2-Way Advice: Magico S1,YG Carmal,Diablo Utopia


Guys I've been considering a speaker swap. Have found that I love 2-ways.

I didn't really know this until I started listening to different speakers and kept liking them more, much more than the fulls.

They present a different perspective that I prefer. I don't listen real loud and have a med size 2500 cubic foot room and I much prefer tight and accurate, faster more defined bass and don't need the real deep low stuff. I love how they image and disappear and make the music more alive to me. Listen to Jazz, Acoustic, Blues, mello rock, Indie, some classic, the usual phile stuff..

I have it boiled down to a few and really would love your opinions. Buying used and they are all over the country and just can't listen to all of them. I know listen first is best and would love to if I could. They are all within $500 of each other price wise with shipping to me.

Have you guys heard any of these and what you might think of these??

Magico S1 Black

YG Carmal 1 Silver

Focal Diablo Utopia III - Silver

Sonus Faber Guameri Momento

Langerton Configuration 217

Tannoy DC10A

Ascendo System F (Only non 2-way I'm considering)

Any info or feedback or recommendations would really be appreciated!!!



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Nothing images better in both the vertical and horizontal planes than a point source (coincident) speaker.
Coincident speakers create the most consistent reverberant soundfield, and as Floyd Toole pointed out, that is preferred by professionals and amateurs alike as it sounds most "Live".

The only coincident speaker on your list is the Tannoy DC10 (as all bass is omni-directional, the extra bass driver on the Tannoy doesn't affect it's "coincident" status).
It's also the most efficient speaker on your list, and efficient drivers tend to sound faster and more "Live" (virtually all PA drivers are well over 90db efficient.)

The larger driver of the DC10 will have more visceral impact on drums and crescendos (on axis), which further enhances the "Live" perception.
The extra bass driver will extend the frequency response, which is important (no-one has ever come away from a live musical event complaining that the bass was "thin".)
So the DC10 seems to be the best choice given your priorities.
I'd look no further than a late model Merlin VSM. It's the last surviving component in my changing system, and whatever replaces it won't be a two-way.
I have heard the Carmel and S-1, but, none of the rest in your list. I preferred the Carmel to the Magico--better fleshed out harmonics of instruments and not quite as brittle sounding.

In the same sort of camp, as far as tonal qualities, I like Raidho speakers. These deliver a very clear, detailed sound, but are not harsh or brittle sounding. The downside is that even the two-way models are quite pricey.
I'll second the Raidho speakers. They are the best speakers that I've ever heard.