High End 2018

bonzo75

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Feb 26, 2014
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Ked is obviously compensating for the control he showed in London when we ate out.

You were pretty controlled when you were with me, you obviously compensate on the forum
 

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
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I was very happy to shut up for a change.
 

Elberoth

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Dec 15, 2012
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The Magicos M6 were a star of the show for me. By far. I have spent 90 min in Magico's room. I don't recall spending that much time in a single room EVER on any show I've visited in the past 25+ years. The M6 alone were worth the trip to Munich.

It is also probably the first time I really liked a Soulution based system. The system sounded better when the Kronos TT was in action instead of the Soulution CD - another proof that the less Soulution in a system, the more music.

I have the smaller M3s, so certain qualities like incredible smoothness and resolution, lack of gran and coloration, were sth I was accustomed to. But the effortless bass and macrodynamics, transformed this great speaker into sth rather spectacular.

I liked the M6 much better then the Rockoprt Lyra in another room (although in all fairness - the Rockoports system was based on the cheaper Soulution 500-series components, not the top of the line 700 like Magico's). Somehow I expected the speakers to be much closer in performance. I did not hear that smoothness coupled with that almost infinite resolution of the Magicos and the uncany palpability.

Another pair of Lyras in the Absolare room sounded very 'nice', but the longer I stayed in that room, the more lored the system sounded to me. IMO the Absolare hybrids were just too slow for the Rockports.

BTW - spending 90min in one room let me notice things that I haven't noticed before: how much the system balance changes depending on how many people were in the room and where are you sitting. The system went from upfront (on bright recordings with less people in the room), to rolled off, warm and beguiling kind of sound when sitting in row 2-3, with the room full of people.

Sth to keep in mind when visiting hi-fi shows.

But certain qualities of the speaker shone through irrespective of music and # of ppl in the room - namely infinite resolution, lack of coloration and effortless of sound.
 
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Leif S

Industry Expert
Feb 13, 2015
770
166
180
California
www.vonschweikert.com
Hey Ron - who is everyone in the photo then. Obviously I know yourself and Ked. Shakti has his name on the t-shirt :)

I was able to meet and hang out with Max for a few. Pleasure meeting him.
 

Leif S

Industry Expert
Feb 13, 2015
770
166
180
California
www.vonschweikert.com
Magico room sporting the KRONOS PRO and MasterBuilt Signature interconnects

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Leif S

Industry Expert
Feb 13, 2015
770
166
180
California
www.vonschweikert.com
Ibex Audio showing Wilson Benesch, Viva, APL, and MasterBuilt Audio cables

20180509_184935.jpg

20180509_185005.jpg

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Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
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The Magicos M6 were a star of the show for me.

. . .

Another pair of Lyras in the Absolare room sounded very 'nice', but the longer I stayed in that room, the more lored the system sounded to me. IMO the Absolare hybrids were just too slow for the Rockports.

. . .

It is great that you enjoyed the M6 so much! It think it is Magico’s best speaker yet.

Someone who likes the sound of Soulution on Magico is never going to like the sound of Absolare on Rockport, and vice versa — and that is totally fine. It is what “makes horse racing” and what makes this a fascinating and subjective hobby.
 

Elberoth

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Dec 15, 2012
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It is great that you enjoyed the M6 so much! It think it is Magico’s best speaker yet.

Someone who likes the sound of Soulution on Magico is never going to like the sound of Absolare on Rockport, and vice versa — and that is totally fine. It is what “makes horse racing” and what makes this a fascinating and subjective hobby.

That is a HUGE generalisation. A false one at that IMO. Those speakers (both Lyra and M6) can be made sound very different, depending on the system. My M3, with a warm/fluid sounding MSB monos (or Dag Momentum) and Lampi Golden Gate sound as far from your concept of Magico sound, as one can get.

I have said repeatedly on this forum, that If I only heard Magicos under show conditions (where, sadly, they are most of the time partnered with Soulution / Spectral / Devialet gear) I would have never bought it. If you haven't heard Magicos with this kind of amplification, or some great tubed stuff, you are missing big time.
 

PeterA

Well-Known Member
Dec 6, 2011
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That is a HUGE generalisation. A false one at that IMO. Those speakers (both Lyra and M6) can be made sound very different, depending on the system. My M3, with a warm/fluid sounding MSB monos (or Dag Momentum) and Lampi Golden Gate sound as far from your concept of Magico sound, as one can get.

I have said repeatedly on this forum, that If I only heard Magicos under show conditions (where, sadly, they are most of the time partnered with Soulution / Spectral / Devialet gear) I would have never bought it. If you haven't heard Magicos with this kind of amplification, or some great tubed stuff, you are missing big time.

I tend to agree, Adam. Magico speakers, especially the Q and M series, are so transparent that I think one is hearing the character of the electronics and source more than the signature of the speakers. But there, I just generalized about the sound of Magico speakers as most people seem to do.

I am fascinated by the Magico M6 vs. the Rockport Lyra. Similar price and incredible build quality. There is a lot of attention to the cabinet in both speakers. If you compared them in the same system, how would you describe the differences between these two speakers? Do you think the same buyer would consider both models?
 

BMCG

VIP/Donor
Oct 1, 2016
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I am fascinated by the Magico M6 vs. the Rockport Lyra. Similar price and incredible build quality. There is a lot of attention to the cabinet in both speakers. If you compared them in the same system, how would you describe the differences between these two speakers? Do you think the same buyer would consider both models?

Echo the fascination....would have thought Goodwins might have a compare on offer?
 

PeterA

Well-Known Member
Dec 6, 2011
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Echo the fascination....would have thought Goodwins might have a compare on offer?

I too, but apparently, these speakers are too expensive for Goodwins to get. I guess the market is too small in the Boston area. I think they did sell their entire allotment of 4 Magico M Project speakers at $139K. I would be curious to try the same up stream components and then to change something, say a cable or source component, perhaps a cartridge, to see if the change is as significan or audible with each speaker. If not, one speaker is less transparent.
 

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
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That is a HUGE generalisation. A false one at that IMO. Those speakers (both Lyra and M6) can be made sound very different, depending on the system. My M3, with a warm/fluid sounding MSB monos (or Dag Momentum) and Lampi Golden Gate sound as far from your concept of Magico sound, as one can get.

I have said repeatedly on this forum, that If I only heard Magicos under show conditions (where, sadly, they are most of the time partnered with Soulution / Spectral / Devialet gear) I would have never bought it. If you haven't heard Magicos with this kind of amplification, or some great tubed stuff, you are missing big time.

Respectfully, I think you are replying broadly to an assertion I did not make. I agree that amplifiers can make speakers sound different.

I did not suggest that someone who likes Absolare on Rockport necessarily wouldn't like Magico driven by some other amplifier. I wrote only a narrow assertion about Soulution on Magico versus Absolare on Rockport. I think those pairings exhibit clearly the difference in sound preferences.

Every time I have heard and liked Magico speakers they were driven by tubes (Kondo on M3 at Rhapsody; CJ on S5 Mk. II at Myles; Jadis on M3(?) at LAAS 2017 Brooks Berdan Ltd.; Alieno on M3 at audioquattr).

I think high power tube amplifiers on the M6 would be a great-sounding combination for many people.
 

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
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. . . Do you think the same buyer would consider both models?

I definitely think the same buyer would consider both models, but that buyer would buy only one of them.
 

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
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Thank you for posting, tunes. Completely selfishly it was very interesting for me to read Jonathan’s thoughts on the same rooms I heard and commented on. Other than him caring less for Absolare on Rockport than I did (though he still praised it for exactly the same reasons I loved it) I think there is a lot of overlap of similar impressions, especially if you factor in a constant adjustment for his tendency to like solid-state electronics and for my tendency to prefer tube electronics.

I would have been curious to read his thoughts on the TuneAudio Avaton.
 

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