Magico A5?

[WDW]

A5's are now in house...had them about a week or so

…..after delivery of this pair of A5’s, grills and APods, I am confident in saying they are the equal of the Q3’s we had owned in the past. They are so very musical that only the more precious (see “audiophile, NOS DAC, single ended…tube based, etc…) could find too much, if any, fault with them.
They are, if you will allow, romantically musical.
Dangerous ground, I know.
Had the opportunity to compare/contrast with the much more expensive M2’s and these do possess a delicacy that may haunt the more competitive listener but these distinctions are quite small, audible and costly and small.
Scuttlebut has it that the M9 and A5 are the new design intent in the Magico lineup…so perhaps a new M2, a series 2….? Dunno.
Nevertheless, the midrange of these A5’s is so stunning, the low volume fidelity, so beguiling, etc….
No doubt, these are totally exceptional speakers.

 

[WDW]

OT for sure but seeking advice on preamp...as per our recent posts, just took delivery of our A5's and as noted above are totally smitten...have in house, a Constellation Preamp 1.0 for audition and are equally enamoured...these two seem to play a music I've never quite heard in our system (Pass Lab XA30.8, dCS Bartok, A5's and AQ Niagara 3000)
To audition the equivalent Pass Lab preamp, the XA32, would be highly problematic as we have no local dealer. Bought our amp from the good folks at Reno HiFi but with the border, covid and all other issues an easy home audition is unlikely.
Nevertheless this Constellation is a revelation...just soliciting any other possible alternate recommendations as it is clear to me a preamp in the system is just a welcome bump in performance I hadn't expected...always used DAC direct from our earliest Berkeley Audio days and forward assuming without confirming that the more simple signal path is the preferred choice.
Likely purchasing the Constellation but any other perspectives/opinions would be welcome before we make the jump.
Regards,
Warren

 

[CKKeung]

OT for sure but seeking advice on preamp...as per our recent posts, just took delivery of our A5's and as noted above are totally smitten...have in house, a Constellation Preamp 1.0 for audition and are equally enamoured...these two seem to play a music I've never quite heard in our system (Pass Lab XA30.8, dCS Bartok, A5's and AQ Niagara 3000)
To audition the equivalent Pass Lab preamp, the XA32, would be highly problematic as we have no local dealer. Bought our amp from the good folks at Reno HiFi but with the border, covid and all other issues an easy home audition is unlikely.
Nevertheless this Constellation is a revelation...just soliciting any other possible alternate recommendations as it is clear to me a preamp in the system is just a welcome bump in performance I hadn't expected...always used DAC direct from our earliest Berkeley Audio days and forward assuming without confirming that the more simple signal path is the preferred choice.
Likely purchasing the Constellation but any other perspectives/opinions would be welcome before we make the jump.
Regards,
Warren

Hi Warren,
Will you consider the Pictor preamp of Constellation Audio?
Your A5 deserves it for sure.

 

[GSOphile]

OT for sure but seeking advice on preamp...as per our recent posts, just took delivery of our A5's and as noted above are totally smitten...have in house, a Constellation Preamp 1.0 for audition and are equally enamoured...these two seem to play a music I've never quite heard in our system (Pass Lab XA30.8, dCS Bartok, A5's and AQ Niagara 3000)
To audition the equivalent Pass Lab preamp, the XA32, would be highly problematic as we have no local dealer. Bought our amp from the good folks at Reno HiFi but with the border, covid and all other issues an easy home audition is unlikely.
Nevertheless this Constellation is a revelation...just soliciting any other possible alternate recommendations as it is clear to me a preamp in the system is just a welcome bump in performance I hadn't expected...always used DAC direct from our earliest Berkeley Audio days and forward assuming without confirming that the more simple signal path is the preferred choice.
Likely purchasing the Constellation but any other perspectives/opinions would be welcome before we make the jump.
Regards,
Warren

Reno Hi-Fi will provide an in-home Pass demo unit if you're really interested in an XP-22 or XP-32 pre.

 

[WDW]

Hi Warren,
Will you consider the Pictor preamp of Constellation Audio?
Your A5 deserves it for sure.

Would do in a heartbeat but beyond my budget at the moment as I am now looking at the Constellation Inspiration Stereo 1.0....to replace my Pass Lab.
I should take this elsewhere as it is seriously OT. Thanks for the replies.

 

[GSOphile]

Hi Warren,
Will you consider the Pictor preamp of Constellation Audio?
Your A5 deserves it for sure.

+1 IMO the Pictor with the optional DC power filter is one terrific sounding preamp.

 

[steve59]

Whats up with the stereophile review? The measurements for the midrange look amazing but the peak in the bass and dramatic rolloff in treble would make me think these speakers will be really room dependant, really, really room dependant. When accounting for natural hearing roll off as people age having speakers that have so little energy at the fq's we're already challenged doesn't look good on paper. They say measurements below 3oo hz are room dependant but, man.

 

[GSOphile]

Although it's not yet on their website, Stereophile (December issue) has named the Magico A5 as both their Loudspeaker of the Year and their Product of the Year! Impressive!

 

[kparmer65]

Just traded my B&W 801N’s for a set of Magico A5’s. It’s so bad in comparison. Not even in the same league. I can’t believe these speakers cost what they do. Sounds more like a $6k speaker not $25k. I’m absolutely devastated. Wish I had my 801’s back.
funny thing is when I purchased the 801’s everyone said “better have some big power to drive those 801’s“
The A5 is no where near as efficient as my 801’s. Your kidding me really.
so unimpressed. Worst speaker I have ever owned for the price.

 

[Audire]

Just traded my B&W 801N’s for a set of Magico A5’s. It’s so bad in comparison. Not even in the same league. I can’t believe these speakers cost what they do. Sounds more like a $6k speaker not $25k. I’m absolutely devastated. Wish I had my 801’s back.
funny thing is when I purchased the 801’s everyone said “better have some big power to drive those 801’s“
The A5 is no where near as efficient as my 801’s. Your kidding me really.
so unimpressed. Worst speaker I have ever owned for the price.

Please post pics of your system. How many hours have they been running? What does the rest of your system consist of?

New member and begins by judging one of the best speakers in the market? Hummmm….

 

[PeterA]

Please post pics of your system. How many hours have they been running? What does the rest of your system consist of?

New member and begins by judging one of the best speakers in the market? Hummmm….

I went to my local dealer to hear the A5. I owned Q3s at the time and read all this great stuff about the A5. When I told dealing what my system was he told me I wouldn’t want to listen to the A5. I had also just heard the M3 in his bigger room. At the time I really liked Magico speakers and I wanted to hear what all the accolades were for. I asked him twice because I was really curious and they were right there in the smaller room and he refused to turn on the system choosing to discuss room acoustics instead. I haven’t been there since.

 

[ICUToo]

A5s out of the box sound TERRIBLE.
No liveliness, no bloom, no beauty.
They need a few hours at high volume to sound ok, then a couple hundred more hours before you realise that they have disappeared completely, leaving behind only the music.
They disappear like few others, and top-to-bottom take on a neutral, fast, accurate but NEVER nasty mien, with a beautiful natural midrange. Good wide-range frequency response- I actually prefer than without subs as the bass is so fast (not to say that excellent subs to fill the lowest lows wouldn’t help). Easy to place in-room for tonality, but quite fussy for perfect imaging.
And that’s driven with a solid state amp.
Make sure you hear a run-in sample- I was shocked at how awful they were at startup, compared to the ones I had heard at the shop.
All the best.

 

[joey_v]

I heard the A5 and the M2.
Not close in terms of treble reproduction. I know what I would rather have.

 

[kparmer65]

Please post pics of your system. How many hours have they been running? What does the rest of your system consist of?

New member and begins by judging one of the best speakers in the market? Hummmm….

 

[kparmer65]

MC611’s C53, Naim. This system is in my second vacation home on a lake. Low end stuff but the it’s the same thing I was driving the 801’s with. the A5’s have about 40 hours on them. ”New Member judging one of the best speakers” that I own not something I listened to in a showroom for 30 minutes or worse yet read a review on and regurgitate what I have read.
Im almost 60 years old and I have owned dozens of Audio systems over the years I don’t know all the fancy jargon but I don know what I hear after owning 100’s of thousands of dollars in audio over the years.

New

 

[Rhapsody]

Thx for the pic! It would be great to see where the other A5 is and how the A5s are set up in the room. It appears you do not have the spikes or Apods on the A5s and this right speaker is sort of in the corner of the room.

Do you have a full pic showing both speakers. We might be able to give some suggestions as to why you are not pleased with your A5s.

As stated above the A5's need at least a few hundred hours to open up, but it would be really helpful to see a full pic of your complete set up.

EDIT- Also trying to understand the set up. There are no speaker cables going to the A5 sp. terminals which are at the bottom of the speaker. There seems to be some type of single thin cable going to the back of the middle of the A5???? Just trying to understand the complete set up....thx

 

[Rhapsody]

New

I am sure that your Magico dealer that you bought your A5s from would be happy to assist with making sure the A5's perform optimally in your room. That is after the speakers have say 200 hours on them.

I will even suggest that your Magico dealer can and would enlist the assistance of Peter Mackay, who installs Magico speakers all over the planet.

If your Magico dealer is not able to assist you please let me know and I will get in touch with the appropriate Magico resource to make sure that your A5s perform in your environment to your liking.

 

[kparmer65]

I am sure that your Magico dealer that you bought your A5s from would be happy to assist with making sure the A5's perform optimally in your room. That is after the speakers have say 200 hours on them.

I will even suggest that your Magico dealer can and would enlist the assistance of Peter Mackay, who installs Magico speakers all over the planet.

If your Magico dealer is not able to assist you please let me know and I will get in touch with the appropriate Magico resource to make sure that your A5s perform in your environment to your liking.

 

[kparmer65]

I understand speaker placement. However that said it’s not always aesthetically pleasing to move the speakers out I the room. That was the reason for the purchase in the first place.
I had replaced the 801n’s with something new at my primary home so I brought the 801’s up to my lake home. They were way to large for the remodel plans that we have for the main level of the home. I called The Listening Room in Chicago inquiring about a different speaker. The salesperson talked me into the Magico and said I would “Love Them” and they would work in my home much better than my current speaker. Didn’t work out that way so fare.
I understand they will get better with brake in and I did move them around just to see what a difference it would make. Some not much so I moved them back to make the wife happy.
I will continue to pursue this for a few more days and see what happens.
in the end I can trade again I guess. We will see. Thanks for the help and advice.
BEST!
KP

 

[kparmer65]

By the way the dealer is about 7 hours away. Not sure if they can help.