Persona 9h vs S3 mk 2

Smodtactical,


You have two very different sounding loudspeakers with fans on both sides.

In terms of sheer technology and value for the dollar the Persona has a lot of advantages over the Magicos.

The Persona has two additional bass drivers, a two 700 watt bass amplifiers per channel, and a full Anthem bass correction system.

The room correction system allows you to get tight bass in any size room which allows the 9H to be used in rooms that you might consider too small for such a loudspeaker.

The Persona also uses the same materials for the midrange and tweeter in this case both pure Beryilium  and then you have the lens technology which helps create a very holographic image.

Sonically the Personas have a transparency and a liveness in the treble and midrange which is just remarkable.

The Magicos are a great example of a extraordinary conventional loudspeaker with a very inert cabinet, a Beryillium tweeter and a graphene based midrange driver. Parts and build quality on the Magico are as good as it gets.

We have heard the Magicos for years at shows and at a few dealers they are much more netural than the Personas, at Axpona we heard many Magio setups with very expensive electronics and nearly every setup the speakers were not involving.

The big Magico M6 with dual subs and Dagastino gear has a huge sense of scale but failed to sound musical.

The only setup that we thought was actually quite good was the S3 with the new Classe gear, and this setup was musical with a nice sense of clarity and a good soundstage.

If you are ever in our neck of the woods we would love to demonstrate what a well setup set of 9H can sound like, our setup is the remarkable T+A electronics with a number of different dacs.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

Nice sales pitch Audio Doctor!

I’d take the 9H any day for so many reasons.  It’s not just about having good bass in any room.  It’s about having the best possible bass in every room.  The Magico can’t possibly have as good of bass when it’s all said and done.  
I’d say go listen to both, but usually Paradigm dealers don’t have them set up well, whereas a Magico dealer is more likely to have the Magico speakers set up decently well. Plus, every one on here will recommend Magico because of the psychological prestige the brand has, and how Paradigm isn’t “high end.”  So dumb.  
Oh, the Magico will also require massive amounts of power if your listening loudly, or listening to music with heavy bass content.  On the flip side, you can probably power the 9H with a button cell battery.  If you like the sound of SET amps, you can play the 9H in the 100db+ realm, with bass extension down below 20hz.   There is no tube configuration in the world that will do that with the Magico.

Anyway, another vote for the 9H.  If you are in the Chicagoland area I have two friends with 9H’s who actually have them set up properly that I’m sure would be happy to have you over for a listen.  I also have a friend in the area with the S3 MKII (and a3 in another room), who would also likely do the same.  

Keep in mind, Magico makes some of my favorite speakers on the planet easily.  Definitely in my top 10 if not top 5 brands.  However to deny the performance per dollar you get in the 9H vs the S3 MKII is just pure buffoonery.

“If you are ever in our neck of the woods we would love to demonstrate what a well setup set of 9H can sound like, our setup is the remarkable T+A electronics with a number of different dacs. ”...

how dare you Troy, trying to help out someone specifically regarding exactly what it is they are looking for...  geez, so pushy.  Maybe you could soften down your “sales pitches”...

on a serious note Troy, Thank You for sharing with us your vast data bank of knowledge regarding your first hand experiences with this equipment.  There are members here that I appreciate your input.  

It's not that simple. This active bass is driven by a DSP, class D amp, set up. That means that your bass signal is digitized (and it is playing into the midrange, with a delayed signal). It introduces all sort of audible issues. To my ears, brittle, bright, and disjointed presentation. Not in the same league as other $35K contender.