speakers similar to Magico Mini's

Well this is an easy one fo me. I have Audiomachina's amazing Ultimate Monitors designed by Dr. Karl Schuemann. It is stand mounted sealed box enclosure with a first order series crossover. (I am not sure if The Magico has a first order crossover design.) I feel fairly certain that the Ultimate Monitor is the finest speaker in the world simply in terms of construction quality. If you think that this is hyperbole, let me tell you why I feel very comfortable in making that claim. Several weeks ago I had one of the speakers slip out of my hands while removing it from the stand in anticipation of a move. It fell from a 30 inch height onto the floor which had a thin commercial grade carpet (no pad) over a plywood subfloor. The speaker showed absolutely no sign of damage, either in performance or appearance! However, this claim would have little value if its sonic performance was not commensurate with its build quality. I can tell you that after two months of ownership, this is the finest mini-monitor I have ever heard (BTW, I have not heard the Magico), and I have heard few floor standing designs that come close to the musicality and coherence of the UM. Like any state of the art contender, there are some caveats in order to maximize its performance potential, and I am woking on a full review. In the meantime, checkout www.audiomachina.com.

Linkster, one thing I like about your comments is that you made a claim and then backed it up with an example. You almost never see that on audiogon anymore.

Thanks for the comments. I have not heard of your speaker, but will check it out.

Rhljazz, you are correct, the 805S is a ported design. The CM 1 uses a 5 1/4" driver I believe. I think part of the problem with a sealed design is that they are typically a little harder to power. (Could be wrong)

I'm VERY intrigued by the Mini, although WAY out of my price range. I'd love to atleast hear it sometime.

For a good deal on sealed box speakers, there are frequently Hales' speakers on here at really low prices. I know all of his speakers were sealed box, but I'm not sure about first order crossovers. Happy listening!

Rhljazz, you are correct, the 805S is a ported design. The CM 1 uses a 5 1/4" driver I believe. I think part of the problem with a sealed design is that they are typically a little harder to power. (Could be wrong)

The CM1's I have date from the late eighties and are one of the original matrix constructions. The cabinets are some sort of a composit and the box is rigidly braced internally and the space is completely filled with foam. It's a two way with a kevlar woofer about four inches diameter. I would like to know more about Linkster's speakers. What size and type of drivers and cabinet size and finish? What is the frequency range?

Dear Rhljazz,

I am a proud owner of a pair of Magico Mini.

First of all, they are not first-order cross over designs. I actually had the opportunity to meet with Alon Wolf a few months ago when he dropped by Hong Kong. I asked him about first-order crossovers, and his immediate response was that one must differentiate between first-order crossover electrically or acoustically... The Mini as far as I know are third order designs.

Has anything come close? I wish! I could have save a lot of money. But you are absolutely right that a good execution of a properly designed sealed enclosure sound absolutely wonderful. the bassline is SO clean and articular that any ported designs will immediately show their shortcomings.
There aren't that many sealed designs these days. If you find a 'substitute', do let me know!

Don't even bother with the B&W 805s. They are not even close to the same league... they are fine speakers, just that they should not be compared to the Magico Mini on any level.

Ultimate Monitors are interesting alternatives. But from what I understand, they are not as 'flat' as the Magico Mini, according to the reviews done by a japanese magazine. They may be worth a shot though.