sonus faber electa amator iii or magico A1 or any other suggestion


Hi,

I'm a bit confused and undecided about which book shelf speakers to choose. Till now I've heard magico A1 live and Proack k1 live, both of them were fantastic, but i think majico A1, in my opinion, sounds better. Unfortunately, i can not listen to the sonus faber elcata amator III it in my country, i can order them, but can't hear them live. I've heard them on video in youtube and i have to say that they seem to be very interesting. Can anyone please advice me, what is the better choice between those two loudspeakers or suggest on any other bookshelf speaker at the price of approximately 10.000$.

Thanks a lot. 

If its important for the decision, I'm planning to buy a vac phi 170 iQ monoblocks. Thanks again.
128x128haimr
My personal preference is the Magicos.  I think that is a very well made speaker and will match well with your VAC Amps.    

The Sonus Faber is also a very well made and wonderful sounding speaker but I would be wary pairing it with a VAC amp.  The sound may drift a bit dark.  I wouldn't run anything warmer than say....ARC with these.  

You could look at the Focal Sopras 1s.  They are a very nice sounding speaker and should be available through most of the world.  

Kef's Reference 1s are hard to drive but those amps will do a brilliant job with them.  Great bass extension and a three way design rather than two way.  

If you like Magico you probably won't like Raidho or Audiovector.  

I would normally recommend looking at my Verdant Audio Blackthorn 1.  Wonderful speaker, right on your budget.  I can send you some hi-res recordings.  But it really depends on what country you are in as tariffs and taxes can make it impossible.  I will take them back if you don't like them. 


I have owned the original Sonus Faber Electa Amators for about thirty years, and can recommend them highly. However, all the magazine reviewers just love those Magicos. You say you have heard them and thought the sound was "fantastic". Why wait, just buy the Magicos! Your ears should be the best judge(s). You'll never have to look back and wonder if you made the right choice.
The Electa Amator is far more musical.  I’ve heard both quite extensively.  I don’t love the marble on the bottom of the Electa, but it’s an otherwise painfully gorgeous speaker.  No comparison to the Magico in that regard.

The Electa also has much more satisfying bass.
With Magico you have to be very careful with how you react to their tweeter. The Beryllium dome can be heard as very hot-- and it can also ring. Depending on your sensitivity to such things. A safe bet would be the SF's. IME, Magico can sound great, but they have to be matched up far more carefully with the ancillary gear, and since they insist on using a Beryllium dome....the aspect of Berryllium 'bite' is always present!
The tweeter in the A series is superb. 
The new electa amator are not like the old one. They are unbalanced, with glaring highs and wooly bass. 
Look at their measurements. The tweeter is 10 dB up at 20Khz. Crazy. 

https://hifinews.com/content/sonus-faber-electa-amator-iii-loudspeaker-lab-report