I finally got the chance to listen to the well regarded Magico Q3's last night. I took my MacBook Pro, loaded with a wide range of music I REGULARLY listen to (not super resolution, show off my stereo productions), running Audirvana Plus with iTunes. The room was medium sized, with the speakers in a room friendly position- i.e., not 1/3 into the room, but rather where one would have them if the room served multi purposes. Playback was through a Berkeley Alpha DAC with USB, Plinius Preamp and amp, Audioquest cables and an Oppo 105 disk player when playing discs.
The speakers were outstanding. Resolution was incredible (even at low levels), imaging was superb, and tonal balance was realistic. (I detected a slight harshness at a loudness I would never listen to, and it may have been from the Plinius clipping, not the speaker- I didn't hear it at a normal listening level for me). Attack and decay of individual notes sounded real. The musicians were placed in concrete positions in the sound field, and their dimensions were realistic. The best part was that it was easy to listen to music, not the speakers. The music flowed effortlessly, even though the resolution was off the chart of my previous speaker experiences. WOW was a frequently used word throughout the session. I didn't want to stop listening, but after several hours at my gracious host's house, I forced myself to say goodbye. While these speakers may not be everybody's cup of tea, everybody should at least give them a listen. I still want to listen to Rockport's latest, but baring them usurping the Q3's, I think I've found my next speakers.
The speakers were outstanding. Resolution was incredible (even at low levels), imaging was superb, and tonal balance was realistic. (I detected a slight harshness at a loudness I would never listen to, and it may have been from the Plinius clipping, not the speaker- I didn't hear it at a normal listening level for me). Attack and decay of individual notes sounded real. The musicians were placed in concrete positions in the sound field, and their dimensions were realistic. The best part was that it was easy to listen to music, not the speakers. The music flowed effortlessly, even though the resolution was off the chart of my previous speaker experiences. WOW was a frequently used word throughout the session. I didn't want to stop listening, but after several hours at my gracious host's house, I forced myself to say goodbye. While these speakers may not be everybody's cup of tea, everybody should at least give them a listen. I still want to listen to Rockport's latest, but baring them usurping the Q3's, I think I've found my next speakers.