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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
nglazer
folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
@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.
pwhinson
158 posts
 
So I listened to the A3 last week for the first time, and on good electronics (Constellation), well setup in terms of the room (very large room, no apparent problems there). I was frankly extremely surprised to to find them tonally VERY DARK so I’ll have to agree with one previous poster there. I listen primarily to classical music and there is no way I would EVER be happy with them. If I had any biases they would have been to the positive on this speaker. I expected SO much more. I also learned that the mark II versions of the S series are darker than the mark I versions at least to this dealer. Regardless, I haven’t hear the S3 or the S5 although I would like to. I was shocked. There was an absolute level of bass that was far too pronounced. It killed whatever the speaker was doing farther up the frequency spectrum, at least on well recorded classical music. I rarely have heard anything that sounded this wrong. Good source equipment (Esoteric I think), good recordings and I'm told that the speaker is just too dark.  The dealer seems to think that the S5 Mark I was the homerun but the A3 waaaaaayyyyy too dark tonally to be a contender for me.  Shocking.
james63
534 posts
 
Interesting that a number of you are agreeing they are dark. I have not heard them and I am just the peanut gallery. 

Bewteen these common comments and the price hike to $12.5k I will probably not bother demoing them as my closest magico dealer 3-4 hours away. 

I hate dark speakers. Neutral with a little warmth is fine and enjoyable but dark... no thanks. 
fdpdk
45 posts
 
Well i will also give my view on this , as i heard them with PS Audio gear , tellurium speaker cables and NordOst power cords to the system.
My initial thought was that these are tonally dark sounding.....on the same time i also remember that i think they are very coherent from top to bottom ....but tonally that dark is not my cup of tea....i also thought they lacked depth perspective.

ebm
9,311 posts
 
With the right electronics and cable they are not dark just wonderful sounding.
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