Maybe looking at the following to replace my Magico S-5 MK 1


I am looking at these three possible speakers as replacements for my Magicos.

Gauder Acoustic Cassiano
Gamut RSi5
Marten Django XL

Does anybody have any input on any of these please?

Jeff
128x128jglacken
“Funny you mention a one box solution. Jeff Fritz gave a glowing review of the new McIntosh MA 9000. I also may like the dartzeel LHC-208. So no, I am a music lover and want to get back to just enjoying...“

jglacken, once again, its your money and your journey but have you selected speakers and is jeff fritz familiar with what you like? Your room? The mac and the dart are quite different. Additionally, the Marten Birds are amazing and yet, much like other manufacturers like Wilson and Focal, the Birds dont sound like the Djangos. Good luck on your journey but be patient unless buyin and selling is also a passion. Not that theres anything wrong with that!
Thanks and you are correct in all you say.  Unfortunately I don't live very close to any audio shops so the chance to listen to various equipment is just about nil.  3-4 hour drives at best or flights to who knows where.
Quite frankly the journey has become a pain in the butt.
You sound like you have heard most everything you have mentioned so far.  May I ask where you live and where you shop?
Thanks,

Jeff
Greetings! Once again, a disclaimer: I am not a pro, I am not in the industry and I have no affiliations. I dont have golden ears nor am I an expert in anything except in the area of mis-spent funds. I have bought more gear and sold more gear than I care to remember. These days, I tend to buy for my main system and then drop vetoed items into a second system and then sell on thereafter. I used to be more of an equipment guy who enjoyed music and would always opt for the multiple boxes when in doubt. I have settled in with audio research, transparent cabling and wilson speakers. I like a bloomier presentation in my second system and lean toward warmth.

Now, to your question: Birds have a ceramic composite woofer and a diamond tweeter. Cabinetry is quite different even though they are similar footprint  (Django painted mdf I think, Birds more traditional). Django's have an aluminum woofer and ceramic tweeter, guessing that the price differential includes many more differences. What do these differences add up to? They are both excellent speakers just quite different from one another and built to a significantly different price point. Minutes of listening time so I have no opinion if they are better than X speakers or even one another.

Fortunate to live in Southern California for many years had easy access to hear. Even same speaker in different dealers to form opinions about the speaker and room interface. Fun to attend the audio shows as well, if only a flyby. Consider taking a long weekend trip with appointments at a number of dealers. So many of us are interested in audio but resist investing in the personal experience by traveling but take a look at the investment you already have and are considering. One wrong purchase, unless buying everything used, usually costs big dollars in depreciation. Plan a long trip, flights are cheap, dealers are cool when communicated with openly. "Hey, I'm interested in this speaker that you handle but Im also interested in this speaker at another dealer. My timeline for purchase is X and I will be flying in and want to make a firm appointment."

You will be surprised by the positive reaction of most. Anyone gives you any grief or lip, scratch the dealer off your list. Have a list with serials of the equipment you may wish to trade and photos. Again, make a plan. There is nothing wrong with buying and trying from the comfort of home. W have all done it, and continue to! My present setup I heard at the LA show 2 years ago and I just waited for the pieces to come available either in demo or used. You could spend alot of days in LA and likely see and hear everything you are interested in. Hiring a driver would also be fun because you could read up and surf the web in between appointments. Good luck and sorry for the long post.
@jglacken
I've Allnic L3000 Mk2 preamp. It is an amazing preamp. The fact that you couldn't tell that an preamp was inserted into the chain, goes to show how good it is. It has the best bass and dynamics from any preamp I've heard including SS and tube preamps. It gives a wide and holographic soundstage in my system and very refined yet detailed. Allnic preamp is the foundation of my stereo to be honest

We all hear things differently and prefer different things. There's no right or wrong. But it seems you may want traditional tube sound. In that case, I urge you to listen to Melody P2688 preamp. You'll be in heaven.