Thread: Magico A5’s Arrive!!!!

Originally Posted by Delija

This reviewer (Edgar Kramer) has done a lot of reviews (more than 50 models of speakers for SoundStage! Australia), so he doesn't lack a reference for comparison.

Did he have multiple speakers at the same time at the same price range for each of his 50 reviews to compare or does he just have his memories of their sound?

Originally Posted by Delija

And, if you ask me - "review" which doesn't mention ANY flaws of a product cannot be considered as relevant. It's almost pure marketing.
Unfortunately, there are to many "reviews" of that kind. According to these "reviews" all products are great and their worth is much higher than their price, bla bla... A total cliché

What kind of "flaws" are we talking about? Are you talking about subjective flaws, physical flaws, electrical flaws, or picking fly shit out of pepper flaws?

Originally Posted by mep

Did he have multiple speakers at the same time at the same price range for each of his 50 reviews to compare or does he just have his memories of their sound?



What kind of "flaws" are we talking about? Are you talking about subjective flaws, physical flaws, electrical flaws, or picking fly shit out of pepper flaws?

Here’s the A5’s flaws (in no particular order):

1. They only come in black.
2. They are heavy (ish).
3. You may have to wait. There is a long list of folks ahead of you who figured out that they are great and didn’t need to wait for a review to tell them. They trusted their own ears.
4. They will make the other speakers in your store (or house) costing the same or even a little more not competitive.
5. They are heavy, solid aluminum. Your dog will not be able to chew the corners like they could we some wood speaker.
6. It’s easy to place in just about any room, so you won’t be able to get to spend a year and try everything from DSP to room treatments to multiple subs to the Spatial Audio subwoofer with a microphone which sent out cancellation waves to control the bass boom (my experience with one of my speakers at home not too many years ago).
7. Due to extended listening sessions, you will spend much more enjoyable time listening and less on the honey-do list.
8. They look like speakers, not something else.
9. They will call increased muttering to oneself, with sayings like “damn, these are good. Maybe too good.” (This last part is mostly me and connects with #4)


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Originally Posted by Mike

Here’s the A5’s flaws (in no particular order):

1. They only come in black.
2. They are heavy (ish).
3. You may have to wait. There is a long list of folks ahead of you who figured out that they are great and didn’t need to wait for a review to tell them. They trusted their own ears.
4. They will make the other speakers in your store (or house) costing the same or even a little more not competitive.
5. They are heavy, solid aluminum. Your dog will not be able to chew the corners like they could we some wood speaker.
6. It’s easy to place in just about any room, so you won’t be able to get to spend a year and try everything from DSP to room treatments to multiple subs to the Spatial Audio subwoofer with a microphone which sent out cancellation waves to control the bass boom (my experience with one of my speakers at home not too many years ago).
7. Due to extended listening sessions, you will spend much more enjoyable time listening and less on the honey-do list.
8. They look like speakers, not something else.
9. They will call increased muttering to oneself, with sayings like “damn, these are good. Maybe too good.” (This last part is mostly me and connects with #4)


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Those are some awesome "flaws" Mike!

1. M-series should only come in black, any other color would be a travesty. When I owned S-series I appreciated having color options, but not having color options wouldn't be a deal breaker (I ordered pewter, but rose and bronze were contenders). And if I was to buy A5 I'd be OK with black. My Q3 are black. As a work of art as they all are, when the music is on and the lights are turned down I appreciate the blackness making the speaker disappear from sight.
2. And about weight. When I picked up a pair of balsa wood + plastic Vivid Giya with my little finger made me appreciate even more not being able to do the same with my S3/Q3/M3.
3. And about wait. I had to wait almost 6 months for my Kia New Sorento to arrive. My S3 only took about 4 months. I don't mind waiting to get what I want.
4. Which is why I don't like A5.
5. Not so much dogs with an inclination to chew, kids with pencils and other sharp objects are always a worry with Q3/M3. Not so much a problem with A-series and S-series as they have grilles. M3 wouldn't look right if it had a grille.
6-9. 4 x exactly.

Originally Posted by dznutz

Everything is subjective, however, an experienced Reviewer will immediately identify what one speaker does incredibly well and where it falls short. Just about every review focuses on the great and completely side steps the bad, I think we all know why this is done.

That's a gross over exaggeration. I couldn't count how many speaker reviews I have read over the years that reviewers quite clearly stated issues they identified. Things like mid-bass suckout, bass boominess, highs tilted up or down, cabinets that had resonances that were audible, etc. And if those speakers are reviewed by Stereophile, JA takes a full set of measurements and identifies any and all issues he discovers during his measurements.

Originally Posted by dznutz

If I buy a pair of speakers, identify everything they do poorly, and start posting those views on every forum and website I can... I'm quite sure the Manufacturer will respond to me in writing. Better yet, would be to create a YouTube account and post a video.

Hopefully you listen to the pair of speakers before you purchase them so you aren't buying a pair of speakers that you feel compelled to identify everything they do poorly and you won't feel the need to go on every audio forum and trash the speakers you just bought.

Read a speaker review and even the best reviews the writer will offer up hints to the speakers tendency's, sure there's politics involved so a product will have to be a real turd to get a bad review, but there's hints included in setup, placement, component matching then listening impressions and measurements will allow us to see thru the bs.

listened to the A5 yesterday at a dealer, amp used was the Spectral audio 300SV, although doing many things well, the overall performance of the system left me a bit cold.

Originally Posted by imprezap2

listened to the A5 yesterday at a dealer, amp used was the Spectral audio 300SV, although doing many things well, the overall performance of the system left me a bit cold.

It was the Spectral I bet. I hope you get to hear them with Boulder, Gryphon, Pass, Luxman, etc. Totally different story.

Agreed. I had Spectral 360’s running my Q5’s back in the day. Shrilling is an understatement.....

Is the A5 as revealing/transparent as other Magico speakers or is it voiced slightly differently? I ask because some think the Q series is simply ruthless and tough to listen to, especially the tweeter. So much is involved in the final system sound that I find it difficult to conclude that one specific link in the chain is responsible for the overall impression of a system sound unless one knows the system well and then inserts a new component into it in order to isolate its contribution. I have heard Spectral electronics sound great with Magico and also not so good. Same with other speakers.

I find the comment that Magico Q5 and Spectral sounded "shrilling" together to be quite funny for some reason. Great term.

I think the real question (in terms of Magico comparison) is simply this: how does the A5 stack up against the S3mk2? From what I have read, it is 95%.

Originally Posted by AJR

I think the real question (in terms of Magico comparison) is simply this: how does the A5 stack up against the S3mk2? From what I have read, it is 95%.

90%. The S3 mk2 still beats it IMO. Slightly more refined.


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Originally Posted by LVB

LOL, nothing wrong with the Spectral. It left him a “bit cold” because he just bought a different speaker (maybe the wrong one )
I find these “it did everything right, but it left me cold” comments psychological in nature.

Never said "did everything right" please read before you comment.

Originally Posted by AJR

I think the real question (in terms of Magico comparison) is simply this: how does the A5 stack up against the S3mk2? From what I have read, it is 95%.

Not sure I'd assign a percentage, but the S-series is a noticeable step up in quality across the board. In terms of maximum bass output, it might be better to compare the A5 against the S5 MkII.

Originally Posted by Mike

It was the Spectral I bet. I hope you get to hear them with Boulder, Gryphon, Pass, Luxman, etc. Totally different story.

I went with a friend who is in the market for new speakers, I proposed to him to go listen to the A5, as I really like Magico, and also Spectral. But somehow the system was a bit underwhelming. Soundstage, pinpoint placement, speed, transients, all quite good, but to my ears, and also my friends ears, the music was not very engaging.

I am sure that the A5 can perform better in a different situation.

Originally Posted by imprezap2

I went with a friend who is in the market for new speakers, I proposed to him to go listen to the A5, as I really like Magico, and also Spectral. But somehow the system was a bit underwhelming. Soundstage, pinpoint placement, speed, transients, all quite good, but to my ears, and also my friends ears, the music was not very engaging.

I am sure that the A5 can perform better in a different situation.

What else are you guys listening to? Always fun to go and listen to new equipment! How are things in your neck of the woods? Are dealers in the Netherlands pretty much by appointment only with all this Covid stuff?


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Originally Posted by Mike

What else are you guys listening to? Always fun to go and listen to new equipment! How are things in your neck of the woods? Are dealers in the Netherlands pretty much by appointment only with all this Covid stuff?


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Numbers of Covid are rising again here, basically a second wave, difference with the first one is that less people are getting into the Intensive Care, more younger people now catching the virus, the older people taking more care to avoid it. The government has put more stringent measurements in place last week.

We had a two hour slot at the dealer, only listened to this set up, but the dealer was open to try other options at a later date. (It's one of the few reputable dealers we have in the Netherlands)

Dutch HiFi shops have started again with the yearly audio shows, but instead of open doors, you now have to book a time slot in advance so they can regulate th amount of people coming together. (and keep the 1,5 mtr social distancing in place)
The large shows like the Xfi, have been cancelled upto now, hopefully next year again.

One thing that can also play a big part in how a system performs are the cables used. So thats also a factor to take into account in my view. When the A3 was new i went to Copenhagen to hear it at a dealer , and although it was good , its not to my liking. And i can't really pinpoint why. Could of course have been the amplification or cabling , or even both.

If the A5 is only a giant killer when paired with megabuck components then I wouldn't consider it a bargain, but find a $5k integrated that makes the a5 the best sound eveh and we got something.

Originally Posted by steve59

If the A5 is only a giant killer when paired with megabuck components then I wouldn't consider it a bargain, but find a $5k integrated that makes the a5 the best sound eveh and we got something.

Pairing $21,800 speakers with a $5,000 integrated amp might be . . . a bit unconventional approach to system building???

I suspect that it is a lot easier to make an excellent low cost amp than it is to make an excellent low cost speaker.

First I need to clarify that I don't expect ANY $5k components will make a $20-25k speaker sing, but the right $5k component can. The easy solution (not that i'd know) would be to throw money at it, but I have to hope there's an affordable int/amp/pre that will make $25k 'bargain' speakers sing. otherwise they ain't a bargain to me.

google=gospel

Originally Posted by Spock

I get the idea but I don't agree.
Not talking about percentages, the speakers should clearly be the strongest part. Why? Because they are the element that translates electrical impulses into sounds that we can hear. And by that reason they are the element of the chain that we are most capable of evaluating. If the sonic signature of one kinf od speakers doesn´t please you, no matter the quality of the amplification. According to your theory, since the speakers are giving the maximum, there will be a moment when it is no longer need to exchange amplification precisely because they are already at the maximum. In my case, my speakers still react to all the upgrades / changes I make. And I get on well with that.

I believe the audiophile that addresses the room and the electrical and mechanical foundation allow a better interpretation from the speakers - she can’t be a little pregnant


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As a prior A3 owner, I'm watching the A5 with keen interest and what it would take to make them perform well without going over the top (which I know is a relative spot.) One amp that caught my attention recently in doing some research is the Bob Carver 350 Crimson/Raven monoblocs. Anyone have any insight as to how those might work with the A5? Seems like on paper, they'd be a great match without getting into big $ territory.

Originally Posted by Dizzie

Do A5s have optional grills like the A3s?

Yes sir.


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I have watched a number of the videos from Jay's channel going over the M6-amplifier pairing hunt. I have since become very interested in the Pass XA60.8. How would that match up with the A5? Do they have enough juice for the 88db speakers? Seems like a lot of bang for the $ if they can handle the load.

Originally Posted by jkscherk

I have watched a number of the videos from Jay's channel going over the M6-amplifier pairing hunt. I have since become very interested in the Pass XA60.8. How would that match up with the A5? Do they have enough juice for the 88db speakers? Seems like a lot of bang for the $ if they can handle the load.

I’m assuming superbly. I ordered a pair for the store and plan on that exact pairing for display.


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Can't wait to hear your feedback on the combo.

I'm excited about being to audition the A5 for the first time at the end of the month (sadly, the dealer in Cincinnati is a little closer to Akron than Suncoast).

Anything in particular I should pay special attention to?

Originally Posted by pdxaudio

Can anyone recommend an amplifier for the A5s, or a whole system, digital only? Budget is less than the cost of the speakers so let’s say 20k max for a streamer, DAC and amp or an integrated system.

I would consider Gryphon Diablo with Lumin T2

Originally Posted by Calvin

Pass X350.8 integrated (list app $14,200) + Aurender A10 - includes DAC (app $5,000)

X350.8 is a power amp - not integrated
You meant INT-250?

Does anyone have anything to say about the stereophile review? That the speaker starts rolling off atn 5k? did I read that right. With an elevated bass I would expect the speaker to sound dark in all but the liveliest rooms.

Originally Posted by steve59

Does anyone have anything to say about the stereophile review? That the speaker starts rolling off atn 5k? did I read that right. With an elevated bass I would expect the speaker to sound dark in all but the liveliest rooms.

Steve, I see a tiny tiny dip at 5k. But it comes back up and that could be just the way it was measured?

Magico A5 loudspeaker Measurements | Stereophile.com


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