Quote Originally Posted by Alectiong View Post
Hi philb7777, I am considering some of the same speakers on your list and have greatly enjoyed reading your experience with the Cygnus. (Of your list, you were quite un-impressed by the Magico's. They are more analytical speakers perhaps, but "2 D"? I wonder if something was wrong with the sets ups.) Please continue to share your Cygnus experience with us.

Two of my three Magico experiences were at audio shows, so that may have something to do with it. I heard the S5 with Rowland gear and the Q3 with Constellation and the Q5 with Soulution. I was most impressed with the Q3/Constellation match. The S5 was not set up too far from the front wall which may have affected the soundstage depth quite a bit. Very unimpressed with that room. The Q5/Soulution was pretty lifeless and flat sounding. Caveat here - I have never really heard the Soulution gear sound good to my ears with Magico or Focal loudspeakers. The Q3/Constellation room was pretty good, lots of detail and transparency. Still didn't get the depth I like or the texture/image density/musicality I prefer. I have no doubt that Magico make excellent loudspeakers and are world-class; just in my limited experiences, they have not delivered what I prefer in sonic preferences. Of course, its why their are different brands and different design principles applied to loudspeakers. Different flavors for everyone because we all tend to hear a bit differently. It's part of what makes the hobby fun!