First Listen: Magico Q7 Mk.II - An Unexpected New Direction for Magico

[Alpinist]

Of course I'm going to wait given the electrician will be by within a week. I don't move that fast!

Hi Ian,

I agree with Peter, you just need to be patient. Once you get your power delivery straightened out, you will have all the bass you desire. There is nothing wrong with your amps or other components, you have absolutely world class gear from top to bottom. I look forward to you being wowed by the sound your gear is capable of delivering. Until then, hang in there my friend.

All the best,
Ken

 

[astrotoy]

I'm not sure "no deep bass" is a fair statement. What is he driving them with - is that Constellation? That said, as an owner myself I don't experience a lot of bass - I think those three drivers are there for quality over quantity (e.g. 3 woofers means each doesn't have to move as much air). Mine go down to 15hz before they drop off. That said they don't produce much midbass (compared to most speakers including the S5's which I also own).

My quote was "No real deep, deep, bass." I'm talking about a system with the Magico Q-18's subs or other big subs, or at least the bass of Q7's. When I heard Tim's Q7's, they were being powered by Centaur monos. Tim has the Hercules II on order for the M Projects. He did tell me that the amps he has currently hooked up are a bit small for the speakers. I've heard several different high end Magicos at Tim's including the Q5, Q7 and one of the S's (don't remember which one). The M project has the ability to see into the music more than just about any speakers I have heard. I don't have the dimensions of Tim's room, but it is pretty big, not huge. I might have been sitting half way back, maybe a bit more than that. Hope that clarifies things.

Larry

 

[CKKeung]

I have a feeling I need to change amps... it's driving me nuts. I'm praying I don't have to change speakers...

Hi MadFloyd,
Dedicated powerlines will help for sure.
However and to be frank, XA160.8 may not suit your Project M, and it is definitely outclassed by the Project M.

 

[KeithR]

I don't think Nelson Pass designs are "outclassed" by anyone.

His 10 watt SIT-1 sounds better than any SS amp I've heard.

 

[cannata]

Hi MadFloyd,
However and to be frank, XA160.8 may not suit your Project M, and it is definitely outclassed by the Project M.

+10

 

[CKKeung]

I don't think Nelson Pass designs are "outclassed" by anyone.

His 10 watt SIT-1 sounds better than any SS amp I've heard.

Hi Keith,

Yes, All First Watts made by Mr. Nelson Pass are not outclassed by any SS amps.
But I don't think so for the Pass Labs, except the Xs Series. haha

 

[PeterA]

Hi Keith,

Yes, All First Watts made by Mr. Nelson Pass are not outclassed by any SS amps.
But I don't think so for the Pass Labs, except the Xs Series. haha

I've heard the XA160.8 and XA200.8 are very close to the XS150, but that the XS300 is better. CK, how would you describe the weaknesses of the Pass amps?

 

[CKKeung]

I've heard the XA160.8 and XA200.8 are very close to the XS150, but that the XS300 is better. CK, how would you describe the weaknesses of the Pass amps?

All First Watts has that musicality magic of Mr. Nelson Pass.
For Pass Labs, it's presents in the Xs Series.
Maybe I am too demanding. haha

BTW Magicos are power-hungry.
A friend of mine who has pre-ordered a Project M is a Xs150 user and I am worrying a bit whether ...

 

[PeterA]

BTW Magicos are power-hungry.

Would you describe the Q7, Q3 and Ultimate 3 as power hungry? They are more efficient than the rest of the Magico speakers, though I know what you mean as a Mini 2 owner. I can't remember the specs of the M Project.

What SS amplifiers would you say are appropriate for the M Project?

 

[MadFloyd]

Hi MadFloyd,
Dedicated powerlines will help for sure.
However and to be frank, XA160.8 may not suit your Project M, and it is definitely outclassed by the Project M.

It will be interesting to see if the dedicated lines make any difference (from using the extension cords that I'm using now).

And I do suspect that I can do better than the XA160.8's but since that is pretty much Pass' best amp, I would have to look elsewhere. Unfortunately I hear that most of the usual amps mated with Magicos are not very warm sounding, it's not so obvious which way to go. Someone recently suggested Ayre...

 

[asiufy]

Ian,

darTZeel. And live happily ever after

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Ian,

darTZeel. And live happily ever after

+1.

 

[BlueFox]

It will be interesting to see if the dedicated lines make any difference (from using the extension cords that I'm using now).

And I do suspect that I can do better than the XA160.8's but since that is pretty much Pass' best amp, I would have to look elsewhere. Unfortunately I hear that most of the usual amps mated with Magicos are not very warm sounding, it's not so obvious which way to go. Someone recently suggested Ayre...

Ian, good luck with your search. However, no offense, but I get the impression that you will never be satisfied. .

While I have never heard either the M series or S7s, I would bet that I could swap them in place of the S5s, and be deliriously happy with the sound. Maybe something might sound a nuance better, but I would bet I am pretty darn close to being there. At least as long as the drivers don't break.

Good luck with the dedicated circuits.

 

[number95]

Would you describe the Q7, Q3 and Ultimate 3 as power hungry? They are more efficient than the rest of the Magico speakers, though I know what you mean as a Mini 2 owner. I can't remember the specs of the M Project.

What SS amplifiers would you say are appropriate for the M Project?

91 db @ 4 ohms

I can say M Pros are driven easier than my older B&W N800s and Q5s.

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

It will be interesting to see if the dedicated lines make any difference (from using the extension cords that I'm using now).

And I do suspect that I can do better than the XA160.8's but since that is pretty much Pass' best amp, I would have to look elsewhere. Unfortunately I hear that most of the usual amps mated with Magicos are not very warm sounding, it's not so obvious which way to go. Someone recently suggested Ayre...

You want to hear the Magicos sound warm, one word, Jadis

 

[LL21]

You want to hear the Magicos sound warm, one word, Jadis

Interesting. I remember reading one of the members here write he loved the Magico Q7s with Zanden monos...i dont know how difficult it would be to drive the big Ms (perhaps easier than Q7s?)...but i do recall this member saying the sound was sublime, but admittedly the bass had been noticeably tighter with a SS amp.

 

[MadFloyd]

Ian, good luck with your search. However, no offense, but I get the impression that you will never be satisfied. .

While I have never heard either the M series or S7s, I would bet that I could swap them in place of the S5s, and be deliriously happy with the sound. Maybe something might sound a nuance better, but I would bet I am pretty darn close to being there. At least as long as the drivers don't break.

Good luck with the dedicated circuits.

Sad, but possibly true, Bud - at least in my current room and your impression is totally understandable (and no offense taken). It's ironic that I struggled with too much bass for years only to be in the opposite situation. The closest I've come to the sound I'm looking for was with S5's, but the M-Pros are so much better that they are worth persevering. As an audiophile I will never be truly satisified, but I think I will be happy when I sort out this bass issue. Right now it's a bit distracting, but I'm still enjoying the M-Pros (even as I write this). My system still gets me out of bed everyday. I think what you're mostly hearing from me is frustration that I haven't gotten these to sing the way that others have.

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

Interesting. I remember reading one of the members here write he loved the Magico Q7s with Zanden monos...i dont know how difficult it would be to drive the big Ms (perhaps easier than Q7s?)...but i do recall this member saying the sound was sublime, but admittedly the bass had been noticeably tighter with a SS amp.

100% faster, tighter, more authoritative bass with SS. Makes me happy!

 

[number95]

100% faster, tighter, more authoritative bass with SS. Makes me happy!

Then perhaps one may claim 100% better articulation, smoother decay with tubes )

Let us go back to topic, Q7 mkii ;-)

 

[andromedaaudio]

I personally think CAT would be a perfect match for the Q7 or probably just about any magico except the Q 5 which is supposed to be very hard to control .
The CAT is fast and has basscontroll of the best SS amps , i heard the Q7 on zanden and that was great but i think those woofers would benefit of more control then the 9600 gave them