Does Magico have a "house sound", and if so, how would you describe it?

[Skanda]

Audio Drom gave the Magico M3’s their highest rating at 95%

MAGICO M3 | Audiodrom

Recenze - Test MAGICO M3

www.audiodrom.net

thanks for sharing, i've seen this review before and its a fun read

however, i want to point out that this 95, 98, whatever % rating is one of those illusions of false precision. there is nothing scientific behind this review and even if you look at the rating scale compared to others on that same scale it doesnt make it a valid experiment.

i'm an audio objectivist in the sense that the ONLY objective way to get an understanding of a component is to listen to it . as a professional scientist, a/b testing is really hard and when in doubt cover up doubts with lots of data and hint at a conclusion lol. i always get a kick out of the audio scientists out there measuring things left and right, getting lost in irrelevant data.

that said, i do believe some professional reviewers could take a less "i read the brochure" approach to their writings. don't want to start an argument over this but i have basically stopped reading TAS because it's just a reguritation of marketing material. on stereophile i like the combo of fremer's writing (though my tastes lean differently) and atkinson's measurements. atkinson's review of the s5mk2 was very dry but gave me enough detail about the spaker that wasn't pure marketing material that i thought it made sense to listen to it as it hit some criteria i was looking for.

for what it's worth, i would not classify soulution as hifi audio either: it sounds too real to be playback
in my system their 721 compliments the magico house sound really nicely.

 

[andromedaaudio]

however, i want to point out that this 95, 98, whatever % rating is one of those illusions of false precision

95 % is nothing . Lol
I bought krell evo 400 monoblocs back in 2009 , those were rated 100% at the time .
Audio bestenliste / audo or stereomagazine germany cant remember .
Not long long after that they started doing 102 103 + etc

 

[HenryD]

thanks for sharing, i've seen this review before and its a fun read

however, i want to point out that this 95, 98, whatever % rating is one of those illusions of false precision. there is nothing scientific behind this review and even if you look at the rating scale compared to others on that same scale it doesnt make it a valid experiment.

i'm an audio objectivist in the sense that the ONLY objective way to get an understanding of a component is to listen to it . as a professional scientist, a/b testing is really hard and when in doubt cover up doubts with lots of data and hint at a conclusion lol. i always get a kick out of the audio scientists out there measuring things left and right, getting lost in irrelevant data.

that said, i do believe some professional reviewers could take a less "i read the brochure" approach to their writings. don't want to start an argument over this but i have basically stopped reading TAS because it's just a reguritation of marketing material. on stereophile i like the combo of fremer's writing (though my tastes lean differently) and atkinson's measurements. atkinson's review of the s5mk2 was very dry but gave me enough detail about the spaker that wasn't pure marketing material that i thought it made sense to listen to it as it hit some criteria i was looking for.

for what it's worth, i would not classify soulution as hifi audio either: it sounds too real to be playback
in my system their 721 compliments the magico house sound really nicely.

I find his assessments short and concise and right on the money. I like that. Of course, you should 'trust' your ears, the problem is the brain, which is easily influenced

 

[andromedaaudio]

My system signature shows the gear I have and use.
Below that is a list of equipment currently in-house for review. Other components are in-the-works for review, but I wait until they are in-house to list them.

You have definetively scored points with me Tima with the ching cheng review or at least it part being part of the system
If you ever might be interested to review my speakers .
Just let me know.

Brg hj

 

[Addicted to hifi]

I have heard magicos but there not to my liking, to clinical sounding.

 

[BlueFox]

I have heard magicos but there not to my liking, to clinical sounding.

Do you ever post anything worthwhile?

In a few minutes I will be listening to Tuesday night tunes, which will be 5-6 hours non-stop tunes on my Magico S5s.

 

[Addicted to hifi]

Do you ever post anything worthwhile?

In a few minutes I will be listening to Tuesday night tunes, which will be 5-6 hours non-stop tunes on my Magico S5s.

Yes of course I do.I’m allowed to say my honest opinion.there not for me but are excellent speakers to other people.

 

[Addicted to hifi]

My friend has a pair of magicos and he likes them very much.

 

[Addicted to hifi]

The house sound to magico speakers for me is lean and clinical.

 

[BlueFox]

In a few minutes I will be listening to Tuesday night tunes, which will be 5-6 hours non-stop tunes on my Magico S5s.

Two hours into the tunes, and started beer three. Retirement is good.

 

[Al M.]

The house sound to magico speakers for me is lean and clinical.

That depends very much on the electronic and acoustic environment the speakers are in. They are chameleons in that respect -- perhaps that is their "house sound". They can sound full bodied and absolutely magical. It indeed depends.

 

[Addicted to hifi]

That depends very much on the electronic and acoustic environment the speakers are in. They are chameleons in that respect -- perhaps that is their "house sound". They can sound full bodied and absolutely magical. It indeed depends.

I believe you.I am only going by what I heard.

 

[Al M.]

I believe you.I am only going by what I heard.

I only go by what I hear as well, so I'm with you on that. Fortunately I have years of experience listening to Magico, and have heard astonishing transformations of sound, on the same set of speakers.

Regardless, while I am a fan of what Magico speakers can do, I stick with what I have and what I prefer, which is Reference 3A. No speakers are perfect, and every speaker has both strengths and weaknesses, but I really like what I have. It's a personal choice.

 

[JackD201]

Even the Q series which was known to be the "leanest" can be fleshed out with subtle changes in speaker position.

That said I would characterize the current line up as having a sound that is vivid. I think the current M Series is the best they have come up with since moving to metal and composite cabinets. The M3s have a very good synergy with Constellation amplification. I imagine they would also do very well with other marks that have grip down low eg Gryphon, Boulder, 10 series CH for those with limited room placement options or have become addicted to having their speakers way out into the room. I've found over the years that this is the case with almost all AS/sealed Bass loudspeakers. For those not averse to having their loudspeakers a little closer to boundaries, most high current designs should work just fine.

I have not heard the A series yet.

 

[KPC]

Thank you Jack! Got Constellation Inspiration pre n stereo and plan to get Magico A5 when funds available hopefully soon. Great to know their synergy.

 

[MadFloyd]

Even the Q series which was known to be the "leanest" can be fleshed out with subtle changes in speaker position.

That said I would characterize the current line up as having a sound that is vivid. I think the current M Series is the best they have come up with since moving to metal and composite cabinets. The M3s have a very good synergy with Constellation amplification. I imagine they would also do very well with other marks that have grip down low eg Gryphon, Boulder, 10 series CH for those with limited room placement options or have become addicted to having their speakers way out into the room. I've found over the years that this is the case with almost all AS/sealed Bass loudspeakers. For those not averse to having their loudspeakers a little closer to boundaries, most high current designs should work just fine.

I have not heard the A series yet.

Jack, curious why you list the 10 series for CH and not the 1?

 

[PeterA]

Even the Q series which was known to be the "leanest" can be fleshed out with subtle changes in speaker position.

That said I would characterize the current line up as having a sound that is vivid. I think the current M Series is the best they have come up with since moving to metal and composite cabinets. The M3s have a very good synergy with Constellation amplification. I imagine they would also do very well with other marks that have grip down low eg Gryphon, Boulder, 10 series CH for those with limited room placement options or have become addicted to having their speakers way out into the room. I've found over the years that this is the case with almost all AS/sealed Bass loudspeakers. For those not averse to having their loudspeakers a little closer to boundaries, most high current designs should work just fine.

I have not heard the A series yet.

I thought my Magico Q3s were fantastic speakers. I experienced a metamorphosis by improving set up, speaker positioning, and finally switching to Lamm electronics. Sadly my audio file friends never heard the final iteration before I sold them and went in a different direction.

 

[Lee]

While I like the Wilson sound quite a bit, I am also a fan of Magico. I think the A5s are brilliant speakers. I find them to be very musical and represent fairly impressive value for money.

I also like the M3s quite a bit which is what Ted Denney uses in his reference room at Synergistic.

 

[Blackmorec]

The house sound to magico speakers for me is lean and clinical.

Worth bearing in mind that lean and clinical can come from:
a poor mains supply
cheap networking components like routers, switches or extenders
poor DC power supplies
poor DC cables
poor cable selection
excessive EMI
anything that causes voltage limiting
anything that ’impairs’ resolution in the source chain
any component that is not fully run in
‘unflattering’ room reflections
poorly selected digital components
sub-optimal speaker positioning
poor or dirty contacts in the signal, network or power chain
Poor materials used to support a key component like a DAC, amp or pre-amp

A speaker like Magico will faithfully reveal whatever is in the source. It will not take a problematic source and ‘refine’ it. If the incoming source is lean and clinical, then lean and clinical is what you’ll get. There’s a very easy way to check. Just take a few of your favorite tracks and play them back. If your overall impression is ‘lean and clinical’ with non of the tracks sounds full, rich, warm and natural, then the challenge is to find what’s causing the problem, because something is.
For example, listening to Magicos in dealer showrooms or at trade shows can give a really poor impression of their performance, due to one, several or many of the above. In my experience that’s always been the problem with trade show demos where some components are maybe new and the installation environment is hugely sub-optimal.

 

[Addicted to hifi]

Worth bearing in mind that lean and clinical can come from:
a poor mains supply
cheap networking components like routers, switches or extenders
poor DC power supplies
poor DC cables
poor cable selection
excessive EMI
anything that causes voltage limiting
anything that ’impairs’ resolution in the source chain
any component that is not fully run in
‘unflattering’ room reflections
poorly selected digital components
sub-optimal speaker positioning
poor or dirty contacts in the signal, network or power chain
Poor materials used to support a key component like a DAC, amp or pre-amp

A speaker like Magico will faithfully reveal whatever is in the source. It will not take a problematic source and ‘refine’ it. If the incoming source is lean and clinical, then lean and clinical is what you’ll get. There’s a very easy way to check. Just take a few of your favorite tracks and play them back. If your overall impression is ‘lean and clinical’ with non of the tracks sounds full, rich, warm and natural, then the challenge is to find what’s causing the problem, because something is.
For example, listening to Magicos in dealer showrooms or at trade shows can give a really poor impression of their performance, due to one, several or many of the above. In my experience that’s always been the problem with trade show demos where some components are maybe new and the installation environment is hugely sub-optimal.

Yes it could have been the components driveing the magicos.