Magico mini 2 versus Magico mini 1

My Mini were just upgraded to II. When new, they do sound a little lifeless, but that is because the new woofers really need time to break in! I am only at the 100 hours mark, and will patiently let them break in for another week before any critical listening.

Wslam,have loved your posts on the Minis on the Valin site.
To put some perspective on this subject,I do not own Minis,but my dear friend does.I have helped set up the system,and voice it from day "one"."Day One" being the early 1970's.
The newest Mini II is amazing,and I was quite surprised as to it's bass performance as well.I cannot possibly see owning a sub woofer with the version II.They are that good,in my friend's set up.All of the typical phrases(of praise)hold up here.We have listened to them with all types of music,but the finest Mercury,Decca,EMI and RCA pressings simply "must" be heard on these little GEMS!
I have always felt J.V. always went a bit overboard with the vast majority of his reviews.NOT on this subject!
In truth,I almost did not want this speaker to be this good,but it "IS"!!
Best of luck,and be patient.

Hi Sirspeedy,

My initial impressions of the Mini II are very positive. When I first heard the Mini II at the dealer's showroom, I was, for a short while, in 'denial' mode. How could the 'perfect' Mini be improved?! But Magico certainly did something magical with the new woofer.

IMHO, it is very 'modest' for Magico to call the II an 'upgrade', and not a new model. Aside from the cabinet, stands and tweeters, everything is different. I will let mine burn in for another few days until the weekend, then I am putting them back on the stands and start listening, and let them break in with normal listening.

Nice to get such a fast post,Wslam.I do wonder whether you will "still" need the SUB once the Minis are broken in.My friend seems to have a room similar in size as you.The bass is incredibly deep and powerful.I mean really good!!!So good,in fact,that one other friend of ours(a very serious hobbyist/former TAS reviewer)was present for the listening session,where the Mini II was fully broken in.He was in complete denial as to how good the bass was.I LOVED his rationalization,which was the typical "audio mentality" of not giving credit to something which is SO totally out of the "norm".Sometimes,when a new and fabulous design "hits" the hobby,many well heeled hobbyists "first" deny it's superiority.This was the case the other day,but my feelings are that the speakers "speak" for themselves.BTW,before hearing them ALOT,I was a "denial" person too.I cannot imagine wanting anything else,unless in a gargantuan sized room.!I have come from the Infinity 4 tower school,of years ago,and now have a sub driven Avalon set-up,yet if I were to move to another speaker(which will happen in a couple of years,since I will sell my home,with grown kids now)I will have the Minis on a VERY short list.I find it hard to believe any sub can keep up with the new II version,and still keep the magic.
BTW,how does the Dartzeel hold up on orchestral works?
Best of luck.

Sirspeedy, the list of questions you asked is pretty much the exact list of questions I am asking myself.

Here are my thoughts and observations so far:
1) The Torus is one of the better subs out there. I am using it via digital crossover and a 1000W ICEPower amp. The way I have it setup, I can switch the sub completely out of the signal path with a few clicks. Initial impression is that the bass of the Mini II is indeed 'sufficient' for 'musical' information. Right down to 40 Hz or so, possibly lower with room gain. The Torus is serving below 40Hz for the 'hall ambience' effect. It is too early for me to decide whether the Torus is 'necessary' or not. Since I will be moving in the next 9 months, probably into a bigger room, I am going to keep the Torus until then to see how the Mini II work in the new room first.

2) the dartzeel has its limits. So far, I have not managed to clip the amp, but those 'eyes' have brightened up during one of those Mahlerian climaxes, even though I did not hear any sort of strain or compression. Will it be sufficient once I move into a larger room? I don't know. In my current room, I think it is doing a very fine job.

The Mini II is one of those speakers that the physical appearance and the sound they generate simply do not match in terms of 'scale'.