S3 MK3 (2023) Arrived
- Thread starter exupgh12
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The S3 ship lengthwise side to side 47” wide x 22” deep x 25” tall
The Magico S3 ship side to side 47” x 22” deep x 25” tall . We can ship you pair !
Congrats on the new S5's! If I didn't already have the S3s I would pull the trigger on those. Anyone want a deal on a pair of the new S3s?
Just returned from Munich, and the buzz about the new S5 has me eagerly awaiting the arrival of my own pair of S5 speakers. It's a powerhouse, especially when it comes to bass. It incorporates all the great features of the S3 but on steroids. The sound quality and detail are the same, but it can fill a room with pressure and reach lower frequencies far beyond what the S3 can achieve.
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Well, well. Was thinking of upgrading to new S5s but most of the reports coming out of Munich were saying the S3s in the other rooms as well as the S3s shown in the same setting last year at Munich were superior in many ways. Think I'll stick with S3s. They are sounding so good now with the new Puritan PSM156 line conditioner and the new carpet spikes from Isoacoustics!
Both rooms with the S3 speakers were good, but they didn't come close to last year's Magico S3 room, which featured a subwoofer (or even two).
The S5 speakers, using the same electronics as last year, were able to pressurize the room in a way the S3 speakers alone cannot. In terms of sound, both the S3 and S5 sounded excellent in that room to my ears (Magico used last year room, acoustics and electronics, they just dropped the two S-sub with S5), with no noticeable difference in voicing between the two. However, the S5 can go lower and play louder than the S3.
Both the S3 and S5 are wonderful speakers, and you can't go wrong choosing either one.
Show reports only make me more confused; I'll wait to make any judgements until I hear the S5 2024 in person.
Here's an example of show reports from 2 professional reviewers from the same publication regarding the Magico S5 at Munich 2024.
Which report is accurate?
This one from The Absolute Sound's Robert Harley;
"Magico used the Munich show to formally introduce the new S5 2024, a larger version of the amazing S3 2023 that wowed me last year (and Jonathan Valin in his review in Issue 347). With a substantially larger enclosure and a pair of 10” woofers coupled to a 6” midrange, the S5 had a much more energy in the power range than the S3, which was demonstrated in the same room last year with the same electronics and front end (including a Wadax Reference DAC). The S5’s bottom end was big and powerful, with a strong physical presence. It didn’t sound quite as lithe and light on its feet as the S3, which could have been due to a room resonance. Price: $74,500."
Or this one from The Absolute Sound's Tom Martin;
Similiar to this report, and almost the same language (S3 on page 2) https://www.hifi-advice.com/blog/show-reports/munich-high-end-2024-show-highlights/2/
"In many ways, the S5 sounded like a bigger S3, especially in terms of treble delicacy, midrange sweetness, uniformity, lack of edge, and overall naturalness. On the other hand, the S5 sounded less tight and nimble than I recall the S3 being last year. The S5 bass is fuller in body, which also makes for a more voluminous lower midrange that seems a little darker and warmer than that of the S3."
Also in the S3/Wadax room: "This system sounded absolutely gorgeous. It was sweet, rich, fluid, and spacious yet linear and transparent, as well as tight, articulate, fast, and well-controlled."
And in S3 the MSB room: "The sound was supremely delicate, transparent, refined, and surprisingly fast and explosive, if not quite as engulfing or organic as the other S3 system. Visually, another beautifully simple yet deceivingly esoteric system."
My own experience (having owned original S3, S3mk2 x3, S3mk3, S5mk2, and S7s are that the speaker called for is entirely room dependent. Small to normal size rooms call for S3, Large rooms S5s and extra large rooms S7s. You can easily overwhelm a room if you don't match to room size properly which is likely what happened with the S5 in Munich. I think we need more data points to know for sure.
That's must be world record " recall the S3 being last year" , Human ability for echoic memory allows us to hold auditory information for about 3 to 4 seconds. Even short-term memory can retain sound information for about 20 to 30 seconds without rehearsal.
My 2 cents, audition the speakers yourself when possible, don't relay on reviewers.
...exactly. I seem to recall the fish was tastier last year, the sauce less piquant. This year it seemed somehow less inspired.
I was in this room last year for the S3 2023 event for a couple of days, and I won't dare to claim I heard a difference in sound quality between then and now in this room (S5 2024), due to the time gap.
Any perceived differences in sound quality could be attributed to the use of S-Subs last year. Adding subwoofers to the room can effectively manage acoustic issues, making the sound clearer and more agile by handling standing waves better than just two speakers alone.
Any perceived differences in sound quality could be attributed to the use of S-Subs last year. Adding subwoofers to the room can effectively manage acoustic issues, making the sound clearer and more agile by handling standing waves better than just two speakers alone.
Well, since this is an S3 thread, and not an S5 thread 
, thought I'd throw out there the question for which I am seeking an answer. Clearly a sub (or preferably a pair) with smaller speakers is optimal as per exupgh12's statement above. I'm now looking for a preamp that can output XLR and Single Ended simultaneously and wondering if anyone has good ideas there as far as recommendation. I was about to pull the trigger on a C10X and found out unfortunately that it cannot output mixed... Too bad, but there must be a stellar preamp on the market that can do this, and I don't want to go the way of something a JL Labs CR1 as you lose transparency and gain complexity...I have a pair of Klipsch (gasp) 1600s that are in the same room and only take RCA (shared with my theater). Don't suggest something like high level REL as that is not an option - already have 6 subs which is too many. Any ideas there will be appreciated as I'm starting to give up....Have looked at VAC ref, Ypsilon, Luxman and none of them seem to be able to do that trick (buffered output stage). TIA
, thought I'd throw out there the question for which I am seeking an answer. Clearly a sub (or preferably a pair) with smaller speakers is optimal as per exupgh12's statement above. I'm now looking for a preamp that can output XLR and Single Ended simultaneously and wondering if anyone has good ideas there as far as recommendation. I was about to pull the trigger on a C10X and found out unfortunately that it cannot output mixed... Too bad, but there must be a stellar preamp on the market that can do this, and I don't want to go the way of something a JL Labs CR1 as you lose transparency and gain complexity...I have a pair of Klipsch (gasp) 1600s that are in the same room and only take RCA (shared with my theater). Don't suggest something like high level REL as that is not an option - already have 6 subs which is too many. Any ideas there will be appreciated as I'm starting to give up....Have looked at VAC ref, Ypsilon, Luxman and none of them seem to be able to do that trick (buffered output stage). TIAI think the Pass Labs XP32 does exactly what you need:Well, since this is an S3 thread, and not an S5 thread
Master output: as XLR and RCA
Slave output: as XLR and RCA
Master and slave simultaniously and you can even adjust the volume of the slave output relative to the master output.
Great review and rave on S3 by Alan Sircom.
hifiplus.com
Magico S3 floorstanding loudspeaker
The third version of the popular S3 floorstander from Magico goes right back to the basics of making a loudspeaker (plus a few sprinkles of flagship), according to Alan Sircom.
hifiplus.com
VTL TL7.5 Series III, world class preamp (read Roy Gregory's review), simultaneously outputs xlr and rca.Well, since this is an S3 thread, and not an S5 thread
I’m looking at new S3 2023 or used S5 mkii. The dimensions of the S5 mkii actually work better for me. Any thoughts here? Thanks!
I’ve listened to both at length but never in my own room. I have heard the S5 mkII and the S3 2023 in the same room at the local Magico dealer but not in a side by side A/B comparison. With those caveats, each time I listened to the S3 2023 I thought it provided superior transparency, lower distortion/coloration, better tonal balance and soundstage. For me the S3 2023 is significantly more engaging and musical than the previous generation S5.
Just one person’s perspective; have you had the opportunity to hear either or both? If yes, what was your experience?
Thanks. The only Magico speaker I’ve heard at length is the A5. Spent a decent amount of time listening at AXPONA.
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