@ folkffreak, Are you saying you replaced the stock tweeters on your q3 speaker's?
Magico A3
I auditioned a pair of Magico A3's this week to replace my long-term, beloved speakers (Von Schweikert VR5 HSE) that are just too big for the apartment I moved into, and are sounding (but not looking) a bit dated (ca. 2001). I am emotionally attached to my speakers and changing is like divorcing and re-marrying -- they may look and sound good and seem compatible, but one doesn't know until one has lived with them for some time whether the relationship will last.
In brief: If someone would have told me the A3's were $15K - $20K I would not have been surprised. First, they are much more handsome in the flesh (or in the aluminum, to be literal) than in photos. They have a clean, bold, post-industrial look. They also are Goldilocks-size: not too big, not too small for a 22x12x8 living room. And the sound, especially the vocals, is eerily natural and realistic. The bass is astonishingly deep and tight, the highs crisp but not sizzling and the mid stellar. They just sounded fresh and clean without being antiseptic. And, they can rock with the best (check out Maybe the People on Love's legendary album Forever Changes) but be delicate when the music is (e.g., Wilco's Jesus etc., or Natalie Prass's Bird of Prey). So, I ordered a pair on the spot. Delivery will not be until August as the early production run apparently has sold out.
I predict this speaker will go down as one of the greatest values in audio history, and I cannot imagine the price remaining at $9,800/pr for long, especially when the formal reviews come out. BUT, we will see how we get along when I bring them home and we have lived together for some time. That will be the true test of whether it is love, or just respect and admiration.
Neal
In brief: If someone would have told me the A3's were $15K - $20K I would not have been surprised. First, they are much more handsome in the flesh (or in the aluminum, to be literal) than in photos. They have a clean, bold, post-industrial look. They also are Goldilocks-size: not too big, not too small for a 22x12x8 living room. And the sound, especially the vocals, is eerily natural and realistic. The bass is astonishingly deep and tight, the highs crisp but not sizzling and the mid stellar. They just sounded fresh and clean without being antiseptic. And, they can rock with the best (check out Maybe the People on Love's legendary album Forever Changes) but be delicate when the music is (e.g., Wilco's Jesus etc., or Natalie Prass's Bird of Prey). So, I ordered a pair on the spot. Delivery will not be until August as the early production run apparently has sold out.
I predict this speaker will go down as one of the greatest values in audio history, and I cannot imagine the price remaining at $9,800/pr for long, especially when the formal reviews come out. BUT, we will see how we get along when I bring them home and we have lived together for some time. That will be the true test of whether it is love, or just respect and admiration.
Neal
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- 45 posts total
@audiolabyrinth no, I simply added the Enigmacoustics Sopranino supertweeter. This is a pretty common add on for Q series Magicos and complements them nicely you can read about my experience here https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/supertweeters-yes-please |
erik_squires3,375 postsFor the money I MUCH prefer the A3 to the S1 Mk II. I think it is a much easier speaker to live with in several ways, while giving up nothing. Pleased to hear that. I have heard the S1MlI at a dealers who set up a system to match my home Digital source - Ayon Pre - and Accustic Arts Amp (in place of my Pass Amp). I was impressed with the S1 and its accuracy. A3 on my radar, as well as Dynaudio Contour, Canton Ref. |
@audiolabyrinth - the way to think of a SuperTweeter is that it is to tweeters as a SubWoofer is to Woofers i.e. it complements and extends rather than replaces. The Sopranino, like the Townshend and the recently introduced KIT HIT (https://www.monoandstereo.com/2018/04/new-kit-hit-super-tweeter-from-japan.html#more) operate in parallel with your existing speakers. That is you run a short speaker cable directly from your speaker connections to the terminals on the SuperTweeter. The SuperTweeter then comes with adjustments for crossover and level so you can match it to your existing speakers - generally like subwoofers the rule is if you can hear it operating you’ve got it set too high (e.g. level too high or cross over too low) Some other SuperTweeters require their own mains power and this adds to the complexity. |
- 45 posts total