This is one of the better video of a system I heard. Impressive.
Sublime Sound
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Come on Ked. They heard what they heard. Their opinion. Respect that. Don't drag me to it. Your comment on video A sounding more authoritative, I also view differently, don't want to say, I just respect that was how you heard. B is how I like the sound. If Peter's system in real soundS in the way B sounds, I would use the V-12 as primary and 3012R as secondary with different cart.
Peter. Your system sound on video is better than all Magico I heard at my friends in real. I use video as a possible indicative of a promising system. If I sit in your room, I am sure It would be more impressive. May I ask you this. You have heard the M Pro at Madfloyd's, do you think the M Pro would be even more promising in your room? If so, which aspect of M Pro you predict might improve the sound you are having at the moment?
I was going to say the same thing. On video, this doesn't sound like the Magico that I know and (don't) love.
Your setup certainly does the grandness thing, that fierce intro of the sea is just great... such gravity and growl. Big sound. Then you really get the ploughing motion of Sinbad's ship. It’s sounding very epic. When I get home tonight I’ll listen to Mehta’s Scheherazade. A great share thanks Peter.
Yes, that was an excellent sounding video. Looks like Magico is going for a somewhat fuller sound than I have experienced from shows, though I always liked the minis when I heard them.
It sounds like better resolution than many Magico setups. Magico often has detail but not resolution.
If you are impressed by this sound, wait until you hear the system in person on this music.
I have heard this, and there is a weight, heft and tonal saturation to the orchestral sound that just doesn't come through on the video, and needs to be heard to be believed. Now that's grandness and gravity and growl. The video, nice as it may sound, sounds thin in comparison.
So all you guys who like this video: You ain't heard nothin' yet!
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I have heard this with the Gran Cru on the 3012R arm, but I certainly would expect at least as much weight and heft with the Gran Cru on the V-12 arm used for the video.
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Sorry Bonzo, That will not be possible for quite a while as my Master Signature is back with AJ having its 250 hour inspection and tune up. That is why I have the Grand Cru only on one arm.
Thank you for the kind words, Tang, and I am so pleased that people like my video of Scheherazade. This is an old Magico Q3, long since discontinued. It was a high water mark along with the Mini II, IMO. Many people consider the Q series dreadfully sterile and analytical with a tweeter that can fry an egg, LOL. I have long contended that Magico speakers, particularly the Q series is quite transparent to upstream components. Matching with the right amplifier, in this case the Pass Class A XA.5 series, and proper set up will surprise a lot of people.
Having written that, I really have David Karmeli to thank for encouraging me to make some major set up changes to the system without spending any money. These changes collectively have transformed the sound into a much more natural presentation and have clarified for me a new direction and goal. The Ching Cheng power cords and getting rid of most of my audiophile accessories were the main culprits.
Regarding Madfloyd's M Project speakers: I suspect they are too big for my room, both physically with the woofer surface area, but also aesthetically. They are also a bit too expensive for me. I could well see a pair of M3s in here, but those too are pretty expensive. My speakers used are a superb value. The two things I really like about the M Pro are the tweeter and the extra woofer area. The tweeter is incredibly clean and natural sounding with no fatigue or signature I can hear. The extra LF drivers simply add scale and energy and extension that I don't have, but, the room has to be large enough to accept them. I suspect the M Pro has even less distortion than my speakers.
I have long felt that people do not appreciate the potential of properly set up Magico speakers, specific models in particular. They can be incredibly dynamic, effortless, resolving, and natural sounding under the right conditions. They are not the limiting component in my system.
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Thank you cjfrbw. These speakers, the Q3, are long discontinued. The Q3s replaced my Mini IIs. I loved those speakers too, but they could not portray larger scale orchestral music like these three way speakers can in my room. Those Minis were gorgeous though, and on the right material, they produced magic.
The fullness you notice in the video is a direct result of three things: the Ching Cheng power cords replacing the Furutech IEC connectors, better speaker set up/positioning, and the mass loading of my DIY rack with the steel plates replacing the pneumatic isolation platforms. The vdh Colibri Grand Cru may also have something to do with it. That is a very complete and natural sounding cartridge.
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So I hope that everyone now understands a point that I have repeatedly emphasized: I don't care if you have heard Magico 20 times and you didn't like it. Those 20 times probably have all been under suboptimal circumstances, with the setup of the speakers and system matching lacking.
Now you get an inkling of what the sound character of Magico actually can be like -- while the videos are still not even close to hearing the system in person.
I appreciate the sentiment, Al, really. However, I will be the first to admit that it was David Karmeli who really transformed my system from afar. He looked at a couple of photographs I sent him and started making suggestions. A year later, you, Madfloyd and I are enjoying the results. I do not know how many people have heard a Magico system that ddk has had a hand in setting up.
Thank you Folsom. That is an interesting comment. I often think of detail as a "hi-fi" attribute. I prefer resolution because it does not infer hyped up or attention seeking. What I am starting to hear in my system is what ddk refers to as "natural resolution". I'm not there yet, but getting closer.
That is funny, Brian. I think Ron Resnick said something quite similar when he heard my system almost two years ago. I am starting to wonder if you guys would like the actual system as much as this Scheherazade video. I can say you will love your vdH Grand Cru.
My question was not to suggest you to go to higher model. I actually asked to see if your response would confirm that the different model of Magico could mean a different sound to your model series as I read some comments in another thread. I think your system could be a model for some one just starting to build a system to follow. Great great value. I said 'could' only because I have never heard your system in real. No need to change speakers Peter. Keep money for maintenance your beautiful boat.
My question was not to suggest you to go to higher model. I actually asked to see if your response would confirm that the different model of Magico could mean a different sound to your model series as I read some comments in another thread. I think your system could be a model for some one just starting to build a system to follow. Great great value. I said 'could' only because I have never heard your system in real. No need to change speakers Peter. Keep money for maintenance your beautiful boat.
Tang, I did not think you were suggesting a change. I suppose my response was simply my justification for not buying one of the M Pros that is now available. Yes, that "Magico Sound" thread is pretty interesting. I find it difficult to ascribe a sound to the brand, though others think they all sound similar and don't like the "sound" based on auditions which leave them unimpressed.
I do think that the M Pro and the M series that followed are more transparent, more resolving, and have lower distortion than my Q3s. And the tweeter in particular is an improvement over what I have. When set up well, these speakers disappear and one hears either the music on the recording, or the signature and attributes of the rest of the system. When not set up well, the first blame usually goes to the speaker.
One does not like to think much about boat maintenance. Last year was a particularly bad one as the sailboat, the kid's motorboat, and my little Boston Whaler all required major repairs due to storms, age, and accidents. This was in addition to the annual routine varnish work and yard bills. It keeps my audio hobby in check, LOL. Like anything Tang, we make our choices and enjoy the consequences. Best way is to keep smiling or do something different.
Here is my little tender named after my first daughter because we took her out and the motor lulled her to sleep:
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