The problem with Magicos


Magicos are very expensive, solidly built and heavy however there is one problem which the speaker engineers didnt think of when it came to designing the speakers. The woofers in a Magico generate sound from both the front and the back. The problem is that the sound from the back is obviously contained inside that big solid enclosure and after it has reflected around the box, it becomes NOISE. So now you have generated NOISE inside the box which has to be dealt with. The only way to get rid of that nasty noise is to cut a hole using a drill into the back of the cabinet. The hole will need to be big enough to vent the noise. The noise will then need to be vented somewhere far away from the listening environment as you dont want to be hearing that while the music is playing. 

The reason Magico speakers are not universally liked is because they are NOISY. They have a lot of distortion coming out of them because all that box noise comes straight out the front of the midwoofers along with the music unbeknown to the listener. Some listeners will not tolerate this while others may not even realize its there because their ears aren't very good. Hence Magicos, have their fair share of detractors.

All the best and do not be cheated.
Kenjit
kenjit

Showing 2 responses by fsonicsmith

But for the most part, I find many of you can not and that reminds me of the famous howard stern quote from the movie, Private Parts...”#1 reason why people who hate him continue to listen to him ? Cause they want to hear what he’s going to say next !”
Great quote. Quite timely. 
The real problem with Magico's is that they are designed, built, and priced to appeal to those that buy with their eyeballs and not their ears. I call this the "Bowers and Wilkins approach" and look where B&W is these days. Until a heretofore undiscovered technological breakthrough occurs, all loudspeaker manufacturers relying upon conventional pistonic drivers have to rely upon limited design parameters. Some resort to the tried and true marketing gimmick of futuristic externals. Magico is like the Rolex Oyster Perpetual of loudspeakers; all that marvelous aluminum and bolts construction-"oh my, it is rock solid it must be better". For better or worse, a broad segment of audio consumers think something new about the design might just be the path to the Holy Grail that all others have missed. The case sure looks nice and there is plenty of current ownership cache' but that doesn't make the product any better from an objective standpoint. I have listened to them at length at shows. They are fine loudspeakers. Fine but not all that impressive. At the other end of the design spectrum, AN-E's blew them away for their delicacy, touch, tone, texture, and pure pleasure to this listener. 
Of course the AN-E's that I heard were being driven by top-notch electronics that provided synergy. When I read the post above from some well-meaning person who mated PrimaLuna and Benchmark amps with Magico's I had to cringe. That old rotten chestnut about putting one's money in loudspeakers before source and electronics.....