me wrong, but it sounds underwhelming. I heard the big Magico's at RMAF in 2017. It was either their most expensive or one of their most expensive and they did sound amazing. However, I did think the highs were a tiny bit dry.
I have never auditioned Magico speakers, however reviews from around the world are very positive. But then many speakers which attract expensive prices seem to attract very good reviews, sort of goes with the territory...? Maybe to be more realistic the choice of speakers is more depended on the presentation of sound; which one does one prefer.
You know your Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye will do 0-60 in 3.4 seconds but will you admire its spectacular build compared to an Aston Martin that does it in 5.4 seconds? If you could pick one to use then give back in 3 years at no cost to you which would you pick?
I've heard big Magicos absolutely sing at the end of Constellation and Soullution Monos. It was like an undernourished boxer when driven by Dartzeel monos. I think too many on this forum, and indeed reviewers have a 100 point/5 star system of the best at x, y, and z. I'm not so sure as time goes by. I've heard all sorts of systems delivering the goods. If you asked me the best playback i ever heard was a £500,000 fm acoustics system which really sounded like live music using FM amps, and speakers. When i speak to people who are pretty dyed in the wool audiophiles, almost all of them enthuse about rooms with built in horns and valve amps.
I’ve never heard a Magico but they have great industrial design and I expect they sound good but maybe need somewhat warmish sounding components to make them really sing. I’m just guessing. All that said I find my Wilson Yvettes to check all audiophile boxes while being extremely musical. In my room I’m 100% satisfied with the results. There’s no real meaning to my post other than to say that auditioning Magico would seem to me to require a listen to Wilson’s as well. Both are top drawer but I’m thinking quite different. FWIW
For sure price ratio quality keep some signification ....
For sure nobody has ever heard hundred of speakers in the same conditions in the same house....
Then price and reviews are some clues to go on with...
But no pair of speakers, sound the same, in various acoustical room, and in various electrical grid, and with various controls of resonance and vibrations...
Then how can we know?
How can we compare more than few speakers in our own house ?
And what would be the results of our own comparison if we had embedded these speakers differently, acoustically, electrically, and mechanically?
:)
My modest speakers are TOTALLY transformed, by some embeddings controls, i know for sure that any speakers can be put at another level by rightfully being embed....
I own the 802d3's and question a lack of midrange and upper midrange resolution. I note that they employ 'continuum' midrange cones which are of variable thickness and stated to offer best available clarity via their combination of stiffness and self-damping...self-damping is as all know indeed considered important in loudspeaker cone design. I auditioned the Rockpor Avior 11 and Cygnus loudspeakers, in respect of which Mr. Eric Squires' comments regarding the Magico A3's caught my attention...eg. 'shimmering color in the mid-treble to treble', and 'extra resonance in the low end of the female voice'. To my ear the Avior 11's 'dissected' the resonance of violin ensembles in a manner reminiscent of the granular quality of similar music (? 'poorly') recorded in 26/44.1. The midrange had a 'thin but 'loosely' resonant' quality. How to compare to 'reality' ? Well performed violin ensemble music...trio, quartet...sextet...has...'in the flesh''' a vivid but smooth quality, without harshness, without exaggerated 'echo'. Well-performed orchestral music may, for smaller orchestras, be 'spare' but does not have a 'thin' quality. In such reproduction both the 802D3's and Rockports to my ear fall short. Do the Magico a5's do any better ? .I hope to audition them when covid precautions allow. I must thank Mr, Squires for his descriptive terms.
My local dealer said the A5 is nice but not at the level of resolution of the M2.. but that is to be expected given the price difference. If the A5 had that diamond coated tweeter it would have been truly incredible. But I am sure they don't want to step on the toes of the M series too much. @seventies Are you saying the Rockports fell short of the A3 including the Cygnus? If so thats pretty mind blowing.
If you asked me the best playback i ever heard was a £500,000 fm
acoustics system which really sounded like live music using FM amps, and
speakers.
I second that -- auditioned at FM acoustics' room. And the system was fantastic even using the mid-range pre. Where did you audition the system?
@smodtactical The Magico M series is excellent to my ears, a bit difficult to drive well.
Another speakers worthy of mention is the Giya 1 by Vivid audio. I think they offer better dynamic impact -- but haven't compared them side to side to the Magicos
@gregm I heard the FM at a show called 'the indulgence show' in London. FM are a very rare and exotic bird in the UK and I jumped at the chance. They played it with a band as comparison. Incredible.
What amp do you use with the Magico. On some DArtzeels they sound a bit flat and meh - but when i've heard them with Soullution or Constellations they have sounded superb.
smodtactical and others I referenced Erik Squires' comments regarding the A3, I have not heard them. I did audition the Rockport Avior 11, digital source, and Rockport Cygnus loudspeakers, analog and digital sources, and I own the B&W 802d3's. I wish there were means to directly compare the B&W, Magico and Rockport speakers. As I said, the Rockport Avior 11's reproduction of orchestral sound 'seemed' to dissect sonic timbres such that a large orchestra's sound resembled the sound of a much smaller, chamber orchestra. I can described this characteristic as 'thin and loosely resonant'. Could this perceived characteristic due to diminished midrange speaker cone 'self-damping' ? Conversely, is the B&W 'continuum' speaker cone material a source of 'fatter' midrange and lesser midrange resolution due to its self-damping quality, and was the choice of cone material 'tuned' to American listeners of non-classical music ? Further, is there 'self-damping' inherent in the vinyl lathe cutting process such that loudspeaker cones with lesser self-damping are a better 'match' for analog reproduction ?
When I was demoing gear in the Magico A3 price range
#1 Yamaha NS5000 #2 Paradigm Persona 5F (and 3F) #3 Vivid Kaya 90 (interested in the cheaper Kaya 45 but no demo available) #4 Magico A3
The 3 speakers I liked more sounded more coherent across the frequency range. I did not notice the drivers at all in #1 and only slightly on #2 and #3, The A3 was slightly more noticeable though not that big a deal.
There were some other factors in play too such as the gear I wanted to use to drive the speaker. The Magico A3 seemed to need some paower.
The A3 was excellent but I liked the other 3 a bit more. I am interested to see if Magico adds the A5's bass driver tech to the A3. A dealer said no on that to me but I think it makes sense to do so.
I spoke to a prominent reviewer who has heard both A5 and NS5000. He basically said they were both in the same league in terms of performance but the A5 has a more inert cabinet and is somewhat more detailed and has a bit more bass. But he said he would be happy with either speaker. His reference is Alexia 2 which he found superior to both but again not hugely so.
What amp do you use with the Magico. On some DArtzeels they sound a bit flat and meh - but when i’ve heard them with Soullution or Constellations they have sounded superb.
I listened to the M3 & M5 with a Symphonic Line Kraft 250
@dznutz I agree the NS5k are very very transparent and detail monsters. Amazing imaging and ability to fill a huge space. Don't find them harsh at all either. Really enjoy them. They seem to really scale with increases in room space.
YG can't compare to Magico. YG is lean and hard compare to Magico A3. My initial impression of Magico coherent, detailed & tons of air no bad stuff like lean hard bright sound. Tone not sure about yet though. On a quick demo cymbal taps were not rich and brilliant which my Harbeths can do. If someone want to lend me a pair I will put it through it's paces😉
P.S. I think Wilson is definitely a contender as well. It would be a nice shoot out. Wilson has less air and a wee bit cooler in shades of color.
Naturally having a good time, luxury and music come hand in hand and this year The Indulgence Show will be showcasing a range of music performances from jazz bands and string quartets to rock bands and even a Drummerthon. These artists will be displaying their musical talents in the Chablis suite with 30 - 60-minute stage sets.
It’s been a while since I posted here. Back then I had two rigs. One of them with Magnepan 1.7i. The other with Magico A3s. I sold the Maggies. I have the A3s. I am wondering about the Magico A5s. Does anyone here have the A5s? What are your impressions of them as compared to other speakers you have auditioned? Thanks.
There is no one best manufacturer or best speaker, it's completely subjective. Also, so much depends on the amp(s), preamp and source when demoing.
All that said, a few years back when looking for my next speaker the top of my list included Magico S3, Evolution Acoustics MM3, Vandersteen 7 and Vivid Audio Giya G2. After extensive listening I purchased the Vivids. I could have likely lived happily with the Vandersteens also. Some months later I had the opportunity to hear the Magico M3s and they are very, very good. They might just be my next speaker.
I have never heard a loudspeaker. What I have heard is loudspeakers as a vital component of a system. Over the past few years, I have heard two systems that stood out. One had Sonus Faber Aria IIs with top-tier Audio Research amplification and dCS Vivaldi stack as the source. The other was the Magico M2 with top-tier Luxman amplification and Aurender digital sourcing; I should mention that it also used more than $30k of Shunyata conditioning and power cords, and similarly expensive cabling, too, I am sure. Let me add that the “Magico” experience was jaw-droppingly superb. However, I also heard M2s at another dealer with a totally different setup. There, what I heard was essentially mediocre.
Obviously, in my estimation, the M2s have outstanding potential. Whether that potential can result in one hearing a revelatory audio experience is another matter altogether.
I've had the opportunity to hear several different models of Magico speakers on several occasions, and I was very impressed on each occasion, just as I was on the occasions I got to hear offerings from many other high end brands as well. There's a plethora of speaker manufacturers out there who make extremely fine sounding speakers and Magico is just one of them. Obviously, Magico isn't for everyone, but, a fine speaker indeed. Personally, I'll stick with my beloved Revel Salon 2 speakers.
You get what you pay for and Magico gives you your money's worth. They are easily one of the best dynamic speakers made today if not the absolute best. My only problem with them is that I prefer line source ESLs. Putting Tektons in the same category is an insult of extreme proportion. That is like putting a Yugo in the same category as Ferrari. The only reason Magico's are not for everybody is everybody can not afford them.
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.
For what it’s worth, and for the money (at the introductory preorder price, pre/price increase, when they were first released) I don’t think another box speaker can beat my Magico A3s. I like a neutral detailed and uncolored presentation. But because I like to experiment with different things I might get in 2923, a pair of Magnepan LRS+ or a pair of Ohm speakers. Just to occasionally have something different.
I have been a long Magico fan. Started with S1 then S3 then S3 mk2 and finally S5 mk2. Everyone agrees on Magico's impeccable build quality and top notch design. I still think the S3 the best looking, along with M2. It's the bass quantity (not quality) that has continued to bother me. I can hear the note (quality is there), but the bloom and the ample quantity to help them sound like live real music.....is missing. Associated equipments are all in the same league, including chord M scaler/Dave DAC, Soulution pre power, and synergistic research SRX cabling throughout. Then, my audio dealer, who has become a friend through all these years, recommended Von Schweikert speakers. The following week, I listened to their new mk 2 version of VR 55 active, which is pretty much similar $ as M2, and I just ordered a pair right there and then. They were simply amazing. The bass that I have been missing in all the right quality and quantity was there along with awesome mid and high. I am glad I did not get to listen to their more expensive ultra range because I would have way overextended my budget.
Been living with the A3's for a little over 2 years. 8 feet apart 8 feet to listening position, 2 feet off back wall, 2 feet off side walls.
The magico apod footers, in my case with extra long spikes to penetrate carpet and padding made a large difference, both in imaging and clean tonality.
Also found big improvements with a coupla sound treatment panels between the speakers.
Without footers and panels, good, with-->much much better, possibly great.
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