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Magico S5 review

I've been auditioning the Magico S5's on loan from my dealer Scott Walker Audio of Anaheim for several weeks now.
The S5's are an all aluminum cabinet, a trickle down version of the Q series. They are 90 DB, 22HZ-50KHZ, 190#,and sell for $28,600. After some considerable work by Scott he got the speakers locked in perfectly.

My current system consists of Focal Nova Utopia BE speakers
($45,000), An Ayon CD-5 cd player, An Ayon Triton 2 amp,Grand Prix Monaco racks,and a slew of Synergistic Research equipment: Tranquility bases,Migs, Hologram A,D, and AC Precision power cords, Element interconnects,an 11 piece Acoustic Art system, SR fuses and even the new Ayon BT KT-88 SX tubes made in the Czech Republic

I thought I had a pretty great system......Until the S5's came into the picture. The first thing you notice about these speakers is their sealed rather than ported bass. Oh my god! I am not a bass freak but the Magicos had incredible bass.....taut with a visceral punch to the stomach on the right tracks. And this with a tube amp.On certain bass heavy tracks it was like having two subwoofers in the room.

The tweeter was smooth and delicate and completely integrated with the midrange.....it was like one driver.

The midrange is where the Magico Magic comes in.....a strong center vocal image (I like female vocalists), not only more "there" than my Focals but violins had more sheen, cellos sound deeper and you could hear deeper into the subtleties and nuances of the human voice. The tonal characteristics were denser and more real.

The real surprise came when I put the Focals back in the system. I was disappointed. Very Disappointed. The Focals bass in comparison to the Magicos sounded flabby and weak,midrange presence was lessened along with the Magicos wonderful tone. It was easy to discern that the Magico S5's sounded more holographic, 3D, with a smoother yet more detailed mid and top end.

Things I particulary liked about the music reproduction of the S5's:

Dark Side of the Moon: Listen to the bells and the cash register on the song "Money" Stunning.

Warren Zevon, Life Will Kill You: Warren knew he was dying and wasn't in great shape vocally but when you hear the title track you can hear EVERY nuance in his voice....you can hear all his despair and humor.

Sarah McLachlan, Surfacing: I was amazed at how good this Cd sounded, absolutely gorgeous. I heard guitars, Synths, and faint almost out of hearing range background vocals by Sarah. I heard sounds on this Cd I have never heard before.

Melissa McClelland,Thumbelina's One Night Stand: A cd with country folk sensibilties but with a sort of Southern guitar crunch to it. Listening to this on the Magicos was like having Melissa in the room.....Holographic, real vocal tones, and absolutely haunting.

So after saying all this what's an audiophile to do?
My dealer Scott Walker is taking my Focals in on trade along with a check. I understand the S5's take two months to build and get here so Scott is loaning me his demo pair for the duration. That will certainly make waiting for the next two months a lot easier.

mreapoe100
bvdiman
491 posts
 
02-06-13: Knghifi
Stereotaipei, they are detailed and high resolution but lay back and a bit mellow compare to Tad and Vivid where it's more aggressive in your face.
____________________________

Knghifi, did you actually mean to say?...
Magico - controlled, a bit restrained.
Tad, Vivid - more *immediacy - as in inherent lively character of horns.

As having heard few nice Tad set-ups, never found them to be anything 'aggressive/in your face' - which connote more towards negativity in my book, ie.harsh, fatiguing.
knghifi
1,668 posts
 
Bvdiman, yes and very interesting your horn analogy. My Magico salesman also use the horn analogy describing Tad but without the sub integration problems.

I don't want anything boring and not only hearing, but feeling the dynamic swings with my heart racing. This is one of the most important requirements for my components/system.

Also Magico's bass with it's sealed enclosure design is not as impactful and extended ... just sounds different but superior to the V3 if my memory is correct

It's amazing how someone familiar with all these speakers on my list and have a different conclusion but I respect his opinion. This is the reason it's important to audition any purchase and not just accept advice on a free internet forum.
usermanual
104 posts
 
What Knghifi is referring to is the sound of a cone break-up, which the TAD has plenty of starting at 6K (See JA measurements).
It is a similar phenomenon in ALL Accuton based speakers as well (i.e. Tidal, Avalon etc). Some audiophiles mistaken that sound for “immediacy - as in inherent lively” sound.
bvdiman
491 posts
 
Usermanual,
Was actually just aligning my thoughts with Knghifi impressions of TAD and his usage/choice of words.

Heck, anyway don't listen to measurements, nor to what reviewers have to say anymore. My musical enjoyment is sole goal, hence use my ears and vouch with my money - mistaken or not - who are you to say? Moreover, if that immediacy (involvement) that draws me in into the music is really a mistake, then I'd rather have it wrong all my life.

Btw.You a Magico dealer? (Gathering from all your almost exclusively Magico's related posts). No doubt Magico makes some good speakers (they are not alone!), but you are promoting them in ways detrimental to itself, imo. Seemingly, for one to like/prefer other brand here is a crime deserving some kind of pot shots/condescending remarks. Thus, not in the spirit of friendly discussions nor sharing of experiences anymore. Lighten up, its only a hobby!
podeschi
303 posts
 
Just spent the morning listening to my S5 (with the new grills attached). Didn't get a sense the grills take anything away sonically and they look great. For kicks I put the Magnepan 3.7 speakers in the mix and A/B versus the Magico S5, using same equipment (Benz LP-S/Graham Phantom Suprmeme/Clearaudio Innovation Wood to Herron phono preamp to VAC Ren Mk III pre to VAC 450S amp.

As good as I thought the Maggies are with speed, air, resolution, harmonics....the Magico's beat them by a wide margin in every department, and then brought slam, dynamics, and a new couple of registers of bass. No grain or hash. Smooth and articulate with incredible extension. While the bass is a big step up, it isn't just the reach, it is the absolute articulation...zero muddiness or slop. For me the S5 speakers' hat trick is total resolution and extension but with coherence and flow/timbre/musicality (versus analytical etchiness). Now I just need to find my summer amp (leaning toward Hegel H30). And, I'm experimenting with which speaker taps to use on VAC. Moving from the 2-4ohm to 4-8 changed things a bit.
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