Magico A5s arrive at Rhapsody....color me confused;)

[gds7368]

That's consistent with my experience. I had mine in my main system from May until October. I played music, tv, movies, etc every day. I had considered parting with them sooner as the bass hadn't showed up until well into September. When it did, it was like a light switch.

How many hours would you guess that required?

 

[Rhapsody]

How many hours would you guess that required?

That's consistent with my experience. I had mine in my main system from May until October. I played music, tv, movies, etc every day. I had considered parting with them sooner as the bass hadn't showed up until well into September. When it did, it was like a light switch.

Bretson, what amp(s) were you using on the A5's? I ask because upon arrival of our A5's I put maybe 100 to 200 hours on them within the first week running 24/7 and they filled the room (18' X 35' X 11') with big time bass after the first few hundred hours. I was feeding the A5's with very strong 600 Watts into the 4 ohm load. Just curios as to what amps were you using.

I was doing demos after 100 hours and people, as myself, were AMAZED at the sound. There was nothing lacking.

 

[Bretson]

Bretson, what amp(s) were you using on the A5's? I ask because upon arrival of our A5's I put maybe 100 to 200 hours on them within the first week running 24/7 and they filled the room (18' X 35' X 11') with big time bass after the first few hundred hours. I was feeding the A5's with very strong 600 Watts into the 4 ohm load. Just curios as to what amps were you using.

I was doing demos after 100 hours and people, as myself, were AMAZED at the sound. There was nothing lacking.

I switched between a burmester 051 run as an integrated to running a Burmester 911mk3 being fed by the balanced preout of the 051. I also had a Luxman 509x in during that period.

 

[Rhapsody]

I switched between a burmester 051 run as an integrated to running a Burmester 911mk3 being fed by the balanced preout of the 051. I also had a Luxman 509x in during that period.

Thx. I was just curious as I did not have the same experience. Who knows????

 

[MadFloyd]

I switched between a burmester 051 run as an integrated to running a Burmester 911mk3 being fed by the balanced preout of the 051. I also had a Luxman 509x in during that period.

Since I'm using a Luxman 509x what were your thoughts on that unit with the A5s?

 

[Bretson]

Thx. I was just curious as I did not have the same experience. Who knows????

Who knows indeed. I have absolutely zero complaints about the A5's

Since I'm using a Luxman 509x what were your thoughts on that unit with the A5s?

There are a lot of positive qualities about the 509x. Its build and aesthetic is top notch. I have also owned a 590axii and 590aii. I prefer both of the 590's to the 509.

I tended to prefer the sound with the loudness circuit engaged honestly. Without it engaged i found the bass to be lacking fullness i receive from my Burmester units. It seemed always to require to be played louder to get the A5's to produce their full frequency range. This may be less of an issue depending on your room size and preferred listening level.

Had i not had the 051 to compare back to back the differences would not have been so obvious and the 509 would have been easy to live with. As it were, i consistently found the Burmester to perform better.

I was always curious to try a Gryphon Diablo 120 and a Vitus 025 to compare all four but never had the chance.

 

[MadFloyd]

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Wilson Laidlaw]

The Piega sounds interesting. Why don’t you start a thread dedicated to the brand? I’d like to read more about it.

I would agree about a thread on Piega speakers. There seems to be very little in the way of disinterested third party reviews of these, maybe because the makers are stingy about handing out pairs for review.

I have just ordered a pair of their tiny Ace 30 speakers to replace the 10 year old DALI Royal Menuet-II speakers on my bedroom system. I am an acute arthritic and can be bedridden for days at a time, so I like to have a decent audio system in my bedroom to distract me. The Menuets have been very good but not unsurprisingly over the last 10 years, they have slightly lost the last edge of crispness. The space in the big heavy oak bookshelves they sit in is very limited and until the new Ace 30 Piegas came along, I had been unable to find a quality speaker small enough to fit. I drive them with a Naim Nait 5i-2 integrated amp fed by an Audiolabs M-DAC (lakewest upgraded). I also have a Ruark (made by M&K) powered mini sub woofer. If will be interesting to compare the Piegas after they arrive (currently stuck in customs - thank you Boris). Hopefully the planar ribbon tweeters should give me the precision and crispness I am looking for. I will post again after receipt and running them in for a few hours.

Wilson

 

[Nuprin]

Bretson, what amp(s) were you using on the A5's? I ask because upon arrival of our A5's I put maybe 100 to 200 hours on them within the first week running 24/7 and they filled the room (18' X 35' X 11') with big time bass after the first few hundred hours. I was feeding the A5's with very strong 600 Watts into the 4 ohm load. Just curios as to what amps were you using.

I was doing demos after 100 hours and people, as myself, were AMAZED at the sound. There was nothing lacking.

Bob,

How would you compare the differences between the A5 and the Diesis Aura that is in the same price range?

 

[Wilson Laidlaw]

The Piega Ace 30's arrived a few days ago. Unusually, even out of the box they sounded good and after some hours running in, I think they are exceptional for their minuscule size. They are even smaller than the already very compact DALI Royal Menuets they replaced but sound noticeably bigger. What I really notice is their impeccable timing. Due to space limitations in my bedroom, they are closer to the listening point than ideal but even so, there is no sense at all of separate speakers, with a completely coherent sound stage. In this aspect they are the equal of the ATC speakers I use on my larger UK and French systems and to my way of thinking, that is high praise. As one might expect with ribbon planar treble drivers, the upper range is very clear and precise. Unlike the DALI speakers which go a bit dull sounding at lower volumes, the Piega speakers maintain their drive and clarity down to quite low sound levels (useful for not disturbing other members of the household late at night). All in all, I am delighted with my purchase. Also got excellent service from Audiologica the UK agent, who kept me informed during their tortuous and prolonged journey from Switzerland to the UK.

Wilson

 

[BeCurious]

Just read this thread - very interesting - thanks for all the informative posts.

I have been doing some research on upgrading my speakers. My short list has Magico S5 mk2’s, Focal Scala EVO’s, Wilson Sasha DAW’s, Paradigm 9H etc. on it. I recently talked to a dealer about a demo of the S5 mk2’s. He said he has just sold the pair he had, but just got some A5’s in which he felt are better in some ways. I am waiting for them to be run in and am quite excited about hearing them based on many of the comments here. I also got the impression that new versions of other speakers (S5?) may be coming. It would make sense to see the newest tech drivers deployed up the line. Intriguing to think how good the S5’s performance might be given how high it is reviewed to be already.

 

[Rhapsody]

Nice clean Magico M2 recent installation with a Devialet 440.

 

[Addicted to hifi]

Nice clean Magico M2 recent installation with a Devialet 440.
View attachment 76752
View attachment 76753

Beautiful set up especially the turntable.

 

[Bartolo]

I look forward to demoing A5s shortly at my dealer’s shop along with Rockport Atria ii’s which he reps as well.

In re A5s - and perhaps Magico in general if the question is not too broad - I’m interested to know what direction folks have taken with electronics?

Currently running Focal Kanta 3s with D’Agostino Progression integrated on order to replace my hybrid BHK 300s and pre. Chord DAVE DAC and Roon Nucleus Plus.

Apologies if this is not the thread/forum for my question.

Did you ever do that comparison. I too am planning on listening to those 2 speakers in about the next week or so.

 

[Soundrulz]

Copy to this thread
re A5’s arrived Sept 15

It’s been a few weeks now with my A5’s. All this time I’ve been listening with the grills on. Which by the way are very high quality. Got them since I have pets and didn’t want them to damage any of the drivers.
Well, removing the grills, holy @#$& imaging is fantastic!
Bass has opened up and getting better every day.
I have my dealer coming by in a few days for final alignment / placement.
Not sure how much I can turn up the volume. I have Bryston 28B3 that are rated at 1,800 watts into 4ohms. Lot’s of fun!
I find even at low volumes, background music they sound incredible.

 

[Alpinist]

Copy to this thread
re A5’s arrived Sept 15

It’s been a few weeks now with my A5’s. All this time I’ve been listening with the grills on. Which by the way are very high quality. Got them since I have pets and didn’t want them to damage any of the drivers.
Well, removing the grills, holy @#$& imaging is fantastic!
Bass has opened up and getting better every day.
I have my dealer coming by in a few days for final alignment / placement.
Not sure how much I can turn up the volume. I have Bryston 28B3 that are rated at 1,800 watts into 4ohms. Lot’s of fun!
I find even at low volumes, background music they sound incredible.

Congrats on your new A5’s! I hope they give you many years of enjoyment.

Magico says the recommended power is 50 - 1,000 watts and the speaker impedance is 4 ohms. You should follow those specifications and not exceed them. I know of one Magico owner who blew his S5 Mk2’s with a high powered amp (Pass XA-600.5) by pushing them too far. Don’t make the same mistake. It can happen.

Best,
Ken

 

[Soundrulz]

Congrats on your new A5’s! I hope they give you many years of enjoyment.

Magico says the recommended power is 50 - 1,000 watts and the speaker impedance is 4 ohms. You should follow those specifications and not exceed them. I know of one Magico owner who blew his S5 Mk2’s with a high powered amp (Pass XA-600.5) by pushing them too far. Don’t make the same mistake. It can happen.

Best,
Ken

Thanks for the warning.
I listen carefully to make sure the A5’s are not going into stress and watch my amps if they are clipping.
While waiting for A5 to arrive, I used my bedroom speakers, Paradigm 8000f, cheapest line rated to max 150 watts. Many times I played them loud and never hurt them.
28B3 never clip. That is what kills speakers. Not necessarily over powering them.
I understand that replacing any A5 speaker driver is very costly.

 

[HenryD]

Thanks for the warning.
I listen carefully to make sure the A5’s are not going into stress and watch my amps if they are clipping.
While waiting for A5 to arrive, I used my bedroom speakers, Paradigm 8000f, cheapest line rated to max 150 watts. Many times I played them loud and never hurt them.
28B3 never clip. That is what kills speakers. Not necessarily over powering them.
I understand that replacing any A5 speaker driver is very costly.

I wouldn’t worry about it. I play my A5 fairly loud with no signs of stress whatsoever (I actually had the 600.8 here for a brief time – no problems).
The guy who blew up his speakers admitted to being 'too happy' and mistakenly cranking the pre all the way up. Most likely clipped the amp. I suspect any speaker and most amps, regardless of power ratings, would have suffered the same.

 

[Soundrulz]

I wouldn’t worry about it. I play my A5 fairly loud with no signs of stress whatsoever (I actually had the 600.8 here for a brief time – no problems).
The guy who blew up his speakers admitted to being 'too happy' and mistakenly cranking the pre all the way up. Most likely clipped the amp. I suspect any speaker and most amps, regardless of power ratings, would have suffered the same.

Lol, my dealer mentioned having too much to drink is the main culprit for blowing up drivers. But I do enjoy wine but still careful.

 

[Soundrulz]

I’ve watched a few movies 5.1, DTS. I have the matching ACC centre. The sound stage is awesome. Going to voices from centre and then audio back to LR is completely seamless. It’s incredible how important the centre speaker is for movies. They play a large role.