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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 11 responses by kenjit

kenjit OP
1,771 posts
 
There is no need for that. It is entirely voluntary of course. The offer is there if you want me to custom tune your speakers.
kenjit OP
1,771 posts
 
Why pretend that you have and that they are bad?
I am not pretending that they are bad. I am just pointing out that they are noisy speakers. If you like that then fine. But considering what they charge, they should have addressed this issue. 

I think Magicos should sell for about $1k to $3k in light of this. $50k to $100k is too much for a noisy speaker.
kenjit OP
1,771 posts
 
 Magico speakers aren't budget items. If drilling vent holes suits one's preference then so be it.
It wont be as easy as that I'm afraid. My original suggestion was written with tongue in cheek. So if you have a Magico, I'm afraid modifying it will be too much trouble. You would be better off just spending that money doing it correctly in the first place. 

All the best and do not be cheated.
kenjit OP
1,771 posts
 
ports only work for bass. You are talking about bass frequencies. I am talking about mid frequencies, which do cause noise inside the cabinet. The amount of energy inside that box is the same as the amount of energy in your room. Clearly a bit of polyester wont absorb much of it.
kenjit OP
1,771 posts
 
yes however they are patented (by me)
kenjit OP
1,771 posts
 
Erik, I will gladly come round and drill a hole in your SNR1 so that you can hear for yourself just how much dirty NOISE there is inside that box of yours! and every other box for that matter
kenjit OP
1,771 posts
 
 isnt this problem inherent with > 80% of current speakers.
yes.
Or, in other words which speakers/ speaker brands have dealt or corrected this issue.
obviously <20%
And if they have, are those speakers sounding better than magicos.
Thats a silly question. Sound is subjective. Anything can sound better than anything else. The question is
DOES REMOVING THIS DIRTY NOISE FROM THE OUTPUT OF THE SPEAKERS BRING US CLOSER TO PERFECT REPRODUCTION OF THE MUSIC BEING PLAYED?  
ANSWER: 

YES
kenjit OP
1,771 posts
 
If noise is musical it should be on the recording. Noise should not be added to every recording by the speaker. That is WRONG.

Magico speakers are supposed to be noiseless designs. That is why they use heavy strong boxes. But as I've pointed out, there are many sources of noise and if you dont eliminate them all, you will still be left with some noise. The fact that they have made an omission is therefore not intentional, it is unforgivable given the cost of these things. 
kenjit OP
1,771 posts
 
Is the noise measurable? If so, have you measured the noise or have you heard the noise yourself? What model(s) did you hear the noise?
Yes it is measurable. Every model will be affected by it, even Rockports or Wilsons or kef.

Kef has recently discovered this phenomenon and has begun using meta technology to try to eradicate this noise however it is not perfect. Kef metas only eradicate the upper frequencies of this noise. The lower frequencies remain.

But at least it corroborates my claim that this noise is REAL.

Here is what KEF has to say about this NOISE:

With any drive unit, as much sound is generated at the rear of the unit as at the front (see figure 2) and this radiation is unwanted and needs to be absorbed. 
Which is exactly what i have been saying in this post. 

So next time you want to make fun of me, just remember, KEF has corroborated my claim and therefore it is supported by one of the leading speaker companies in the world. 

Vivid audio is another leading company that supports my claim. Here is what they say:

For the listener, the sound produced from the front of the loudspeaker is obviously what matters most. For us as engineers, the issue of the sound coming from the back is just as important. Unless it’s contained or dissipated, it will reflect off the back wall of the cabinet and interfere with the forward radiation, adding unwanted colour and resonance

kenjit OP
1,771 posts
 
So why do people by Magico's?
Because they have a unique sound. The cabinet is stronger than MDF so that contributes to the sound. But the noise I referred to remains. However that remains in most other speakers too so most audiophiles cant hear the effect of it. 

Maybe there is something magic about the noise? How would you know this to begin with?
Noise should not be there. If it is not on the recording it should not be there. Most high end speakers fill the cabinet about 50% with polyester or foam. It is easy to test how much sound is absorbed by this amount of foam. The amount of foam inside a typical bookshelf speaker is so small that you could talk right through it.  
kenjit OP
1,771 posts
 
Never heard of sealed subwoofers?
Dont be so stupid. We are talking about midwoofers not bass frequencies
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