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Auditioned Magico A3 - VERY DARK...

So today after waiting for months to try and listen to the Magico A3, I went to Scott Walker audio at Anaheim and listened to the Magico A3, connected to some VAC Tube amp, being fed from a Sony audio streamer, here are my impressions:

- They look fantastic, I wish they made them in silver too, but they are just great in brush black aluminum
- They're quite small and could fit everywhere
- Fit and finish is impecable
- The bass they generated was nothing but amazing for such a small cabinet, you could hear the drums, the down beats and incredible depth of bass at an amazing level
- Imaging was INSANE, you could literally place everyone and everything...
- Sound was VERY VERY DARK!!! This was a bit of a surprise, the top end lacked for my taste to a quite a degree
- I felt like the combo of the Tube amp and Magico lacked resolution, while bass and mid was great, the top end absolutely lacked resolution
- The sound was extremely laid back, again dark
- It does NEED POWER, like he had to crank the volume up, to get good sound out of this, so be aware of that

Overall, I "personally" did NOT like the sound, it lacked details and resolution at the top end, while it was great at the bottom end.  Now, the rep and I think this is mostly due to Tube amp, and connecting it to a solid state amp would bring back resolution, but we simply didn't have time to do that today.  I look forward to listen to these at another time with some decent solid-state amp, but as-is, I was NOT as impressed as I expected and wouldn't have purchased one and I strongly believe Tube and Magico A3 do NOT go well together! 

Anyone else with similar impressions?! Curious to know what others may think, or maybe there was something else in play?

Thoughts?
alexb76
melbguyone
294 posts
 
"Maybe that’s one reason Magico sounds bad most of the time" - I can’t quite agree with that view. My experience auditioning various Magico speakers over the years has been quite the opposite. That’s not to say every Magico speaker i’ve auditioned has sounded good on a given day. Issues like system synergy and speaker hours have been mitigating factors on a couple of occasions.

The best amps i’ve heard for synergy with Magico are Vitus, Boulder (latest series), Absolare & Soulution (latest series). Though I could also see CH Precision pairing well. In fact Magico LLC are now using CH gear in their listening room.

Thanks for posting the link to your room. I’ll check that out properly tomorrow if I get a chance. I like the VTL amps. If I ever come across a stonking deal on a pair of 2nd hand Siegfried Series II mono’s & a TL6.5 Series II pre, I could be sorely tempted.
folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
@melbguyone one thing that helps the VTL MB450III work well with the Magicos is the adjustable damping factor and input sensitivity.

I did at one stage try running my prior set (V3s) with a low power (50W) tube integrated that my dealer swore by but this was a complete non starter in my estimation. Count me as someone who really believes that gobs of power help, despite the quite high sensitivity (90dB) of the Q3s, amusingly Magico themselves have a 30W minimum power rating for the Q3 🤭
melbguyone
294 posts
 
@folkfreak Yes the VTL’s adjustable damping factor is a cool feature, however according to VTL increasing the damping factor to high settings is a double edged scord as it has a detrimental affect on the sound and also produces a less natural sound. There is no doubt however their flagship models are brilliantly designed. The Siegfried Series II mono’s are just about perfect if you like neutral reference-type amps, though bloody expensive! But as you noted, the MB450 III mono’s have plenty of power to drive your Q3’s being a bit more sensitive than the S5 Mk2’s.
folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
I actually find the Q3s work best at the lowest damping factor. But you have the higher settings if needed
melbguyone
294 posts
 
@folkfreak That doesn’t surprise me, the Q3’s are only a moderate load @90db. If you can run the mono’s on the lowest damping setting & in Triode mode with ease, that sounds like a perfect match 😎. Now back to normal programming...something about the Magico A3’s? 😋.
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