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Auditioned Magico A3 - VERY DARK...

So today after waiting for months to try and listen to the Magico A3, I went to Scott Walker audio at Anaheim and listened to the Magico A3, connected to some VAC Tube amp, being fed from a Sony audio streamer, here are my impressions:

- They look fantastic, I wish they made them in silver too, but they are just great in brush black aluminum
- They're quite small and could fit everywhere
- Fit and finish is impecable
- The bass they generated was nothing but amazing for such a small cabinet, you could hear the drums, the down beats and incredible depth of bass at an amazing level
- Imaging was INSANE, you could literally place everyone and everything...
- Sound was VERY VERY DARK!!! This was a bit of a surprise, the top end lacked for my taste to a quite a degree
- I felt like the combo of the Tube amp and Magico lacked resolution, while bass and mid was great, the top end absolutely lacked resolution
- The sound was extremely laid back, again dark
- It does NEED POWER, like he had to crank the volume up, to get good sound out of this, so be aware of that

Overall, I "personally" did NOT like the sound, it lacked details and resolution at the top end, while it was great at the bottom end.  Now, the rep and I think this is mostly due to Tube amp, and connecting it to a solid state amp would bring back resolution, but we simply didn't have time to do that today.  I look forward to listen to these at another time with some decent solid-state amp, but as-is, I was NOT as impressed as I expected and wouldn't have purchased one and I strongly believe Tube and Magico A3 do NOT go well together! 

Anyone else with similar impressions?! Curious to know what others may think, or maybe there was something else in play?

Thoughts?
alexb76
fleschler
2,046 posts
 
ebm-Kevin Gray, Steve Hoffman, Robert Pincus-all agree. Kevin prefers Harbeths. They are more expert than you. There wouldn’t be any great reissued LPs or CDs without them. I am not an audio expert, but after hearing Magicos at four shows and two showrooms, I have a lot of information to tell me they are speakers that are missing the music to obtain a "sound."  I've been in high end audio for three decades and am a amateur recording and mastering engineer for an orchestra, chamber group and several large choirs in Los Angeles.  Some of my work is at USC and UCLA.  I have excellent hearing.

I’ve heard many excellent speakers and they didn’t require megabuck equipment and cabling to sound great. Magicos apparently do and not just any equipment and cabling, but really special items. My wife chose the Von Schweikert/VAC/Kronos room as the one she prefers to all the others. That’s up there in price like the big Magicos I heard. I’d take Wilsons or B&Ws before I’d buy any of the Magicos I heard and those aren’t on my want list.
melbguyone
294 posts
 
Fortunately prolonged and repeated efforts by one member to name-drop and passive aggressively belittle the loudspeaker manufacturer that is the subject of this thread do not abrogate the validity of the ears of Magico owners and fans. And there are many of them. Fortuitously many more than the Benedict Arnolds of this world..
fleschler
2,046 posts
 
For those who enjoy their Magico speakers, wonderful.  My unfortunate acquaintance with many of their speakers has soured me on the brand as well as my friends.
melbguyone
294 posts
 
@fleschler Perhaps it is time to take your unfortunate acquaintances and soured memories some place else, and allow this thread to get back on track?
sciencecop
180 posts
 
Fleschler,
Most of the speakers you like are grossly colored. Of course, we heard them all and seen some of their measurements. They are not very good, objectively, and in my case, subjectively.
Perhaps you and your friends have been at it too long and can no longer discern between natural sound and just “sound” as you call it.
FWIW, many of RR titles were mastered on Magico loudspeakers (by Paul Stubblebine and Prof Keith Johnson). Rick Rubin also uses them for his work, not to mention many manufacturers that relay on Magico to hear what they are doing.
Harbeth claim to fame is its “pleasant” coloration; Alan Shaw even talks about it. You can look at JA measurements of any Harbeth and just cringe; I can’t imagine any mastering engineer will use these to judge his work.


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