I've had the opportunity to hear a pair of Magico A5 speakers as well as some of their higher tier speakers in the S and M Series, and they all sound just magnificent. As great as their higher tier Magico speakers are, I've come to the conclusion that, for me, I wouldn't need to go any further up the Magico line than the A5 speakers. The A5 speakers are all the speaker I (and many audiophiles) will ever need. They're just that good and complete sounding from top to bottom. The A5s are spectacular sounding speakers and also one of the best, full range, floor standing speaker values around. There's so many wonderful sounding speakers out there, at all price points, to choose from these days. I've been madly in love with my Revel Salon 2 speakers for years and will probably be keeping them for the duration.
I like that you’re describing the product in a much more animated way than your first and earlier videos, which you seemed a little more dryer in Your presentations then. Basically, I’m saying you’re stepping it up😅
In both of my treated rooms I can sculpt the height of the soundstage with room treatment. Seeing all the flat blank wall space and the big window and the angled walls I would bet money your room is the reason for the short height of the sound stage. Cheers.
Very good review of the A5. The first thing I look for in a hi-end loudspeaker is how pure does it sound. I equate "Purity" with your description of "Naturalness." When a speaker gets past that litmus test, it usually deserves a more in depth look. You did a good job here and, of course, Magico is....well Magico.
Very relatable review, Thanks. I didn't afford the A5 and stretched to A3. While it is worth nothing, I feel that nearly all of your comments (especially placement and volume) I would apply to the A3 as well. While some of my past favourite music can sound well... Crud recordings now sound crud. They have however opened up my enjoyment of a much broader variety of music in well placed textured detail. Wish I hadn't waited to my late fifties to experience it!
Better late than never. I have had the A3s since they first came out. The only improvement I could make was to add a subwoofer. I bought a REL G2 as they are a good match for the Magicos - no port and pretty much the same driver material. They match closely enough in the looks department as well. With well recorded material; woodwind, brass and human voice are convincing facsimiles of the real thing.
Like Wilson audio they know how to make a beautiful speaker 😂. Maybe it sounds good that is something but I have yet to hear a magico speaker that i like. When I listen to the description in this video I think to myself „this must sound very different from other magico speakers“.
Wilson speakers sound great, but some of them look butt ugly, and their top of the line speaker looks like the monster from the "Alien" movie. Obviously, a big part of that is because of the ability to time align most of the drivers individually.
Great review. I really appreciated your impressions of the speakers. The only thing missing for me was your thoughts of component matching (amps and sources).
Like all A & S series these are low-moderate efficiency, high and relatively unstable load. They are quoted at 4 ohm load but there are 2 dips in audible range below 2 ohms. The M series are much higher efficiency and marginally less load. The M6 I demoed and had a dip in upper bass to 2.4 but otherwise nearly flat 4 ohm. Source devices won’t matter but amps need to be relatively high output and lots of psu storage capacity. Most Magico’s benefit from moderate to high damping factor. VTL MB’s run in triode mode with highest damping is the absolute best sound for Magico’s. If you’re a fan of SS amps, I personally have heard PS Audio class A amps and was not impressed, especially the bass. My guess is damping factor was too low but I honestly don’t know enough about PSA amps. I’d suggest trying something like a Naim or an old Pass Aleph 1.2 would be good.
@@elitetrader5468 I’m not real familiar with/Parasound products, especially since the ownership changes. That amp however is likely a John Curl design, hence the “JC” model designation. While John is best known for his famous phono preamps, his amp designs for Parasound and Constellation are always very high damping factor and typically have stout psu’s capable of driving difficult loads. To confirm compatibility, check the specs published by Parasound, you’re looking for DF: >800 @8 ohms and output @ 2 ohms double that at 4 ohms.
I didn’t get a sense of how the speaker sound for a different frequencies like how does it have a sibling sibilances or highs. I’d love to see a review of the A3’s as well
As an owner of A5 I can relate to most things said. Especially interesting is remark about stage height. It does show itself in full glory in well recorded classical music, though. I am becoming more of opinion that many other speakers exagarate this height even when it is not in the recording by presenting higher frequency more upward. In pictures, the speaker is shown without spikes or Apods, so I wonder is this how the tonal balance was found to be better for the reviewer?
They don't like to review stuff that they are not going to give rave reviews to. I just don't think that Tom Martin is a Wharfedale kind of guy (neither am I).
I had the same question, and got the answer after a few hours with the X3. Even a Magico A3 blows the X3 out of the water. Better in every aspect, especially in the articulation of lows. Better transparency in the mids with tonal fullness, and better details in the top end. It made the X3 sound like home theater. Everything sounded rounded and smoothed off on the X3. Strikes on a piano didn't have that immediacy I expected. Bass had a fakeness to it. By fakeness I mean that an inexperienced listener will mistake it as being able to do bass, but an experienced listener will hear a sense of hollowness on the bottom end. Btw this was an appropriately sized, well-treated room. X3 was overall a huge disappointment for me. Obviously an A5 would be even better with an improved midrange. Haven't heard the X6 yet, but I will soon. And i doubt it beats the A5. Dont bother with Borresen's X level speakers. Z series is where it starts to get good. But then you have the Magico S series at that level too.
Keep in mind that The Absolute Sound started as print magazine (with ads), then added webpages (with ads), and now has added TH-cam videos (getting paid for ad views). So it has always been a business, and why that title sounds ridiculous to you. It was probably originally called Managing Editor back when it was a print magazine only.
@@nitraM321 It doesn't make sense to me to use Managing Editor for a media outlet that includes TH-cam videos. So if you have a better title, please let us know, but I don't understand why this is so important. He is in charge of all content that appears in the magazine, website, and TH-cam under the Absolute Sound brand name. You are not in charge of all comments on this or any other channel.
by coincidence i only just last night saw the video marketing your coffee table history of high end audio, and that video was my first exposure to Magico. man i'd love to hear one of these someday. but i wish they'd come up with something classier than carbon fiber. pretty sure i never want to see carbon fiber on a loudspeaker again, tbh
Nice review. Just a Note like all Magico and Wilson speakers Not bi wired you can’t use different amps or bi amp this. Can’t blend tubes with solid state on this one. DAppilito configuration appears to give a better vertical imaging placement with box speakers.
Correct, but you can use a tube pre-amp and a hybrid tube/solid state amp, like Tom Martin uses. Note that Tom uses a Audio Research tube pre-amp along with hybrid PS Audio BHK600 monoblocs (tube input stage and solid state power output stage) in his listening room. I think that is better than trying to bi-amp the speakers. I suspect that using a tube preamp and completely solid state amp would also do the trick.
@@Mark-rw3kw Tubes measure terribly but they do add something to the sound thats just better. Thinking of the Macintosh hybrid amp with built in criossover sounded spectacular with SF speakers but we will never know with this Magico and even Wilson speakers unless someone would break warranty and DIY it.
With are ears placed horizontally in the same plain being able to observe vertical placement is almost imposiible. Thats why elevated Horn loaded pa systems and line arrays are so successful in large venues. When you say 85 db I assume you mean A weighted slow response. Where the actual levels with a flat weighting fast response around 40 millisec time constant can be 15 to 20 db higher. A weighting is for determining when the ear can be damaged over a 8 hour period. Its not the actual peak levels the system is producing. Which determines how successful the speaker is and how much power your really need to prevent dynamic compression of the sound if your using recordings that have not been compromised with compression or limiting.
When stereo speakers can produce a sound that is closely equivalent to live and yet not sound harsh, then they definitely deserve to be judged as high end. However, every speaker in that category will have to be extremely revealing and will inevitably produce unpalatable sound if the source material or source equipment is compromised. I personally prefer to endure irritations from poor sources in order to benefit from a close to live presentation from good sources. I doubt whether the slightly warm voicing of the A5 is sufficient to make all music sound great.
Excellent review… did you experience any listener fatiguing events… Your room seems to be small…will these fill a 15x30 room with 12 foot ceilings.. thanks..
I don't think there would be any problem with that, based on what other reviews have said. There is one TH-cam reviewer who had them in his converted 2-car garage listening room which is about 20x20. Just supply enough amplifier power and you should be fine. I am assuming that the listening position is not going to be more than 15 feet away from the speaker, and the rest of the space is behind the listener.
I can’t say for sure about 15 X 30 X 12 (with unspecified seating position), which is 5400 cubic feet. In 3000 cubic feet they were fine (11 feet from speakers to seating).
@@thomasmartin2219 current dynaudio confidence 5s are 8 feet apart and seating is 9 feet.. the spl. Of my C5s is only 83 db so …. How about listening fatigue.. Thanks again for your time to answer..
@@Mark-rw3kw YT Channel HiFi Immersion has MANY VIDEOS that are ALL MUSIC, extremely well recorded of fantastic systems, I listen to one near-daily. They include Clapton, Dire Straits, Sara McLachlan, Joni Mitchell, Bill Frisell, REM, Miles Davis, Pink Floyd, Dave Brubeck, Ryan Adams, a bunch of Classical music, and they don't seem to have the resources TAS has, near as I can tell. I don't believe it is a function of economics. TAS is content doing word salad, unfortunately, near as I can determine. You should check out HiFi Immersion; you may drop TAS, who I have read FOREVER.
@@meesmo4 no thats wrong, B&W or mostly all other ,,High End,, Brands are not really used in studios. Just because Abbey Road is famous, people thought B&W are often used in studio wich is wrong. The Main Brands are still ATC, Neumann, Genelec, PMC, Amphion…
@@vtkz Abbey road are not the only ones using B&W, Skywalker sound, Sony studios, and many boutique studios around the world use them too. Of course brands like Genelec and Neumann are seen more often, they are comparatively cheaper and easier to integrate with DSP. Doesn't change my point that just because something is used in studios doesnt automatically mean that it sounds good.
Talking and talking about audio; I simply do not understand why you do not play music in these videos; allowing us to hear what you are describing! This really is no different than sunrise semester when TV first started; talking heads. Sorry I was a subscriber to The Absolute Sound since issue 1 and this might as well be written. No different than reading the transcript of this might as well be in your hard copy or online; no need to be a video; I refer you to Jays Audio Lab where we hear all the various components; he lets the components do the talking. You really are johnny come lately to TH-cam and have missed the point entirely. The best channels play music through the components; geez. Harry would have known how and what to do with a TH-cam channel of TAS.
@@saint6563 I am well aware of TH-cam compressing AND it is digital. Nevertheless it is still easy to discern differences notwithstanding all of those factors. Sorry there is no point of his being on this platform the same thing can be said in written form.
@@Mark-rw3kw there are numerous other TH-cam channels that demonstrate high end gear with little narrative and let the components speak for themselves; other channels make editorial comments and yet again they do so after the musical selection has been played.
@@mahasidha9 A TH-cam channel can play copyrighted music, but if they do they must prove that they are paying the copyright owner or have permission from the copyright owner, otherwise their TH-cam channel will be demonetized (they don’t get paid for advertising views). Some of the demonetized channels make money from Patreon or TH-cam channel memberships, instead of ad views.
For speakers of equal SQ, I would pick the one with easy assembly (exposed screws) ones so can make modification easily and that'd fit new modern building style better.
@@elitetrader5468 what? What kind of speakers are you purchasing where the drivers come loose? I've owned countless pairs of speakers and none have come loose. Screws being shown on a thousand-dollar pair of speakers is shoddy. Do you think they kept them exposed so it's easy access to tighten up the driver? Lol
The higher end Magico speakers (S and M lines) don't have exposed screws, but they cost several times as much (but also have nicer looking curved cases). One problem though is that if your cat or child (or amplifier) damages a speaker driver, it is very difficult and expensive to replace the ones with no exposed screws. Magico does sell a pair of grilles for the A5 for $850. The grilles are metal and do not completely hide the screws, but do obscure them to fair degree. You can see the grilles at the Magico store. I think it depends on the listening room, since those who tend to listen in a darkened room may not mind the screws, but if placed in a brightly lit room with a lot of windows during the day, then the S or M lines would be better looking.
The sad truth about you hi end audiophiles is that, apart from good speakers, you need to spend a serious amount of money to really appreciate them. I wonder if you would be paying them all those compliments, if they had a lower price tag. After all, it's just a three way speaker with a passive crossover in a well built box.
There are speakers costing way more. Anything under 30K is considered "value" when it comes to the hi end. It is more about the build, it is about R and D as well.
My wife and I were agreed to buy this model but on the way to the shop we stopped to hear the Yamaha NS-5000. That company's resources from their engine and musical instrument divisions persuaded us with its non beryllium all identical aramid fiber drivers. Nobody else can deliver this at any price. It is a major advantage in integrating all the drivers as Mr. Martin discussed.
The NS 5000 is good, but it can't do bass. If you listen to just unamplified music, it works fine. Tonality is spot on with the Yamaha. I'd personally pick the A5 over NS 5000 any day.
Yes if you eliminate price as a criterion. Size and mass are another. She was at the counter with her credit card out while I was still deciding.@@meesmo4
I've had the opportunity to hear a pair of Magico A5 speakers as well as some of their higher tier speakers in the S and M Series, and they all sound just magnificent. As great as their higher tier Magico speakers are, I've come to the conclusion that, for me, I wouldn't need to go any further up the Magico line than the A5 speakers. The A5 speakers are all the speaker I (and many audiophiles) will ever need. They're just that good and complete sounding from top to bottom. The A5s are spectacular sounding speakers and also one of the best, full range, floor standing speaker values around. There's so many wonderful sounding speakers out there, at all price points, to choose from these days. I've been madly in love with my Revel Salon 2 speakers for years and will probably be keeping them for the duration.
These Magico A5 speakers are starting to sound like my dream speakers
Oh my god! Your enthusiasm is so convincing! ❤
I like that you’re describing the product in a much more animated way than your first and earlier videos, which you seemed a little more dryer in Your presentations then. Basically, I’m saying you’re stepping it up😅
Yes, he is clearing becoming more comfortable and the timing is getting better.
@@glenncurry3041 siskel and ebert :)
@@davewin1792 Wait for the DVD.
All in good fun Sir.
@@glenncurry3041
I've been reading TSA since the 90's and just discovered your YT channel. So glad to hear your voice and excellent review!
Beautifully done review! Top tier.
Yes quite enjoyable
In both of my treated rooms I can sculpt the height of the soundstage with room treatment. Seeing all the flat blank wall space and the big window and the angled walls I would bet money your room is the reason for the short height of the sound stage. Cheers.
Yeah, as I said, supply chain issues led to a delay in my front wall diffusers, so we’ll see, but it seems a reasonable hypothesis.
Very good review of the A5. The first thing I look for in a hi-end loudspeaker is how pure does it sound. I equate "Purity" with your description of "Naturalness." When a speaker gets past that litmus test, it usually deserves a more in depth look. You did a good job here and, of course, Magico is....well Magico.
And that's their entry level line! They'd be on the short list to listen to if I was looking to spend almost 30K on speakers.
Very relatable review, Thanks. I didn't afford the A5 and stretched to A3. While it is worth nothing, I feel that nearly all of your comments (especially placement and volume) I would apply to the A3 as well. While some of my past favourite music can sound well... Crud recordings now sound crud. They have however opened up my enjoyment of a much broader variety of music in well placed textured detail. Wish I hadn't waited to my late fifties to experience it!
Better late than never. I have had the A3s since they first came out. The only improvement I could make was to add a subwoofer. I bought a REL G2 as they are a good match for the Magicos - no port and pretty much the same driver material. They match closely enough in the looks department as well. With well recorded material; woodwind, brass and human voice are convincing facsimiles of the real thing.
Like Wilson audio they know how to make a beautiful speaker 😂. Maybe it sounds good that is something but I have yet to hear a magico speaker that i like. When I listen to the description in this video I think to myself „this must sound very different from other magico speakers“.
Wilson speakers sound great, but some of them look butt ugly, and their top of the line speaker looks like the monster from the "Alien" movie. Obviously, a big part of that is because of the ability to time align most of the drivers individually.
When your mind is focused on the music that doesn't really say it all to me. When the music flows into your soul I feel that I have arrived.
Great review. I really appreciated your impressions of the speakers. The only thing missing for me was your thoughts of component matching (amps and sources).
I have to follow up on the image height/room treatment issue, so I’ll try to address this as well. Thanks.
Like all A & S series these are low-moderate efficiency, high and relatively unstable load. They are quoted at 4 ohm load but there are 2 dips in audible range below 2 ohms.
The M series are much higher efficiency and marginally less load. The M6 I demoed and had a dip in upper bass to 2.4 but otherwise nearly flat 4 ohm.
Source devices won’t matter but amps need to be relatively high output and lots of psu storage capacity. Most Magico’s benefit from moderate to high damping factor. VTL MB’s run in triode mode with highest damping is the absolute best sound for Magico’s.
If you’re a fan of SS amps, I personally have heard PS Audio class A amps and was not impressed, especially the bass. My guess is damping factor was too low but I honestly don’t know enough about PSA amps. I’d suggest trying something like a Naim or an old Pass Aleph 1.2 would be good.
@@MichaelM-to4sg I wonder if the Parasound JC1 monoblocks would be a good fit. They have the power that's for sure.
@@elitetrader5468 I’m not real familiar with/Parasound products, especially since the ownership changes.
That amp however is likely a John Curl design, hence the “JC” model designation. While John is best known for his famous phono preamps, his amp designs for Parasound and Constellation are always very high damping factor and typically have stout psu’s capable of driving difficult loads.
To confirm compatibility, check the specs published by Parasound, you’re looking for DF: >800 @8 ohms and output @ 2 ohms double that at 4 ohms.
I didn’t get a sense of how the speaker sound for a different frequencies like how does it have a sibling sibilances or highs. I’d love to see a review of the A3’s as well
And this is Magico's entry level line. There is also the S and M series speakers and they make a few different subwoofers as well. Amazing speakers.
As an owner of A5 I can relate to most things said. Especially interesting is remark about stage height. It does show itself in full glory in well recorded classical music, though. I am becoming more of opinion that many other speakers exagarate this height even when it is not in the recording by presenting higher frequency more upward. In pictures, the speaker is shown without spikes or Apods, so I wonder is this how the tonal balance was found to be better for the reviewer?
A5's price is close to Wilson's Sabrina X. Would be interesting to see the two compared.
I compared the two on the same day but at different dealers. I preferred the A5 mostly because of the “better” bottom end.
@@frankfuller450 Thx
I’d love to see production numbers on Magico speakers!
My pair of A5 are a few months old and the serial numbers indicate Magico has sold about 500 pairs.
Very good review. I like your style. If you haven't already done so, can you review the wharfedale Elysian 4.
They don't like to review stuff that they are not going to give rave reviews to. I just don't think that Tom Martin is a Wharfedale kind of guy (neither am I).
Has does it compare to the new $11K Borresen Acoustics X3's and $22K Borresen Acoustics X6's for less money ?
I had the same question, and got the answer after a few hours with the X3. Even a Magico A3 blows the X3 out of the water. Better in every aspect, especially in the articulation of lows. Better transparency in the mids with tonal fullness, and better details in the top end.
It made the X3 sound like home theater. Everything sounded rounded and smoothed off on the X3. Strikes on a piano didn't have that immediacy I expected. Bass had a fakeness to it. By fakeness I mean that an inexperienced listener will mistake it as being able to do bass, but an experienced listener will hear a sense of hollowness on the bottom end. Btw this was an appropriately sized, well-treated room. X3 was overall a huge disappointment for me.
Obviously an A5 would be even better with an improved midrange. Haven't heard the X6 yet, but I will soon. And i doubt it beats the A5.
Dont bother with Borresen's X level speakers. Z series is where it starts to get good. But then you have the Magico S series at that level too.
a bit off topic but Benaroya Hall in Seattle has a wonderful sound.
Chief Content Officer, RIDICOULOUS !
Keep in mind that The Absolute Sound started as print magazine (with ads), then added webpages (with ads), and now has added TH-cam videos (getting paid for ad views). So it has always been a business, and why that title sounds ridiculous to you. It was probably originally called Managing Editor back when it was a print magazine only.
@@Mark-rw3kw i remember the magazine, it was awesome. but CCO ? that's over the top, and i'm a Chief Comment Officer, so i know,
@@nitraM321 It doesn't make sense to me to use Managing Editor for a media outlet that includes TH-cam videos. So if you have a better title, please let us know, but I don't understand why this is so important. He is in charge of all content that appears in the magazine, website, and TH-cam under the Absolute Sound brand name. You are not in charge of all comments on this or any other channel.
@@Mark-rw3kw i find it utterly pretentious
@@nitraM321 OK, but is it really that important?
by coincidence i only just last night saw the video marketing your coffee table history of high end audio,
and that video was my first exposure to Magico. man i'd love to hear one of these someday.
but i wish they'd come up with something classier than carbon fiber.
pretty sure i never want to see carbon fiber on a loudspeaker again, tbh
They use carbon fiber because that's what their engineers deemed best. This isn't a fashion show.
Is the Gryphon Diablo 300 able to properly drive these speakers ?
Nice review. Just a Note like all Magico and Wilson speakers Not bi wired you can’t use different amps or bi amp this. Can’t blend tubes with solid state on this one. DAppilito configuration appears to give a better vertical imaging placement with box speakers.
Correct, but you can use a tube pre-amp and a hybrid tube/solid state amp, like Tom Martin uses. Note that Tom uses a Audio Research tube pre-amp along with hybrid PS Audio BHK600 monoblocs (tube input stage and solid state power output stage) in his listening room. I think that is better than trying to bi-amp the speakers. I suspect that using a tube preamp and completely solid state amp would also do the trick.
@@Mark-rw3kw Tubes measure terribly but they do add something to the sound thats just better. Thinking of the Macintosh hybrid amp with built in criossover sounded spectacular with SF speakers but we will never know with this Magico and even Wilson speakers unless someone would break warranty and DIY it.
Thank-you sir for mentioning the price $26,800US ($37,000CAD)/pair right off the top as I can quickly get on with my day
With are ears placed horizontally in the same plain being able to observe vertical placement is almost imposiible. Thats why elevated Horn loaded pa systems and line arrays are so successful in large venues. When you say 85 db I assume you mean A weighted slow response. Where the actual levels with a flat weighting fast response around 40 millisec time constant can be 15 to 20 db higher. A weighting is for determining when the ear can be damaged over a 8 hour period. Its not the actual peak levels the system is producing. Which determines how successful the speaker is and how much power your really need to prevent dynamic compression of the sound if your using recordings that have not been compromised with compression or limiting.
@15:00 thats the MAIN point on every Setup. No well planned and correct choosen Room Treatment = no High End Sound
These are great speakers and anytime you want an improved sound is just upgrade the amp and they get better
Please tell me Tom didn't seriously place these speakers flat on a carpeted floor without at least using some sort of footers.
When stereo speakers can produce a sound that is closely equivalent to live and yet not sound harsh, then they definitely deserve to be judged as high end. However, every speaker in that category will have to be extremely revealing and will inevitably produce unpalatable sound if the source material or source equipment is compromised. I personally prefer to endure irritations from poor sources in order to benefit from a close to live presentation from good sources. I doubt whether the slightly warm voicing of the A5 is sufficient to make all music sound great.
Excellent review… did you experience any listener fatiguing events… Your room seems to be small…will these fill a 15x30 room with 12 foot ceilings.. thanks..
I don't think there would be any problem with that, based on what other reviews have said. There is one TH-cam reviewer who had them in his converted 2-car garage listening room which is about 20x20. Just supply enough amplifier power and you should be fine. I am assuming that the listening position is not going to be more than 15 feet away from the speaker, and the rest of the space is behind the listener.
I can’t say for sure about 15 X 30 X 12 (with unspecified seating position), which is 5400 cubic feet. In 3000 cubic feet they were fine (11 feet from speakers to seating).
@@thomasmartin2219 current dynaudio confidence 5s are 8 feet apart and seating is 9 feet.. the spl. Of my C5s is only 83 db so …. How about listening fatigue.. Thanks again for your time to answer..
Where are the measurements?
😄
Let me know if they begin to include sound clips in these reviews, I'll come back.
The problem is that TH-cam won't allow it unless a royalty is paid to the whomever owns the music copyright.
@@Mark-rw3kw YT Channel HiFi Immersion has MANY VIDEOS that are ALL MUSIC, extremely well recorded of fantastic systems, I listen to one near-daily. They include Clapton, Dire Straits, Sara McLachlan, Joni Mitchell, Bill Frisell, REM, Miles Davis, Pink Floyd, Dave Brubeck, Ryan Adams, a bunch of Classical music, and they don't seem to have the resources TAS has, near as I can tell. I don't believe it is a function of economics. TAS is content doing word salad, unfortunately, near as I can determine. You should check out HiFi Immersion; you may drop TAS, who I have read FOREVER.
A dream loudspeaker. But unfortunately not affordable.
Are you going to review the S3 Mk3 too? Thanks
Too inexpensive for the Absolute Sound.
Given the positive reaction of our editors to the S3 at Axpona, that’s a shoe-in. Also see the October issue (out now) for a review of the A1.
Jonathan Valin received the S3,Mk3 last Monday for review
What recording studios use Magico loudspeakers?
Does it matter? Many studios use B&W which we all know sounds like crap.
Everything matters. We? :)@@meesmo4
@@meesmo4 no thats wrong, B&W or mostly all other ,,High End,, Brands are not really used in studios. Just because Abbey Road is famous, people thought B&W are often used in studio wich is wrong. The Main Brands are still ATC, Neumann, Genelec, PMC, Amphion…
@@vtkz Abbey road are not the only ones using B&W, Skywalker sound, Sony studios, and many boutique studios around the world use them too. Of course brands like Genelec and Neumann are seen more often, they are comparatively cheaper and easier to integrate with DSP. Doesn't change my point that just because something is used in studios doesnt automatically mean that it sounds good.
Why don't you ad a couple of minutes of listenig to understand your comments in a better way ? I'd really appreciate that.
TH-cam requires that a fee be paid to the music copyright owner.
What, is it $6000? Wow
what is costs, Sir ?
I'm sure they sound nice, but they look so basic in black, like SVS or Arendals.
Talking and talking about audio; I simply do not understand why you do not play music in these videos; allowing us to hear what you are describing! This really is no different than sunrise semester when TV first started; talking heads. Sorry I was a subscriber to The Absolute Sound since issue 1 and this might as well be written. No different than reading the transcript of this might as well be in your hard copy or online; no need to be a video; I refer you to Jays Audio Lab where we hear all the various components; he lets the components do the talking. You really are johnny come lately to TH-cam and have missed the point entirely. The best channels play music through the components; geez. Harry would have known how and what to do with a TH-cam channel of TAS.
LOL
You don't know about TH-cam compressing audio, he does. Harry wouldn't want compressed audio either.
@@saint6563 I am well aware of TH-cam compressing AND it is digital. Nevertheless it is still easy to discern differences notwithstanding all of those factors. Sorry there is no point of his being on this platform the same thing can be said in written form.
@@mahasidha9 It's a matter of having to pay the music copyright owner it they play any music.
@@Mark-rw3kw there are numerous other TH-cam channels that demonstrate high end gear with little narrative and let the components speak for themselves; other channels make editorial comments and yet again they do so after the musical selection has been played.
@@mahasidha9 A TH-cam channel can play copyrighted music, but if they do they must prove that they are paying the copyright owner or have permission from the copyright owner, otherwise their TH-cam channel will be demonetized (they don’t get paid for advertising views). Some of the demonetized channels make money from Patreon or TH-cam channel memberships, instead of ad views.
30k speakers....exposed screws around the speakers? Inexcusable as far as I'm concerned.
For speakers of equal SQ, I would pick the one with easy assembly (exposed screws) ones so can make modification easily and that'd fit new modern building style better.
Not a bad thing. Drivers comes loose over time. Easy field fix.
@@elitetrader5468 what? What kind of speakers are you purchasing where the drivers come loose? I've owned countless pairs of speakers and none have come loose. Screws being shown on a thousand-dollar pair of speakers is shoddy. Do you think they kept them exposed so it's easy access to tighten up the driver? Lol
The higher end Magico speakers (S and M lines) don't have exposed screws, but they cost several times as much (but also have nicer looking curved cases). One problem though is that if your cat or child (or amplifier) damages a speaker driver, it is very difficult and expensive to replace the ones with no exposed screws. Magico does sell a pair of grilles for the A5 for $850. The grilles are metal and do not completely hide the screws, but do obscure them to fair degree. You can see the grilles at the Magico store. I think it depends on the listening room, since those who tend to listen in a darkened room may not mind the screws, but if placed in a brightly lit room with a lot of windows during the day, then the S or M lines would be better looking.
The sad truth about you hi end audiophiles is that, apart from good speakers, you need to spend a serious amount of money to really appreciate them.
I wonder if you would be paying them all those compliments, if they had a lower price tag.
After all, it's just a three way speaker with a passive crossover in a well built box.
There are speakers costing way more. Anything under 30K is considered "value" when it comes to the hi end. It is more about the build, it is about R and D as well.
Well you heard it folks big expensive speakers aren’t worth it
You got that conclusion out of the review? JFC.
My wife and I were agreed to buy this model but on the way to the shop we stopped to hear the Yamaha NS-5000. That company's resources from their engine and musical instrument divisions persuaded us with its non beryllium all identical aramid fiber drivers. Nobody else can deliver this at any price. It is a major advantage in integrating all the drivers as Mr. Martin discussed.
The NS 5000 is good, but it can't do bass. If you listen to just unamplified music, it works fine. Tonality is spot on with the Yamaha. I'd personally pick the A5 over NS 5000 any day.
Yes if you eliminate price as a criterion. Size and mass are another. She was at the counter with her credit card out while I was still deciding.@@meesmo4
*They would have to have great bass also for that price I assume.*
great lexicon.