Opportunity to buy Demo Magico M2?


A dealer called me with an offer to sell their demo Magico M2’s at a massive discount. I was recently in their shop and tested the A5’s with my Gryphon Diablo 300, and I found the bass to be lacking with the A5’s. I think this was likely due to the fact that they had less than 250 hours on them.

My room, while not massive, is on the larger side. Vaulted ceilings that rises to 14 feet at the peak, about 26ft front to back, and open on the sides (house is open concept). There is a large and tall island that separates out the listening area.

Considering my room size, and considering my not so great experience with the A5’s, should I bother lugging my amp into the shop to test the M2’s? I have to travel a ways so it’s a bit of a commitment. But the discount they are offering is about $25k off. And they said it would include the M-Pods.  Thoughts?

 

nyev

Perhaps you could visit the Washington DC area and audition gear at Command Audio and Video.  They carry Rockport, Magico, Focal and Devore speakers, and their electronics include Gryphon.  

And if you do go there, you are also less than 15 minutes from Deja Vu Audio, which is an entirely different audio experience, but, you might be pleasantly shocked by the sonic alternatives.  In the price range you are looking at, Deja Vu makes custom systems (vintage horn drivers) that are vivid and alive in ways conventional speakers hardly ever achieve.  The electronics at Deja Vu are also radically different (low-powered tube).

Both stores make this a good location to hear great sound.

I am not a Magico owner, but I can honestly say that my loudspeakers (W-B) required at least 400 hours (almost 4x's longer than the owner's manual suggests before making any subjective judgements) of "break-in".  Fortunately, my preamplifier has a white noise generator input to facilitate this (therefore, time calculations are pretty exact). Otherwise, it is very easy to mis-judge a loudspeaker's real "break-in" period. 

Despite the obvious variables in this fact alone, I wouldn't rush this purchase.  As suggested, get them in your home and play them & assume that they really aren't properly "run-in" yet.

Best of luck

 

@larryi The third store is Evolution Audio, near Tysons Corner.  Have you been there recently?  How do you find them?

I haven’t been there in a while, but, I liked the people there.  None of these stores employ hard sell tactics so a visit is always pleasurable.  
 

I went to Command today to pick up a new backed up hard drive for my server.  While I was there I was invited to hear a new Isotek power conditioner meant to be used with amplifiers.  It just so happened that the system was a Magico A5 powered by the Gryphon Diablo 300.  The system had a very tight and precise bottom end that I can understand that some might feel is a bit light in bass (I don’t think so myself).  The system is an imaging champ, particularly, with respect to very specific front to back image placement.  My principle complaint is that the overall sound is not as meaty (touch thin) as I like, but that is common to most modern high end systems.  Still, overall a pleasurable experience.  I was surprised by the power conditioner—it made the upper midrange sound a bit more forward and focused without the sound becoming brighter or harsh.  This was a significant improvement in a system whose power already goes though a massive isolation transformer, dedicated panel, etc.

@leeagc , while there is a really good chance I’d absolutely love the M2’s, between my recent cable upgrades and electrical (house AC) upgrades, adding decent subwoofers would be beyond my budget for sure. Would also need to power them with good cords, and I think I’m at my limit in terms of what I’ve invested in cables!

So unless the M2’s have a shot of working well in my largish and more open space, I don’t think they are a consideration anymore, sadly. Of note however, I never run my system loud. That said, even at lower volumes I can sense the power and potential my current B&W 803 D2 speakers have in my room. Only when driven my my Gryphon though. My current speakers have the same driver configuration as the A5’s and are roughly the same size, but my current speakers are ported and the A5’s are not.