Magico A5?

[GSOphile]

There is no 2 or 1 ohm ratings its peak ms burst so unless you istening to ms burst pops

Its 600 watt bridged 8 ohm thats it

The amp didnt exceed the bench test prove amp is current limiting into 4 ohm as it couldn’t double power

Luxman gave peak (dynamic) power ratings for 1 ohm stereo and 2 ohm bridged mono loads to show that the amp is designed to handle dynamic low impedance loads. Atkinson didn't test these (nor do I recall him ever testing dynamic power in an amp review).
I listen to quite a bit of classical orchestral music, which is quite dynamic, but my room is not large, and I don't listen at high decibel levels. The Luxman has plenty of juice for my purposes with Magico speakers similar to yours, and I like the Luxman sound, but it may not be your cup of tea.

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...I know I have posted this before, but I read that same Stereophile report, and I was close to closing the A5 deal at the time.

I pinged JP at Luxman USA which started a chain of exchanges between Magico and Luxman people. It took about a week, when the word back from Magico and Luxman Japan was: m900 bridged would be great with A5s. No worries.

The caveat was avoid loud test sweeps that might linger on that frequency. No limits on music genre, including techno/EDM/and mysterious electronic genres unknown to me.

I don't disagree that more power could be nice (when isn't it?!), but I don't find any limitations with the Luxy gear driving the A5s in my room, for my preferences.

Really, just chipping in with that data, not offering any judgment re: one amp vs. another. I like the A5s and they sound great here. All good gents. Have fun...whatever your power needs dictate!

 

[rau]

I listen at lower levels and I'm sure the M10x would of been just fine , the only reason I tried the Centaur II 500 was because I already owned it for my Focal Maestro Utopia Evo . I would of never dropped that much on a centaur amp at todays prices . The focals are easier to drive so I ended up getting a Constellation Taurus for them . I doubt there's anyone here that will ever drive there A5 that hard to have any issue .

 

[Soundrulz]

I have not tried the amps listed above.
I‘m running Bryston 28 Cube mono blocks that I have dedicated 20 amp circuits to each. I’ve played some very heavy bass tracks and they fully pressurize my room. Room size is 14x20 in a fully open concept home with 18’ ceiling. Sure my sub when I use in movie mode fulls more. For music, the A5’s provides exceptional bass response that is so articulate and tight.

 

[ICUToo]

For music, the A5’s provides exceptional bass response that is so articulate and tight.

They really are stunning speakers- neutral yet beautiful.
When I upgrade the upstream components, the sound improves further ie the A5s have got more to give!
Now I wonder what the hell the new S3s might have to offer....

 

[avian]

I listen at lower levels and I'm sure the M10x would of been just fine , the only reason I tried the Centaur II 500 was because I already owned it for my Focal Maestro Utopia Evo . I would of never dropped that much on a centaur amp at todays prices . The focals are easier to drive so I ended up getting a Constellation Taurus for them . I doubt there's anyone here that will ever drive there A5 that hard to have any issue .

How did the A5's sound with the less than optimal amps? Would you say closed in, veiled and lacking dynamics?

 

[Soundrulz]

They really are stunning speakers- neutral yet beautiful.
When I upgrade the upstream components, the sound improves further ie the A5s have got more to give!
Now I wonder what the hell the new S3s might have to offer....

I won’t go there listening to the new S3’s as they are beyond my price range. Instead I enjoy what I have now, the A5’s.

Every day I’m always playing music. Each time I listen to music, I hear nuances never heard before. Even at low volumes and the imaging is there. You can be in any seat in my room and get imaging from both speakers. Sweet spot is practically any seat. Regardless of volume level, they always sound incredible.

 

[ICUToo]

I understand all rooms are diffrent but curious how far away from wall A5 owners have there speakers pulled ?

a meter

 

[Soundrulz]

14”. My dealer set them up personally. He used a Bosch laser measuring device for distance and proper toe in. My room is about 14’ deep, and that distance was best for my room.

 

[cjf]

The A5 indeed does appear to have a rough Impedance curve but I suspect its not as bad as the S3's curve is. At least as far as my S3 MKI's are concerned. I'm not sure if they (Magico) improved this behavior for the MKII S3's but it appears according to the last Stereophile review of the S5 MKII's they seemed fairly easy to drive by comparison. Not sure if an assumption can be made that they made the same improvements to the S3 MKII's or not but it may not be too far of a stretch to think that maybe they did.

In any case, according to one review of the S3 MKI's, they showed an EDPR value of 0.5ohms. Below is a snip from that review. Unfortunately I apparently didn't keep the whole review to show more context but I believe the source was HiFiNews at the time.

I guess my point of all this being, that I agree these Magico's like Current but maybe not as much as you might think. I drive my S3's which are MKI's with a pair of baby Pass Labs XA60.8 Mono's and they sing quite loudly, clearly and without too much signs of strain into higher SPL levels over 105db. I so have them cut off at 60hz where my Subs take over. This no doubt helps in reducing the Amp's driving requirements but even before I had this current setup, the small Pass'es had no problem keeping the Magico's under control.

I cant say I had the same luck while attempting to use any of the Class D Amps I owned along the way though. They all puked while attempting to drive the S3 MKI's and likely the same would apply to the A5's discussed in this thread.

 

[GSOphile]

According to Magico, the S3 MkII, with the exception of the extruded enclosure, was a complete new speaker vs. the original S3. Having heard the original and now owning the MkII, for me this is a credible statement. I have not seen any impedance measurements for the S3 MkII. I think most would agree that in general a sealed enclosure speaker is more difficult to drive than a ported speaker of comparable size and driver configuration.

 

[rau]

Finally got the footer studs I needed , I'm going miss my chifi footers

 

[ICUToo]

Any listening impressions to share, rau?

 

[mxk116]

Finally got the footer studs I needed , I'm going miss my chifi footers

I like the idea of trying alternatives to the Magico Apods for the A5. My only concern is increasing the height of the tweeter too far above ear level. I'm eager to learn from your experience with the IsoAcoustics product.

 

[rau]

Any listening impressions to share, rau?

Just Installed and won't be back to listen for couple weeks . I'll update then

 

[rau]

I like the idea of trying alternatives to the Magico Apods for the A5. My only concern is increasing the height of the tweeter too far above ear level. I'm eager to learn from your experience with the IsoAcoustics product.

Well the gliders I had them on for sure was to low , I'm looking forward to listening. I'll let u know

 

[avian]

Are they the Gaia Titan Rhea or Theis? I've been eyeing the same solution, purely because spiked speakers are a pain to move on hardwood floors.

 

[rau]

Are they the Gaia Titan Rhea or Theis? I've been eyeing the same solution, purely because spiked speakers are a pain to move on hardwood floors.

Gaia 1 but you'll need to get the A5 studs from ISOACOUSTICS or dealer they are 1/2-13

ISOACOUSTICS product finder says Gaia 1 for A5

 

[rau]

Also if one wants to use spikes they also sell these , I use them on my focals with my ISOACOUSTICS footers

 

[avian]

Just Installed and won't be back to listen for couple weeks . I'll update then

Any updates?