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Magico, Aerial, Dali

I have my next speaker upgrade narrowed down to the Magico V2's, Aerial 7t's, and Dali Helicon 400 MK2's. The only problem is I haven't heard any of them in my own system consisting of ARC LS17SE pre, and Bryston 4Bsst2 amp. I can get the Magico's for a decent price but they're still more expensive than the other options and the dealer will not let me demo at home unless I pay him. I thought this was odd and kind of turned me off to this dealer in general. Seems like for that kind of money in this economy the dealer should be willing to let a serious buyer demo at home.
I heard the 7t's on ARC reference and Levinson amps and was very impressed. Hard not to be with those kind of components. The Dali's are less expensive and I heard them on much cheaper gear but they still sounded fabulous. The dealer has arranged a demo later this week. If I went that route I'd have some money left over to buy a phono pre. I currently have the Aerial 6's and like their sound but they're not enough speaker for my room and if I sell now I can get the same amount that I bought them for.
Does anyone have experience with these three speaker's and/or companies? I am looking for detail, transparency, and realism. Any suggestions? Are the Magico's worth the extra money? I know it comes down to subjective taste, but is there a consensus on what the strengths are of each of these speakers?
minibox
nvp
317 posts
 
I had some experience with Dali Helicon 300 mk1 paired with a Bryston combo, i.e. the 4BSST power amp and the BP25 pre. The combination was not bad. Also, to me the Helicon 300 complemented with a sub were much much better than the Helicons 400s and more satisfying than the Euphonia 400.

The Helicons are extremely beautiful (see my old system page). My wife still remembers them. However, while good speakers, you can find better speakers. The Focal Micro Be that I own now easily outclass the Helicons 300 (IMO). Have a look at Focal Alto Be for example. Also, you might want to check the new flagship series from Dali, Epicon. They are quite nice and sound very very clean.

Regarding the Magico dealer, I agree with you 100%. I would definitively not give him my business.

I do not have any experience with the other two speakers ...

Best wishes,
Paul
jl35
4,114 posts
 
If you like the Aerial 6, the 7b and 8b have a very similar sound and are a lot more speaker for your room. I have owned all three and still have the 7b. I believe the Dali MS4 is way better than the Helicon 400. I owned the MS4, actually replaced Aerial 8's with them, and a close friend had the Helicon 400 and replaced them with the MS4.
audiofreak32's avatar
audiofreak32
281 posts
 
Sonus Faber Cremona will likely sound better than all those three...
minibox OP
12 posts
 
I'd love to hear the Cremona's but I can only find a listing of 7 total dealers in America and Canada. They have a very good reputation but they need to expand in the U.S. and make themselves more available.
minibox OP
12 posts
 
What's odd about the Magico dealer is that he only lives 40 minutes from me and still won't let me demo at home.
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