To me, it is not only the speaker itself that matters, but also the amplifiers that will work well with the particular speaker. I personally don't like the sound of most high powered amps, both tube and solid state, and so both efficiency and how easy a load the speaker presents to the amp matters a lot. Most modern speakers, even those that are quite efficient (e.g., Wilsons), are not at all compatible with the amps that I like. Is it the sound of the Magico speaker that I don't like; is it the sound of the amp being used to driver the Magico that I don't like; does it matter which is the root cause?
While it is a good thing that advances in materials and design keep coming along (this affords designers a much wider range of options), it is not always the case that the latest design/material is the best option for a particular implementation. As a very rough generalization, I still prefer the sound of woofers with paper cones and pleated paper surrounds that have VERY short excursion capability. Yes, this does limit acoustic output at the very lowest frequencies, and it does require use of very large cabinets, but, I like the variety of tone and texture to the bass and lower midrange that is afforded by such drivers. There are current manufacturers that make cost is no object speakers that could be made with any kind of driver available that utilize such "old" technology (an absurdly expensive example is the Living Voice flagship).
While it is a good thing that advances in materials and design keep coming along (this affords designers a much wider range of options), it is not always the case that the latest design/material is the best option for a particular implementation. As a very rough generalization, I still prefer the sound of woofers with paper cones and pleated paper surrounds that have VERY short excursion capability. Yes, this does limit acoustic output at the very lowest frequencies, and it does require use of very large cabinets, but, I like the variety of tone and texture to the bass and lower midrange that is afforded by such drivers. There are current manufacturers that make cost is no object speakers that could be made with any kind of driver available that utilize such "old" technology (an absurdly expensive example is the Living Voice flagship).