OMG - Devialet on Magico is like nails on chalk - period! Had a buddy bring over his 400s and it was awful on my S3s and we both hated the combo. Ear bleedingly so. Blaming the speaker here for harsh top end is simply ludicrous with that pairing. I’ve had a wonderful experience with A3 on Gryphon Diablo/SR Level 4/Galileo system. No harshness whatsoever and had me questioning just how close the A3 gets to the S3Mk2. IMO challenging that speaker in easy room placement, coherence, dynamics and a visceral room lock on the low end (although not as powerful and extended bass). Of course the S3Mk2 is sweeter and more extended up top and fills the room more with its lifelike ability to scale in three dimensions.
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?
- 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?
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- 184 posts total
- 184 posts total