Magico S5 mk3

mxk116 said:
I get that completely; ~4 feet tall and 262 lbs is a lot of speaker. As a Magico A5 user, I have no doubt the performance jump from the S5 mk2 to the S5 2024 will be equal to or beyond that of the S3 2023 to its predecessor.

My contention is, speaking from my perspective, there is a downside to Magico moving the price point further upmarket. Instead of booking an S5 2024 order immediately to replace the A5 in my system, I will most certainly shop every alternative I can audition. And there are numerous exceptional speakers in the $75K-$85K MSRP price point.

For example, I auditioned the Goebel Divin Marquis recently and was very impressed. At the time I thought its $90K MSRP disqualified it from consideration. With the Magico release of the S5 2024, the Goebel is now in play and, IMO, it is the one of the benchmarks I will use for comparison.

Maybe (hopefully?) the S5 2024 will meet or exceed the performance of the competition. But the competition is now being drawn from a larger, deeper pool.
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I am a bit more cohesive in my preferences, so speakers like Goebel or any other line-source tweeter with conventional mids/bass are not something that I am interested in.

I never considered Magico a bargain product (although the value is evident to me). For those who value the Magico proposition (all around, not just cost), finding a replacement at any price will be hard. In fact, I would argue that in the high-end, the more expensive the speakers, the worse the engineering, and usually the sound, gets.
 
exupgh12 said:
The same can be said for the S3 2023; however, the price increase in percentage was not nearly as significant as that of the S5 2024 (despite new S5 being taller and larger, it is only 17 kg heavier than the S3 2023).

For less than half the price difference between the S3 2023 and the S5 2024, one could purchase the new S-Sub, which can pressurize a larger room and effectively address many of the acoustic issues commonly experienced in most rooms.
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S3 plus subs will not do what the S5 will do (they will do other things). The most significant advantage to a bigger speaker like the S5 is the extra-moving surface at the power region, typically 100hz-400hz. A sub will not help there.
 
Henry303 said:
I am a bit more cohesive in my preferences, so speakers like Goebel or any other line-source tweeter with conventional mids/bass are not something that I am interested in.

I never considered Magico a bargain product (although the value is evident to me). For those who value the Magico proposition (all around, not just cost), finding a replacement at any price will be hard. In fact, I would argue that in the high-end, the more expensive the speakers, the worse the engineering, and usually the sound, gets.
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@Henry303 Have you had the opportunity to hear any of the Goebel speakers in person?
 
a 30K price increase give the dealer another 15K without doing anything.
 
Henry303 said:
S3 plus subs will not do what the S5 will do (they will do other things). The most significant advantage to a bigger speaker like the S5 is the extra-moving surface at the power region, typically 100hz-400hz. A sub will not help there.
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Henry, what you're saying might indeed be true regarding the 150-400Hz range (of course, it greatly depends on the room), but have you had the chance to listen to the latest S3 with the new S-Sub? At last year's Munich High End show, I had the opportunity to hear Magico demonstrate both in a large room, and the results were exceptional.
 
Why did Magico switch to foam surrounds in the latest versions (S3 2023 and S5 2024) of the S-series speakers?

Dear Everyone:

As a Magico S5 Mk2 owner I am considering upgrading to the newer version. However, after reading last night I discovered that on the newer speakers that Magico switched to using a foam surrounds on the midrange and woofers. My Mk2 version have rubber surrounds.

From what I have read on-line modern foam surrounds are made from polyether and they generally last 15-20 years while in contrast rubber surrounds can readily last 30-40 years.

I have read commentary that Magico's foam surrounds will last several decades.

A few questions I have:

1) Does anyone have technical specifications on the type of foam that Magico uses in their surrounds?

2) How does Magico know that the foam surrounds will last several decades? Have they exposed the surrounds to humid environments, UV lights, and ozone and determined that that surrounds did not fail after exposure that would be typical after a 20 lifetime?

3) Maybe I am being a bit conservative here, but using a less durable material on a $75000 MSRP speakers seems perplexing to me. Do other manufacturers use foam surrounds at this price point?

If I buy this speaker I am planning on keeping it for several decades. There is no guarantee that if the surrounds fail after 15-20 years that one will be able to source new surrounds; Magico might not even be in business 20 years from now to source new drivers. Hence my concerns and questions.

Lastly, I am not being critical of Magico's decision, but trying to understand what materials were used and what tests were performed on the newer foam surrounds to guarantee their longevity.
 
exupgh12 said:
Henry, what you're saying might indeed be true regarding the 150-400Hz range (of course, it greatly depends on the room), but have you had the chance to listen to the latest S3 with the new S-Sub? At last year's Munich High End show, I had the opportunity to hear Magico demonstrate both in a large room, and the results were exceptional.
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I have no doubt that a good sub can do wonders. I am just saying that S3 + Sub doesn't equal an S5. Depending on the room, a good sub can benefit any full-range loudspeaker (S5 included), but not in the power region.
 
I
john1970 said:
Why did Magico switch to foam surrounds in the latest versions (S3 2023 and S5 2024) of the S-series speakers?

Dear Everyone:

As a Magico S5 Mk2 owner I am considering upgrading to the newer version. However, after reading last night I discovered that on the newer speakers that Magico switched to using a foam surrounds on the midrange and woofers. My Mk2 version have rubber surrounds.

From what I have read on-line modern foam surrounds are made from polyether and they generally last 15-20 years while in contrast rubber surrounds can readily last 30-40 years.

I have read commentary that Magico's foam surrounds will last several decades.

A few questions I have:

1) Does anyone have technical specifications on the type of foam that Magico uses in their surrounds?

2) How does Magico know that the foam surrounds will last several decades? Have they exposed the surrounds to humid environments, UV lights, and ozone and determined that that surrounds did not fail after exposure that would be typical after a 20 lifetime?

3) Maybe I am being a bit conservative here, but using a less durable material on a $75000 MSRP speakers seems perplexing to me. Do other manufacturers use foam surrounds at this price point?

If I buy this speaker I am planning on keeping it for several decades. There is no guarantee that if the surrounds fail after 15-20 years that one will be able to source new surrounds; Magico might not even be in business 20 years from now to source new drivers. Hence my concerns and questions.

Lastly, I am not being critical of Magico's decision, but trying to understand what materials were used and what tests were performed on the newer foam surrounds to guarantee their longevity.
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I don’t believe its a concern as Magico knows by the time you upgrade to a Mk4 the surrounds will still be perfect. :)


Regards
 
a.wayne said:
I

I don’t believe its a concern as Magico knows by the time you upgrade to a Mk4 the surrounds will still be perfect. :)


Regards
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Given the (almost) $30K price increase from the S5 Mk2 to the S5 Mk3, I would NOT consider an upgrade to the Mk4 if and when it comes out. I plan to retire in the next six years so this purchase would have to last a good 25 years for the ROI to make sense. Otherwise, I will just keep the Mk2 which are no slouch of a loudspeaker by any means.
 
a.wayne said:
How does S5 compare to M3 ..?
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Not sure anyone has heard the new S5 yet, except for folks at the factory. Peter told me it’s awesome and has really grown in size. Maybe it’s a replacement for the S5 and S7 in doing so? Who knows?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Mike said:
Not sure anyone has heard the new S5 yet, except for folks at the factory. Peter told me it’s awesome and has really grown in size. Maybe it’s a replacement for the S5 and S7 in doing so? Who knows?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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The S5 2024 being a replacement for the S5 Mk2 and S7 Mk2 is an interesting hypothesis. If Magico does come out with a new version of the S7 I am going to guess a price equal to or more than the M3.
 
A little comparative introductory price analysis:
....................... FCS* Intro Price % Increase Increase/Yr
S3 MkII MCAST 1Q17 28,000
S3 2023 Softec 1Q23 44,500 59% 10%
S5 MkII MCAST 1Q16 38,000
S5 2024 Softec 3Q24 74,500 96% 11%

FCS = advertised First Customer Shipment.
 
GSOphile said:
A little comparative introductory price analysis:
....................... FCS* Intro Price % Increase Increase/Yr
S3 MkII MCAST 1Q17 28,000
S3 2023 Softec 1Q23 44,500 59% 10%
S5 MkII MCAST 1Q16 38,000
S5 2024 Softec 3Q24 74,500 96% 11%

FCS = advertised First Customer Shipment.
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Now if only our salaries went up by 11% a year we would be all set! In retrospection, I am very glad I purchased my S5 Mk2 when I did because I have decided to continue to listen to them for many more years.
 
mxk116 said:
..But as Magico pushes the price point higher, Magico encourages the consumer to consider additional brands that perhaps were not on the consumers radar.
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They've probably gazed into their crystal ball and concluded they can set that price and still sell as many as they can build, so it doesn't matter if the high price is opening up the width of the consumer radar.
 
john1970 said:
..If Magico does come out with a new version of the S7 I am going to guess a price equal to or more than the M3.
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I vaguely recall reading an AW interview where he explained why there won't be a new version of the S7. Of course, he might have changed his mind since then.
 
brodricj said:
They've probably gazed into their crystal ball and concluded they can set that price and still sell as many as they can build, so it doesn't matter if the high price is opening up the width of the consumer radar.
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Absolutely agree.
 
I might eventually buy, but not until 2025 and I will need to have a demo before ordering. Unfortunately, my local dealer appears to have no interests in stocking a S5 2024 so potential buyer can listen to it. Back in the day the dealer had S3, S5, and S7 to demo, but I even inquired if they had the S3 2023 for demo and they said no. The next closest dealer is 350 miles away in Delaware.
 
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