YG Hailey 2.2, Magico M2 or Avantgarde Duo XD ?

Hi all,


I am considering to upgrade my speakers and I would like this upgrade be “significant”.
I am currently using Avantgarde Zero TA XD that I am enjoying very much. It’s a fantastic value for money speakers ! Now I would like to keep their main strengths ( dynamics,transparency,difficult room “friendly”) and improve in terms of subtlety, decay and layering .
My room is small / medium , pretty “bright”, speakers will be relatively close from the front and rear walls and my listening is distance is pretty short (2.5m/3m).
So I am looking for a speaker with a “limited” footprint.
In terms of music, my taste is very eclectic so I am looking for speakers able to be very good “all rounder”.

I have preselected 3/4models :
- YG Hailey 2.2
- Magico M2
- Avantgarde Duo XD
- potentially TAD CR1 + subs

Duo XD would be the logical upgrade path but I feel those relatively big horns need space to breathe...
YG Hail 2.2 : was not considering them initially but after a superb (and totally random ) listening session I couldn’t exclude them any longer ! and I really like the possibility to upgrade further on ( but the 2.2 model is anyway just updated)

Also my current front gear is Accuphase C2850/A70 (have also a 300B SET amp ) and given the significant investment ahead of me, if those new speakers could be compatible with them ( even if not THE perfect match) it would help !

What do you think?

Thanks
Alex

PS : there are many other very good speakers/ brands but for many different reasons those 4models are my short list

 

I will be curious to read your impressions of the differences, if you make the effort to hear each of the candidates in a room similar to yours, taking into account the different system components. I can't offer any advice as I have not heard any of these, except for the CR1, which I loved years ago. From what I have read, it is a good list.

Your process and auditions could be the subject of a very interesting thread, similar to Keith's, though not as open ended.

 

Well that’s the plan. I am starting the “ serious “ listening sessions next weekend. Looking forward to them !
PS : I am definitely not as knowledgeable and experienced than Keith and probably not as patient as well..

 

Heard the M2 last week in a controlled environment (heard it in Munich as well). Superb, especially given its size ( I own the M3 – the M2 may top it in some ways ). It's refreshing to see what real engineering can do in such a small footprint.

 

Moby, Blue58 may chip in. But I believe he says you need no closer than 4m listening distance from Duos.

 

Sorry

Hi all,

I am considering to upgrade my speakers and I would like this upgrade be “significant”.
I am currently using Avantgarde Zero TA XD that I am enjoying very much. It’s a fantastic value for money speakers ! Now I would like to keep their main strengths ( dynamics,transparency,difficult room “friendly”) and improve in terms of subtlety, decay and layering .
My room is small / medium , pretty “bright”, speakers will be relatively close from the front and rear walls and my listening is distance is pretty short (2.5m/3m).
So I am looking for a speaker with a “limited” footprint.
In terms of music, my taste is very eclectic so I am looking for speakers able to be very good “all rounder”.

I have preselected 3/4models :
- YG Hailey 2.2
- Magico M2
- Avantgarde Duo XD
- potentially TAD CR1 + subs

Duo XD would be the logical upgrade path but I feel those relatively big horns need space to breathe...
YG Hail 2.2 : was not considering them initially but after a superb (and totally random ) listening session I couldn’t exclude them any longer ! and I really like the possibility to upgrade further on ( but the 2.2 model is anyway just updated)

Also my current front gear is Accuphase C2850/A70 (have also a 300B SET amp ) and given the significant investment ahead of me, if those new speakers could be compatible with them ( even if not THE perfect match) it would help !

What do you think?

Thanks
Alex

PS : there are many other very good speakers/ brands but for many different reasons those 4models are my short list

Sorry are you asking if those other candidates will be compatible with your 300b set amp, or are you willing to change the amp?

 

My take is the size limitations front to back are very important and would rule out speakers like Duos and favor speakers that can be listened to nearfield. If you currently have a 3m distance from LP to speaker plane but are sitting close to the back wall and speakers are close to the front wall, then the ability to listen closer would open up more possibilities for setup and will probably result in a more immersive, 3-D, "you are there" soundstage as well as better resolution overall.

I'm not 100% certain on YG and Magico but would guess you can be as close as 2 meters and probably 1.5m or so for the TAD CR1s. I like that the TAD CR1s have been the same for years and think it's only been recently that others have caught up, but the newest YG and Magico probably have. All are examples of very impressive engineering efforts imo. The vapor-deposited beryllium drivers of the TAD are hard to beat but the newest tweeter YG has claims to exceed beryllium's strength to weight!

All these brands can be a little demanding of electronics and cabling, and require a substantial amplifier but I think you can get great results from any of them, just depends on personal preference. I'd want subwoofers with any of them but that could be done later.

 

Sorry


Sorry are you asking if those other candidates will be compatible with your 300b set amp, or are you willing to change the amp?

Planning to use my A70 first with Magico or YG. This amp is much more powerful than the specs could let it think. Might not be THE perfect match but If it is already “good” then I can think about changing the amp next year.
The SET amp will stay anyway as I am using it with my headphones .

 

My take is the size limitations front to back are very important and would rule out speakers like Duos and favor speakers that can be listened to nearfield. If you currently have a 3m distance from LP to speaker plane but are sitting close to the back wall and speakers are close to the front wall, then the ability to listen closer would open up more possibilities for setup and will probably result in a more immersive, 3-D, "you are there" soundstage as well as better resolution overall.

I'm not 100% certain on YG and Magico but would guess you can be as close as 2 meters and probably 1.5m or so for the TAD CR1s. I like that the TAD CR1s have been the same for years and think it's only been recently that others have caught up, but the newest YG and Magico probably have. All are examples of very impressive engineering efforts imo. The vapor-deposited beryllium drivers of the TAD are hard to beat but the newest tweeter YG has claims to exceed beryllium's strength to weight!

All these brands can be a little demanding of electronics and cabling, and require a substantial amplifier but I think you can get great results from any of them, just depends on personal preference. I'd want subwoofers with any of them but that could be done later.

Yes TAD CR1 are very good speakers and probably the best bookshelves ever built ( that I have heard) . A couple of years ago I was about to buy them but then I decided to go for floorstander as the footprint was the same...

 

Hi all,

I am considering to upgrade my speakers and I would like this upgrade be “significant”.
I am currently using Avantgarde Zero TA XD that I am enjoying very much. It’s a fantastic value for money speakers ! Now I would like to keep their main strengths ( dynamics,transparency,difficult room “friendly”) and improve in terms of subtlety, decay and layering .
My room is small / medium , pretty “bright”, speakers will be relatively close from the front and rear walls and my listening is distance is pretty short (2.5m/3m).
So I am looking for a speaker with a “limited” footprint.
In terms of music, my taste is very eclectic so I am looking for speakers able to be very good “all rounder”.

I have preselected 3/4models :
- YG Hailey 2.2
- Magico M2
- Avantgarde Duo XD
- potentially TAD CR1 + subs

Duo XD would be the logical upgrade path but I feel those relatively big horns need space to breathe...
YG Hail 2.2 : was not considering them initially but after a superb (and totally random ) listening session I couldn’t exclude them any longer ! and I really like the possibility to upgrade further on ( but the 2.2 model is anyway just updated)

Also my current front gear is Accuphase C2850/A70 (have also a 300B SET amp ) and given the significant investment ahead of me, if those new speakers could be compatible with them ( even if not THE perfect match) it would help !

What do you think?

Thanks
Alex

PS : there are many other very good speakers/ brands but for many different reasons those 4models are my short list

You are not getting subtly and decay with the 300b amp?

 

With a small(ish) lively room, footprint isn’t the only criteria. Some speakers can throw a huge soundstage in a smallish room, while others just overload/overpower the room with proportionally too much bass and a resulting slightly obscured presentation (ie lacking in absolute clarity). In addition, lack of distance will cause a driver integration problem with some speakers, especially those with significant space between drivers. I have personal experience with Magico, YG and Avantgarde, but not the exact models you’re suggesting.
I have a smallish, lively room and install my loudspeakers to fire across its width, which means they can be placed relatively far apart. I also add a lot of diffusion on the back wall behind the listening position, which adds airiness and a sense of naturalness and space to the sound. The result is the ability to produce whatever soundstage is on the recording. The room’s contribution is in the area of intensity and immediacy but with no sense of compression, crowding, ringing, harshness etc. If the soundstage is a large open air live concert, that’s what you’ll hear. Conversely if its a studio with very clearly heard echo or reverb from nearby walls, you’ll hear that, with the wall’s reflections placed according to the recording, not according to the listening room.

I personally love the intensity and vibrancy of sound you can get from a smallish listening room, but speaker selection is important. I had Avantgarde Duos, which sounded great but had an overwhelming physical presence in my room. I then auditioned Magico S1 MkIIs and YG Carmel 2s. Both sounded incredible, with driver size defying bass response, superb driver integration and jaw dropping imaging. The Magicos got the nod due to their simply gorgeous sparkling, shimmering extended treble energy and accuracy and the clear synergy they exhibited with my Devialet Monoblocks with 100% SAM (a speaker matching algorithm that operates below 150Hz.).

You are talking about YG and Magico speaker models a step up from mine. By a step up I mean with more driver area and therefore more bass power. Whether that works in your room is a question only you can answer but if I were looking for comparisons I would check that the smaller 2 way speakers do actually sound inferior, because they may very well not. Also the sealed enclosures of both the Magico and YG do a lot to simplify room placement, which can be quite difficult with ported or transmission line designs, so both 2 way designs can sound absolutely stunning over a wide range of recordings.

Both Magicos and YG hide most of their really specially engineering under their outer aluminium shell, but they can both sound utterly mesmerising when part of a fully optimised system.
Anyway, good luck with your endeavours....

 

With a small(ish) lively room, footprint isn’t the only criteria. Some speakers can throw a huge soundstage in a smallish room, while others just overload/overpower the room with proportionally too much bass and a resulting slightly obscured presentation (ie lacking in absolute clarity). In addition, lack of distance will cause a driver integration problem with some speakers, especially those with significant space between drivers. I have personal experience with Magico, YG and Avantgarde, but not the exact models you’re suggesting.
I have a smallish, lively room and install my loudspeakers to fire across its width, which means they can be placed relatively far apart. I also add a lot of diffusion on the back wall behind the listening position, which adds airiness and a sense of naturalness and space to the sound. The result is the ability to produce whatever soundstage is on the recording. The room’s contribution is in the area of intensity and immediacy but with no sense of compression, crowding, ringing, harshness etc. If the soundstage is a large open air live concert, that’s what you’ll hear. Conversely if its a studio with very clearly heard echo or reverb from nearby walls, you’ll hear that, with the wall’s reflections placed according to the recording, not according to the listening room.

I personally love the intensity and vibrancy of sound you can get from a smallish listening room, but speaker selection is important. I had Avantgarde Duos, which sounded great but had an overwhelming physical presence in my room. I then auditioned Magico S1 MkIIs and YG Carmel 2s. Both sounded incredible, with driver size defying bass response, superb driver integration and jaw dropping imaging. The Magicos got the nod due to their simply gorgeous sparkling, shimmering extended treble energy and accuracy and the clear synergy they exhibited with my Devialet Monoblocks with 100% SAM (a speaker matching algorithm that operates below 150Hz.).

You are talking about YG and Magico speaker models a step up from mine. By a step up I mean with more driver area and therefore more bass power. Whether that works in your room is a question only you can answer but if I were looking for comparisons I would check that the smaller 2 way speakers do actually sound inferior, because they may very well not. Also the sealed enclosures of both the Magico and YG do a lot to simplify room placement, which can be quite difficult with ported or transmission line designs, so both 2 way designs can sound absolutely stunning over a wide range of recordings.

Both Magicos and YG hide most of their really specially engineering under their outer aluminium shell, but they can both sound utterly mesmerising when part of a fully optimised system.
Anyway, good luck with your endeavours....

Thanks for your very detailed and precise answer !
To be more specific the living room is 4m * 11m*3m and I am putting the speakers on the long wall ( no other choice) .
I have actually both absorber and diffuser panels and indeed it helps!
You nailed it, I am very attracted into sealed speakers.

 

....YG has claims to exceed beryllium's strength to weight!

How does an aluminum frame (Alum Young's Modulus stiffness is – 10) which is 4X less stiff then Beryllium (Young's Modulus stiffness of -44), added to a silk dome (0 stiffness), which also ultimately makes it heavier, adds up to "exceed beryllium's strength to weight"?

 

How does an aluminum frame (Alum Young's Modulus stiffness is – 10) which is 4X less stiff then Beryllium (Young's Modulus stiffness of -44), added to a silk dome (0 stiffness), which also ultimately makes it heavier, adds up to "exceed beryllium's strength to weight"?

Why ask me?

 

For a small footprint speaker, the M2 would be my pick .My only reservation would be whether your Accuphase amps will drive them adequately. Though they should get the job done if your room isn't cavernous and you don't listen to AC/DC albums at ear-splitting levels.

 

I think YG/Magico vs horns is kinda like oil and water.

 

I think YG/Magico vs horns is kinda like oil and water.

Water floats above oil

 

Stereoplay (Germany) conclusion:

The hORNS Universum 3 achieves 65 points for sound and 87 points for overall performance.

The S5 (Mk1), achieves 68 points for sound and 91 points for overall performance (and Mk2 is MUCH better).

 

Stereoplay (Germany) conclusion:

The hORNS Universum 3 achieves 65 points for sound and 87 points for overall performance.

The S5 (Mk1), achieves 68 points for sound and 91 points for overall performance (and Mk2 is MUCH better).

Can you elaborate more on what these ratings mean? Was this scale out of 100 points? How did AG rate? What speakers sound rated above 75? Can you provide a link to the article?

 

I think YG/Magico vs horns is kinda like oil and water.

Both are liquid and can flow.