I have found myself losing interest in the B&W house sound. I am looking to move away from the super forward and highly analytical sound they bring to something much more musical.
Totally agree. I respect B&W’s sound, but I never loved it — never sounded like real music to me. Speakers that trounce B&Ws in musicality but still offer excellent detail are Joseph Audio, ProAc, Usher, and Vandersteen among others and would be well worth seeking out for a listen — I think you’ll hear the difference immediately. Magico obviously makes great speakers, but let your ears be your guide. Best of luck.
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Magico are incredibly fast and accurate speakers… does not at all sound like the right direction for you. Magico require extremely good and musical input or you get analytical… and the shortcomings of your electronics reproduced with great accuracy.
I have recently listened to the A3 for several hours. The top of the line Luxman amp. Musical they were not. Sounded pretty good… but not real musical.
I have had very accurate systems for decades… but somewhat missing the musicality… you can see my current systems under my user ID. They are incredibly musical… but with all the detail (a long story). To me musicality is critical (rhythm and pace with midrange bloom).
So, to me the most musical speakers are Sonus Faber, high detailed and musical components Audio Research… then realy musical components Conrad Johnson and VAC… Cary. Notice they are all tubed…
B&W and McIntosh have a very distinctive sound… great for rock… and some other heavy genres. But real musical and detailed systems you must look elsewhere.
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It might have been helpful to mention what's in front of them:
:Surround Proessor : AVM90
Preamp: McIntosh C2700 Tube
MC452
MC207
MC205
SACD: McIntosh MCD301
blu ray: Oppo -203
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I am not sure Magico A3 is going to be a step in the right direction for you. Magico’s are great but similar.
if you are looking for the same image with a softer, more musical presentation Wilson Benesch, Joseph Audio, Vandersteen, Verity are all brands I would look at. These are all “cone and done” speakers and present a similar image.
Ribbons, AMTs, electrostats, planars all deliver a different, more immersive experience.
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At Axpona 2022 the magico I’ve heard are unbelievably good and musical, they are hook will expensive gear and synergistic cables.Magico Speakers with the right set up and components they will sound musically amazing.Your gear there is a chance they will match the magico.
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Jof stick with Magico Audition if you can .they are world class speakers.
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My advice is to have a long auditioning session. Here's my rationale
B&Ws were something I once aspired to buy and I listened to PSB and eventually Sonus faber - I went with Sonus faber.
And there's some many excellent speakers I think it's virtually impossible to hear them all. With Magico's reputation if you like the sound and a few years down the road your tastes change I am confident someone will want your Magico.
I've enjoyed listening to DeVore, Wilson, Splendor, ProAc - but I am very fond of my Sonus faber. If you can audition them easily listen to as many speakers as you can.
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I would love to, but being in Alabama can make it really hard to audition speakers. Funny thing happened, When I posted this topic, it was while my new preamp and processor were in route. I have had the McIntosh C2700 for about week now the D3's sound like totally different speakers. I am going to wait a while and see how the C2700 and the new Anthem processor play wit the D3's.
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I would add the Spendor D series to the list of speakers to audition to as well. I owned Magico S series speakers for around 3 years and switched to D9s and have been very happy with them. Personally, I think they are a great comprise between the ultra resolving and dynamic camp (what some Harbeth owners call the 'modern' sound) and the midrange centric, nice natural tone, etc. (i.e. musical) camp.
I got a chance to hear the Fleetwood DeVille horn speakers recently and they were also a nice mix of dynamics and jump but with a relaxed natural tone and presentation.
Good Luck!
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@ddafoe I used to own a Ferrari, but my made in China Yuan SUV is so much more comfortable 🙄
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I completely understand your interest. I highly recommend a trip. Plan a weekend in Atlanta or a city with some good high end audio stores. Make it a fun weekend. Make appointments with one or more audio stores. Ones with Sonus Faber speakers, Wilson, and Magico as a minimum.
This is a worthwhile investment. You want to fall in love with the sound. For me after decades chasing planar speakers it was Sonus Faber. You should also listen to The others I mentioned… although I am pretty sure this is absolutely not the direction you want to go.
For me Sonus Faber and Audio Research offered great detail and incredible musicality… I get captured buy the musicality of my system every day… I have to drag myself away from my system each day… even though I listen three and a half hours a day.
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Go see OCD Mikey he is in Atlanta. That’s a joke.
As a former Sonus faber owner, I would go listen to QLN, Sonner, and Rosso Fiorentino.
I am very smitten with Sonner.
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If you like B&Ws and you have the 802s you will likely not like the Magico A3.
I was in a process of moving on from the Martin Logan Montis that I had for several years and went to audition Magico A3 and they did nothing for me. Dark, overemphasized bass, slow and not engaging. There was a sense of having a thick blanket over the speakers. Build quality is top notch but I thought I heard some of the artifacts of the aluminum cabinet. A5s are supposed to be better but at a much higher price.
I owned B&W N803 years ago and would take them over the Magico A3 any day. I would consider Focal, Sonus Faber and Wilson Audio.
Just my opinion. Definitely audition prior to buying anything if you can.
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Although I agree, if you like B&W Magico may not work for you, I’m afraid I have to disagree with audphile1 observation. I own the A3, and they are nothing like what he described. Perhaps they were not set up correctly, or he is used to lesser neutrality. If you look at many of the latest B&W, their freq response is extremely tailored. If that is what you are after, the Magico may sound boring. Many audiophiles consider hyped trebles as detailed and exciting. To my ears, they are simply unnatural and fatiguing.
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Magico are really fast and take on the character of the equipment you feed them with. So, at least to me, you have to have really good equipment or you are going to hear any shortfalls.
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I did not have the 800 series but the 702S2. I really thought they were great speakers and they are but was out messing around and stopped by a dealer to listen to Dynaudio again. I was a former owner.
Auditioned Confidence 20 and the Dynaudio Heritage. I was blown away. Not just blown away but went home and thought about it for a couple of days to make sure I just didn’t have a case of wanting something new. Spent a couple of days with my 702 and went back again and listened. There was no going back. I’ve owned KEF Reference 1s, the older Dynaudio C1s. Bowers etc and these are just the best speaker in my price range I could dream of. Seriously incredible compared to the Bowers. But sound is personal.
I don’t think the Bowers strength was imaging. At least for me. The Heritage are so much better.
I know it’s hard when you can’t audition. You may look at Safe and Sound Audio in MA on-line. They have a return policy that might work. Had a pair of returns as well. If buying new they throw in the Dynaudio Stand 20 and unique bolting plate so the Heritage stays in place.
The best Dynaudio has offered in a very long time.
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If you’re rocking a Mac amp, I’d take a hard look at Sonus Faber. Much warmer speaker and they pair well with McIntosh. Of course, I’m biased!
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Similar to the Op I had B&W speakers in college through my thirties. They were fine then but as I age I find them to be dull and unexciting speakers to listen to. It took me a year to find a speaker I liked. I went to shows around the country and would drive up to 8 hours to go listen to speakers during my journey. I agree with others....if you live in Alabama take a short drive to Atlanta and listen to as many speakers as you can. You might surprise yourself. I had no intention on buying a horn speaker but ended up going that route and am totally happy.
Magico has good resale value so that is a plus. However, when I was testing them I felt they would fatigue me if I listened for many hours at a time. I would say listen to some of the suggestions that people gave you above on Youtube. Granted you are not going to make a decision based on a YouTube video but you can at least get an idea on sound. Then find the closest dealer and listen in person.
Sonus Faber, Joseph Audio, Charney Audio, and Focal are a few brands to consider. I have also owned Wilson Audio and they have a wide range of speakers that are way better than B&W.
Don't rush into a decision and enjoy the journey.
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So a funny thing happened when I sold my MX122 and C2500 and replaced them with the Anthem AVM 90 and McIntosh C2700.....the 802's sound like completely different speakers. I must have listened to 20 hours of music either through the 2700 or multichannel through the Anthem and it's the B&W I remember falling in love with back in 2000.
I think my next move is to remove the SCMS that are mounted way too high up the wall and replace with something from the new 7 series or an older 8 series. The tweeter is about 6 feet above my head. I wanted to see what the difference would be if I put some towers there instead, so I brought my Focal Aria 926's up and hooked them up instead. Sooo much better with Atmos, etc music wise.
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Good to hear you’d rediscovered your B&Ws. Given the right components and room they can definitely sing.
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Same dilemma here, Still an owner of Nautilus B&W 803, I've had thoughts sometimes on moving on from them. However, their warm sounding is very musical to me and given its price point when I got new vs. today market for new speakers cost anywhere from $10-15K, I just cannot make the change justifying it. I've always wanted the 801 Nautilus but kept to my budget. I've heard people either love or hate Zu Audio speakers. Would be nice to audition speakers, but there's not many bricks n mortar stores around. Equipment matching is key as well.
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