The best speaker you ever heard?

Whatthe, no one is denying your right to enjoy Magico speakers, we just reserve the right to disagree. The speakers are not for us, that is all. Ours is a broad church which should allow many opinions. "Sterile" is a word I would use, in the context of Magico Speakers and it means different things to different people. To me, it means the sound may have many attributes, but creating the impression of live music, isn't one. I would add other well received and popular "High End Brands", Focal and B and W come to mind.

You criticise us for making a judgement based on shows and I agree, it is not ideal. The rooms are poor and there is insufficient time for a system to settle in. I look at it the other way, if a system, piece of equipment sounds good in show conditions, then it must be pretty good. Another point, what is the alternative to a show? A fellow enthusiasts home system would be ideal, if you can find one. The alternative is a dealer and I think dealers are in enough trouble without me wasting their time listening to speakers I don't like and can't afford anyway. I will not take a dealers time, where I have no intention to buy.

David12, Whatthe is not criticizing your choice of words or your entitlement to prefer other loudspeakers over Magico, only the fact that you have formed a view based on 3 auditions in notoriously poor show conditions. Whatthe and I actually own Magico speakers and have spent years optimizing them, so we can offer an informed opinion, whereas to be honest you seem to be speaking from a position of ignorance. All I'm saying is your comments should be less effusive given your limited experience with those speakers.

So because you can't afford them "sterile"! You don't get them, "sterile"! Like my mother use to say, "if you don't have a well informed opinion, just say nothing!"
I'm just say'in ✌️

When a respected long time forum member states his opinion, espescially when that opinion is based upon multiple listening sessions, that opinion should be respected. You do not have to agree, but you should respect.

I think you ignore my point about how one can audition speakers, if not at a show. The gold standard is a prolonged audition at home, in your own system or a friends system, which is in a settled state. I repeat, that I will not take a dealer's time auditioning a speaker, just to confirm, it is not for me, and, or I can not afford it.

If one follows your stricture about who may comment on a speaker, then only owners are likely to qualify and reports will be universally positive.

Please also note, that I accept your description of the limitations of show auditions. However that is likely to be the only way all of us will ever hear many components on the market. I am sure most of us use a show as a way of winnowing out large numbers of possible choices, for a next purchase. It is imperfect, but the only practical way open to us.

Finally, please note I did not "rubbish" magico speakers or dismiss users as misguided or worse. I merely pointed out, that in my experience, limited as I admit that is, they were not for me.