Reading the responses in this thread, I'm rather mystified why perhaps one of the most basic truths when it comes to speakers has not been put forward as an explanation, or at least mentioned. One of the first things I learned as I was entering the world of audiophilia over a decade ago, is that most, if not all, speakers can be classified as either "musical" or "analytical." Likewise, most people will have a preference for either the former or the latter. To someone like me, who is 100% in the musical speaker camp, no speaker that lacks musicality could ever sound good, even if it has a six digit price, regardless of associated gear, save some extreme mismatching.
I will never forget when years ago I went to Sound by Singer in NYC to audition some speakers and amps. I listened to 3 speakers: Audio Physics (I think it was Virgo, but I'm not sure), Focal Mini Utopia Be and Thiel (I believe the previous version of the CS2.4). The Audio Physics was forgettable from the start, the Thiel so analytical it was just sterile. I was listening to Peter Gabriel's SO album and Sledgehammer song and I remember I could hear incredible detail with the Thiel. I also found myself LISTENING FOR the detail without realizing it. And then came the Focal Utopia. Without realizing it, I started tapping my foot and I was just saying to myself, "Damn this song rocks!" My whole body was simply responding to the music with no conscious effort. Since then I always say, if the speaker doesn't pass the "tap" test, I'm never going to like it. But some people are looking to hear every possible detail in music reproduction and would probably prefer ultra-analytical speakers to musical speakers. One of my former bosses loved his pair of Thiels more than his wife it later turned out...
My experience was the same with both the solid state 300 wpc Musical Fidelity intergrated amp and the tubed 100 or 150 wpc BAT amplifier. The CD player was a Burmester model I can't remember. (Btw, the MF amp smoked the BAT so badly that I could never bring myself to buy a BAT amp.)
Since that experience, I know that Thiel speakers are not for me unless Mr. Thiel completely changed his speaker philosophy. I would not be surprised if the simple reason you didn't like the Magicos is because they lack musicality and fail the tap test miserably despite their hefty price. Look to speakers that are known for their musicality such as Sonus Faber, Focal, Vandersteen or Rockport instead of racking your brains whether a different cable or amp might miraculously unveil what's been so completely missing.
