Magico speakers too clinical and fatiguing?


A while back I was very enthusiastic about these speakers. They look nice and supposedly supposed to sound very nice. I’ve heard them a few times and the level of precision and accuracy is very good. But is there too much science going on to create the speakers that makes them at times a little uncomfortable to listen to for more than a few minutes.

Are modern age speakers going nuts with all the science?

emergingsoul

@vuch 

This.

The deeper I go into this hobby/obsession the more convinced I am that the room and setup are vital. Before deciding to spend 6-figures on gear, one really needs to consider the limitations of the room. A bad room can create all kinds of sonic issues/limitations. 

@willyht no doubt! I also greatly enjoyed @deep_333 and @rforddaddyo's takes. 

The Room! Speaker placement to listening position are the cheapest, fastest way to getting there with whatever you've got. I've found matching the triangle set-up by having the speakers exactly the same distance from outer walls and listening position centered between them. Having the speakers as far away from the front wall pays increasing dividends but sometimes, perhaps a lot of times it isn't practical ie: WAF.

I have a 2nd rig that is so old and cheap but I love it when I'm there almost as much as the main rig. 

This morning I spent over an hour readjusting my speakers to get them about 6" further from the front wall. I also rechecked level of the speakers, slope leaning back, distance from the outer wall & sweet spot position. 

I get so much enjoyment out of this rig! Even with tech reconditioning, I think I've got about $750 into it including the Furman power conditioner I just got for it this week.

Do I really need the main rig? No, sometimes I don't know how I got there. But I do know that I love music, albums, streaming, CD's maybe a little bit. Tape is cool but I don't have any. Yeah the main rig is great but wherever I am I seem to enjoy the rig as much as possible...

I just installed a DEQX Pre 8 in a system based on Magico S7 loudspeakers. First off, they are extraordinarily well made. To start, they were being driven by  McIntosh gear. The image was diffuse and details smoothed over in typical McIntosh fashion. There were two JL Audio Fathom subs using a low pass filter only and the bass was confused. The room is a dedicated media room 20 X 30 feet with a 9 foot ceiling. After replacing the mac preamp with the DEQX the image snapped into focus and details were audible that were glossed over before. Adjusting the treble down a bit gave a neutral sound without any sibilance. The bass now managed by the DEQX was eons better but still lacking in the utmost definition, the fault lies with the Fathoms. We are going to replace the Mac amps with a pair of Bricasti Design M28s and I am sure that will bring this system up into the upper echelons of performance with the exception of the bass below 50 Hz. We have not discussed new subs yet, I would like to see four Martin Logan BF 212s. 

In short, The S7s are a fine speaker and a reasonable value given that you can spend a lot more for the same performance. As you see here they can be no better than the equipment in front of them. This is true of any great loudspeaker.  

(Emergingsoul)

I am just using the stock McIntosh  tubes in my MC2301 amps and they should have a lot of life left.

They sound fine to me and I believe they may be greatly improved upon but I’m on thin ice for spending what I have on everything already. 🥴

No tube swapping for right now with (16) power tubes to buy.

The Magico are not able to be BiAmped and the Tannoy can be BiAmped.

I found it a huge improvement on the Tannoy to get  rid of the speaker jumper cable and feeding upper end with tubes and bottom end with SS.

Found the jumper wire was a huge detractor of capability.