My current speaker is the A5! I have the S5 2024 on order. I pray that the new S5 delivers the same sonic attributes as the S3 2023 with an extended lower octave. Hopefully I’ll know if I made the right decision by the end of the 3rd quarter 2024.
S3 MK3 (2023) Arrived
- Thread starter exupgh12
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The S5 2024 would be my first pick but it’s most likely too rich for me. Bet it’s going to be amazing!!
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One more comment about my search, I would consider a used M2 as well. I want a Magico speaker as my endgame speaker…
I received my new pair of Magico S3 2023 speakers recently and am VERY happy with them (after waiting about 12 weeks). They are very rewarding when properly set up and properly fed. I have not had a pair of S5 MkII or S5 2024 speakers in my room, so I do not have that direct comparison. BUT, based upon a lot of time, research and listening to most of the Magico models up to and including the M6 at various locations I have the following thoughts which may be relevant to your situation and for your consideration:
1. Medium room size. My room is just over 15' by 20' with 9' ceilings which seems I think to be an ideal sized room for the S3 2023, or an S3 MkII if you need to spend less. I consider this a medium sized room. My sized room or smaller is not enough room for the S5 speaker in my opinion from research and listening at various locations. So if you have a medium sized room go for the newest S3 you can afford. At least with the S3 2023 I can assure you that you will have plenty of bass, much more than the A3, which was my prior speaker.
2. Large room size. If your room is a large room, say 20' by 25' or larger go for the S5, again, the newest model you can afford as each newer model gets better, and in case of the 2024 model significantly better.
3. What you can afford. This is always an important consideration. The market is really doing its job with regard to these S series speakers right now. The new S3 2023 is $45,500, the S3 Mk II is about half that and the S3 Mk I is about 1/3 of the new speaker. I understand the S5 2024 to be priced at $74,500, with the S5 Mk II also selling for about half that and the S5 Mk 1 selling for about 1/3 of the new speaker. There is an active market for used S3 and S5 speakers. So once you determine the size of the speaker you need based upon your room size then you just need to figure out what you can afford. I can say that having done a lot of listening in a number of different locations that the newest models are definitely superior to the prior models and that I assume you will be happiest with the newest model you can afford.
4. Power. These speakers need a significant amount of high quality power to sound their best. So make sure you have significant good clean power, IMO at least 200 wpc tubes or 300 wpc solid state into 4 ohms (frankly, within reason, the more the better, but high quality no matter what) with the amps feed by the best quality electricity you can secure, preferably a 20 amp copper wire circuit for each amp, grounded at the lowest possibly impedance. So power is an important consideration, whether you choose the S3 or S5 as they both have similar power needs.
5. Sources/Material/Cabling. These speakers, especially the newest models, are very, very revealing as to what you feed them. So high quality sources, material and high quality cabling will also be rewarded and should therefore be considered as well. So this too is an important consideration as both the S3 and S5 speakers, again especially the newest models, are very revealing of both the good and the bad.
Happy hunting.
joined the mk3 club today. previously owned the m5. very good speakers. tempted to try the s5 now. the first gen s5 were the worst magico speakers ever produced imo
Interesting, is that comment off the cuff or did you own a pair of S5 Mk1s?
I think I’ve got the best (within my budget) out of my S5s and haven’t had the pleasure of hearing anything better at that level, however everything in Stevet’s post #184 applies in order to get there, especially room, placement, power and cables. The latter is a surprisingly big part of the equation.
In summary, decent speaker, but setup and ancillaries are critical to getting things right.
Be great to hear Mk3s, bit of a challenge in the UK.
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S3 mkiii or M2? Room has some volume, high ceiling and open to kitchen. Speakers will be close to the back wall and fairly close to me. Lots of pass gear including 260.8s. The prices are very close new v used. Just opinions of-course, no one could know me or my situation. End of the road speaker. I retire soon enough and this is my gift to myself.
I own the M2 and my dealer recently brought in the S3 Mk III which I heard many times.
While I think the M2 has certain refinements that come from the lack of diffraction with the baffle, I think most people would prefer the S3’s larger and better 9” woofers, leading to better and more transparent bass.
I know others have also commented on the “better” S3 5” midrange which I guess has lower distortion and better transparency but once you compare it to the lower levels of diffraction from the M2, I think it’s a bit of a wash.
As a former S3 MkII owner and now S3 2023 owner, I can say that the S3s pretty much disappear. Magico really did their homework on these. Improvements across the board. If I had a bigger room, I'd be jonesing for S5 2024s, but very happy with what I've got. Haven't heard the M2s.
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Sounds like a room acoustic issue. Sometimes your Magico dealer might be willing to help you optimize the setup of the S3 2023 at your new home. They can play some pink noise in your system, take a microphone, move it around and see where you can sit in the room to optimize for a smooth bass response (assuming you can move your listening seat). As for the metallic sound, it's either too much resonance in the higher frequency or too much toe-in with the speakers firing at you. If it's the latter, toeing out the speakers can help. If it's the former, some strategic acoustic treatment can make a huge difference. But I would advise against randomly buying acoustic treatment and putting them in the room. I mean, you can put anything in a room, e.g. a refrigerator, and it'll change the room acoustic. And if you leave the fridge door open, it'll sound different than the door closed. But either way, it's not how you would treat the room acoustically. I have seen way too many people buy the wrong acoustic panel for aesthetic reasons and place them at the wrong spot, leading to suboptimal sound.
...may I please make what may be an overlooked idea: you packed and moved the speakers. Maybe check all of the driver fasteners, and footers/placement for tightness. Assuming all drivers look normal in terms of their physical integrity. Just covering the bases. Good Luck.
Got them sounding good now , it was a combo of DAC change and cables . I just ordered a pair of S5 2024 and will be picking up by end of month. Today listening almost tempted to cancel S5 the S3 are magical for sure . I'm just in the mids of moving 2 systems to one home and trying to decide what works here
For what it’s worth, I purchased S3 2023, used, about a month ago. I had an idea they would sound good, why else would I spend that kind of money (not as bad as new), but didn’t really know. I heard A5s at AXPONA but never actually heard the S3s. I was a little leery about the reputation of Magico tweeters. My other concern was I was leaving behind a stack of 4 REL S/510s. Would the bass be satisfying (my room is a decent size)?
I drive the S3s with Pass X260.8s amps and an XP-22 pre. They are wonderful speakers, absolutely wonderful. Way more than I even dreamed they would be. My room doesn’t allow for speakers to be pulled out far from the wall. In addition, I was looking for a speaker that would play wide. I have an open space and want it filled with beautiful music far and wide. Mission accomplished!
I drive the S3s with Pass X260.8s amps and an XP-22 pre. They are wonderful speakers, absolutely wonderful. Way more than I even dreamed they would be. My room doesn’t allow for speakers to be pulled out far from the wall. In addition, I was looking for a speaker that would play wide. I have an open space and want it filled with beautiful music far and wide. Mission accomplished!
Congratulations! They are amazing and will grow as the rest of your system does. Absolute masterpieces to be sure.
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