Magico S3 mk2 vs Dynaudio Contour 60

[Melbguy1]

The Vitus monos I heard at Munich and they were singing sweetly. The Pass is 1/5 the price here and has a sweet, full, ballsy sound. Both are excellent. I just found that the more power I give the S5 mk2's, the better they perform. I think Bud might be on to something with his big Pass monos. The Bryston's with a proper preamp (sweet tube) is "holy crap" good! The speakers come to life. I hope you can try an amp with some major power. You will be shocked.

Thanks for that feedback Mike. My S7 friend has the Vitus SM-102 mono's & MP-L201. The last time I heard his system the music had all the usual Vitus qualities & was dynamic as hell, with deep bass and that wall of sound you talk about. Though at the time he was running the Torus Infrasonic generators which made the sound fuller (ie: before his room changes). So I see the connection.

In Australia, Pass Labs gear is quite a bit more expensive than the US. The X350.8 for example is $26.4kAUD, though the biggest Pass amp I could fit in my current rack would be the INT-250. Then the new Vitus SIA-030 comes into strong contention. I'd like to throw the ARC Ref 40th Anniversary pre with some cryo'd EH 6H30 gold pins at the 28B's just for fun. I loved my Boulder 1060 with Ayon tubes up top. Best of both worlds.

[Mike]

Thanks for that feedback Mike. My S7 friend has Vitus SM-102 mono's & MP-L201 & the sound was dynamic as hell with deep bass and that wall of sound you talked about. Though at the time he was running the Torus Infrasomic generators which made the sound fuller (that was before his room changes). So I see the connection.

In Australia, Pass Labs gear is quite a bit more expensive than the US. The X350.8 for example is $26.4kAUD, though the biggest Pass amp I could fit in my current rack would be the INT-250. Then the new Vitus SIA-030 comes into strong contention. I'd like to throw the ARC Ref 40th Anniversary pre with some cryo'd EH 6H30 gold pins at the 28B's just for fun. I loved my Boulder 1060 with Ayon tubes up top. Best of both worlds.

I like that!


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[AJR]

@AJR:. What electronic music do you listen to? I like similar music to you from what you said in an earlier post.

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A mix of old school (Aphex Twin, Underworld, Boards of Canada), and Dub, Massive Attack, downbeat generally (am showing my age now!) to German electronic (Monolake, Plastikman), to Dub Step (Burial, Mala, Zomby), to rock (Tool, Radiohead, The National). But also some jazz and classical sprinkled in! Currently digging Victor Wooten!

[AJR]

Also, since in $30k, just curious if the dealer had any other Dynaudio like Confidence or Evidence? Of course, most in that line would be imposing in your room, just wondered how you liked those. The C1 is a nice stand mount, less money than the Contour 60, it would be interesting though to hear a comparison with the Magico. Not that the C1 would come close to being better, the balance may be closer though as a stand mount.

Good question. They have the Confidence Temptations. Ruled it out immediately based on the aesthetic.

Agree re the C1s. Am encouraging a friend to buy them. He has a small room and I think they would be perfect. Didn't listen to them though but will do soon.

[Hessec]

Good question. They have the Confidence Temptations. Ruled it out immediately based on the aesthetic.

Agree re the C1s. Am encouraging a friend to buy them. He has a small room and I think they would be perfect. Didn't listen to them though but will do soon.

I had the c1 with Boulder 1060/1010/1021 and they were awesome! Then moved to magico v2 and s5 and regretted my decision. They are more "accurate" but the jump factor and fun was long gone. The C1 is an incredible speaker. They really shine on elelectronic music as well. Don't let their small size fool you. They can pound out bass in a large room. I want to get another pair for my office. Have not heard they new dynaudios but have heard the M3 and s7. Based on your music selection..... go with the dynaudio.


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[AJR]

I don't think that's a fair comment. I try very hard to keep things balanced and I'm the first to congratulate new Wilson owners. We have a lot of Magico owners, but we have loads of Wilson, Rockport, etc. owners too. Magico and Wilson owners are passionate about the science, technology and engineering involved in their speakers and the world class companies behind them. If others prefer speakers like BBC monitor types out there, then all the power to them.

As for DynAudio, they have failed to innovate (as far as new two channel top end speakers are concerned) over the past 5-10 years and their US Distribution has been in complete disarray. They didn't know if they were supposed to be selling DynAudio for the German parent company or distributing for T+A and Octave for their friends in Germany. It was embarrassing walking around their room at Munich. Their staff were busy talking about anything but audio and they had NOTHING to show as far as two channel high end was concerned. Are they making a transition to CI and car audio? Don't know...maybe they are already.

At the outset, I found it odd to even consider DynAudio in the same breath as Magico. Wilson? Sure. Rockport? Sure. Gryphon? Sure. Gauder, Vivid, Estelon, Marten, Kharma, etc. are all others worth looking more than DynAudio IMO.

Back to the OP, I hooked up the S5 mk2's to the Bryston 28B3's with the VAC preamp and they came to life. Give them 1800 watts and look out! Bass galore!

That's a great post.

I agree it is a bit odd comparing the C60s to the S3 mk2s on face value. BUT, IMHO the C60s punch well above their weight. Their soundstage was IMHO very good but I think about 15-20% below the Magicos. But I liked the bass. 2x 10" drivers and 2 rear ports. It sounded great and I could feel the bass, not just hear it. But I have concluded that the bass is too predominant and so that originally perceived advantage has gone.

[Melbguy1]

Their soundstage was IMHO very good but I think about 15-20% below the Magicos

"..Electricity is 50% of the sound for me...you know that!"

[Mr Peabody]

Mike, I was only teasing with the forum statement. I thought "LOL" would be enough to show. I know my humor can be dry at times. In addition, I don't think you've seen me take shots at people in my posts.

You don't have to tear down Dynaudio to make Magico look better. I agree, their marketing stradegy in the States can be strange. I remember they dropped the price on a set of speakers by $1k just to make room in the line for another model and to have the price points at a reasonable step apart. I happened to own those speakers and bought them before the price drop. Talking about losing value.

Dynaudio was also bought not so long ago which may contribute to some of their issues.

A sincere question as I've heard Magico but don't know that much about them. Do they make their drivers or any of their speaker components themselves?

The Magico needing more power makes sense as being a sealed enclosure by design needs more power.

[Mr Peabody]

Dynaudio has pretty much stuck with their basic cabinet design but they have had several new series and revamped some in the last tens years, you statement isn't accurate. In fact, they were one of the first, if not the first, to have a line of powered speakers with built in DAC. Long before KEF and others followed.

I don't think that's a fair comment. I try very hard to keep things balanced and I'm the first to congratulate new Wilson owners. We have a lot of Magico owners, but we have loads of Wilson, Rockport, etc. owners too. Magico and Wilson owners are passionate about the science, technology and engineering involved in their speakers and the world class companies behind them. If others prefer speakers like BBC monitor types out there, then all the power to them.

As for DynAudio, they have failed to innovate (as far as new two channel top end speakers are concerned) over the past 5-10 years and their US Distribution has been in complete disarray. They didn't know if they were supposed to be selling DynAudio for the German parent company or distributing for T+A and Octave for their friends in Germany. It was embarrassing walking around their room at Munich. Their staff were busy talking about anything but audio and they had NOTHING to show as far as two channel high end was concerned. Are they making a transition to CI and car audio? Don't know...maybe they are already.

At the outset, I found it odd to even consider DynAudio in the same breath as Magico. Wilson? Sure. Rockport? Sure. Gryphon? Sure. Gauder, Vivid, Estelon, Marten, Kharma, etc. are all others worth looking more than DynAudio IMO.

Back to the OP, I hooked up the S5 mk2's to the Bryston 28B3's with the VAC preamp and they came to life. Give them 1800 watts and look out! Bass galore!

[Narayan]

I don't think that's a fair comment. I try very hard to keep things balanced and I'm the first to congratulate new Wilson owners. We have a lot of Magico owners, but we have loads of Wilson, Rockport, etc. owners too. Magico and Wilson owners are passionate about the science, technology and engineering involved in their speakers and the world class companies behind them. If others prefer speakers like BBC monitor types out there, then all the power to them.

As for DynAudio, they have failed to innovate (as far as new two channel top end speakers are concerned) over the past 5-10 years and their US Distribution has been in complete disarray. They didn't know if they were supposed to be selling DynAudio for the German parent company or distributing for T+A and Octave for their friends in Germany. It was embarrassing walking around their room at Munich. Their staff were busy talking about anything but audio and they had NOTHING to show as far as two channel high end was concerned. Are they making a transition to CI and car audio? Don't know...maybe they are already.

At the outset, I found it odd to even consider DynAudio in the same breath as Magico. Wilson? Sure. Rockport? Sure. Gryphon? Sure. Gauder, Vivid, Estelon, Marten, Kharma, etc. are all others worth looking more than DynAudio IMO.

Back to the OP, I hooked up the S5 mk2's to the Bryston 28B3's with the VAC preamp and they came to life. Give them 1800 watts and look out! Bass galore!

One would reckon that since the takeover and new capital influx, Dynaudio should have upped its game, some can seemingly rest in the laurels, although to be fair they did introduce wireless speakers before other high end manufacturers back in 2012 with the Xeo line.

http://www.chinagoabroad.com/en/rece...naudio-for-50m

[Alpinist]

Thanks for that feedback Mike. My S7 friend has the Vitus SM-102 mono's & MP-L201. The last time I heard his system the music had all the usual Vitus qualities & was dynamic as hell, with deep bass and that wall of sound you talk about. Though at the time he was running the Torus Infrasonic generators which made the sound fuller (ie: before his room changes). So I see the connection.

In Australia, Pass Labs gear is quite a bit more expensive than the US. The X350.8 for example is $26.4kAUD, though the biggest Pass amp I could fit in my current rack would be the INT-250. Then the new Vitus SIA-030 comes into strong contention. I'd like to throw the ARC Ref 40th Anniversary pre with some cryo'd EH 6H30 gold pins at the 28B's just for fun. I loved my Boulder 1060 with Ayon tubes up top. Best of both worlds.

I'm partial to the ARC Ref 10 preamp. I went for it and have never looked back.

Ken

[Mike]

Mike, I was only teasing with the forum statement. I thought "LOL" would be enough to show. I know my humor can be dry at times. In addition, I don't think you've seen me take shots at people in my posts.

You don't have to tear down Dynaudio to make Magico look better. I agree, their marketing stradegy in the States can be strange. I remember they dropped the price on a set of speakers by $1k just to make room in the line for another model and to have the price points at a reasonable step apart. I happened to own those speakers and bought them before the price drop. Talking about losing value.

Dynaudio was also bought not so long ago which may contribute to some of their issues.

A sincere question as I've heard Magico but don't know that much about them. Do they make their drivers or any of their speaker components themselves?

The Magico needing more power makes sense as being a sealed enclosure by design needs more power.

There's no tear down of DynAudio. I like them, the IIc's are great, but they've done nothing substantial in years in terms of their top end speakers.

Magico designs their own drivers (I've seen them myself on the CAD program). They have another company assemble them.


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[Showroom Dummies]

A mix of old school (Aphex Twin, Underworld, Boards of Canada), and Dub, Massive Attack, downbeat generally (am showing my age now!) to German electronic (Monolake, Plastikman), to Dub Step (Burial, Mala, Zomby), to rock (Tool, Radiohead, The National). But also some jazz and classical sprinkled in! Currently digging Victor Wooten!

Aphex Twin, Massive Attack and Tool. Some of my favourites as well.
Kraftwerk is my number 1.
Your system must be unbelievable when playing some of that music

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[Narayan]

There's no tear down of DynAudio. I like them, the IIc's are great, but they've done nothing substantial in years in terms of their top end speakers.

Magico designs their own drivers (I've seen them myself on the CAD program). They have another company assemble them.


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Maybe Dynaudio doesn´t deem it necessary to renew their speaker range or to put out a new top of the line speaker as often as other competitors, I´m all for innovation if it translates to better sound quality, as in it clearly sounds better, not just different. If innovation is mainly at the service of charging ever rising prices then there´s no point (the last sentence was meant for all audio manufacturers).

If you manage to take off the Magico goggles, you´ll see a world where other companies also work hard and try to innovate, not up to Magico level? Possibly, but you´re making it look as if Dynaudio is a stagnant dinosaur and that is unfair, Dynaudio tweeters have garnered more praise than any Magico tweeter up to today.

https://www.dynaudio.com/dynaudio/technology

[Mike]

I've obviously touched a nerve, but I stand by my comments. They've done next to nothing the past 5-10 years and their US Distribution is a mess and their display at Munich had nothing new to offer and did you notice? It wasn't mentioned anywhere. For good reason. If they're such an innovative company, then innovate and don't stand still.

The Evidence and Temptation were introduced in 1999. C2/C4 were introduced in 2002. I think my Grandmother may have had a pair.

[KeithR]

There's no tear down of DynAudio. I like them, the IIc's are great, but they've done nothing substantial in years in terms of their top end speakers.

Magico designs their own drivers (I've seen them myself on the CAD program). They have another company assemble them.
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That's because Dynaudio's target market is sub-20k. The new Contour series sounded fantastic at RMAF last year. They just released the Special Forty at $2995. I do think the Confidence v2 release a couple years ago was somewhat lame. Dynaudio is well known for having longer product cycles in general.

I think we sometimes forget that the average Stereophile reader's system is $25k. We need more Contours and less M3s in this business.

[Mike]

That's because Dynaudio's target market is sub-20k. The new Contour series sounded fantastic at RMAF last year. They just released the Special Forty at $2995. I do think the Confidence v2 release a couple years ago was somewhat lame. Dynaudio is well known for having longer product cycles in general.

I think we sometimes forget that the average Stereophile reader's system is $25k. We need more Contours and less M3s in this business.

Don't misunderstand what I'm saying. I have always liked the C2/C4, etc. but we just haven't seen anything new and exciting from DynAudio in years (since 1999/2002). If their focus has changed to CI/auto, then that's great for them.

But I've seen this story play out before when companies ditched two channel for the new flavor of the month: home theater. Remember that? I won't make apologies for being a staunch defender of everything two channel. I like to support those companies that support us.

Even in their market (price) - their competitors: KEF, B&W, Focal, ELAC, Harbeth, Devore, Tannoy, Golden Ear, Revel, and dozens of others have refreshed their lines and come out with new products - at least since 1999.


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[KeithR]

Don't misunderstand what I'm saying. I have always liked the C2/C4, etc. but we just haven't seen anything new and exciting from DynAudio in years (since 1999/2002). If their focus has changed to CI/auto, then that's great for them.

The new Contour series is "exciting" to many of us. And I believe it's always been the company's biggest selling line.

I think with the change in ownership they had to rework some timelines, so that probably extended things a bit but hopefully they are back on track.

[Mr Peabody]

Dynaudio has several lines, more than most. Since 2002 they introduced the DM series which targeted more of a budget consumer. They introduced the new Focus series as well as the Focus XD, now a new Contour. I'm not sure what year he anniversary Sapphire came out and the Temptation. It's remiss to assert Dynaudio hasn't been active. In addition, you seem to have overlooked or ignored it was pointed out that Dynaudio was the leader in the powered speaker with built in DAC arena, and, I'd say offers more models to choose from in that market. than any other manufacturer. They came out with the Excite series, that's been a while though, not sure what year.

So Dynaudio holds up pretty well against the list of speakers you gave. It's interesting you mention Revel, how long have the Ultima been around? Also, goes to show if you have a good product why change until necessary. They did just not long ago introduce the new Concerto series and a while before that the Performa 3, which in my opinion wasn't an improvement over the prior P2.

I personally have to respect a company that builds themselves every aspect they can of their speakers.

Many speakers companies are finding it financially beneficial to get into auto companies. Harmon has really been there with Infinity, JBL, Revel and the Levinson name.

At least they aren't in Best Buy like B&W or all over the internet retailers yet.

[Mr Peabody]

Dynaudio has several lines, more than most. Since 2002 they introduced the DM series which targeted more of a budget consumer. They introduced the new Focus series as well as the Focus XD, now a new Contour. I'm not sure what year the anniversary Sapphire came out and the Temptation. It's remiss to assert Dynaudio hasn't been active. In addition, you seem to have overlooked or ignored it was pointed out that Dynaudio was the leader in the powered speaker with built in DAC arena, and, I'd say offers more models to choose from in that market. than any other manufacturer. They came out with the Excite series, that's been a while though, not sure what year.

So Dynaudio holds up pretty well against the list of speakers you gave. It's interesting you mention Revel, how long have the Ultima been around? Also, goes to show if you have a good product why change until necessary. They did just not long ago introduce the new Concerto series and a while before that the Performa 3, which in my opinion wasn't an improvement over the prior P2.

I personally have to respect a company that builds themselves every aspect they can of their speakers as Dynaudio.

Many speakers companies are finding it financially beneficial to get into auto companies. Harmon has really been there with Infinity, JBL, Revel and the Levinson name.

At least Dynaudio aren't in Best Buy like B&W or all over the internet retailers yet.

Just bringing out some points so hope my post doesn't seem confrontational.

[Mike]

Dynaudio has several lines, more than most. Since 2002 they introduced the DM series which targeted more of a budget consumer. They introduced the new Focus series as well as the Focus XD, now a new Contour. I'm not sure what year the anniversary Sapphire came out and the Temptation. It's remiss to assert Dynaudio hasn't been active. In addition, you seem to have overlooked or ignored it was pointed out that Dynaudio was the leader in the powered speaker with built in DAC arena, and, I'd say offers more models to choose from in that market. than any other manufacturer. They came out with the Excite series, that's been a while though, not sure what year.

So Dynaudio holds up pretty well against the list of speakers you gave. It's interesting you mention Revel, how long have the Ultima been around? Also, goes to show if you have a good product why change until necessary. They did just not long ago introduce the new Concerto series and a while before that the Performa 3, which in my opinion wasn't an improvement over the prior P2.

I personally have to respect a company that builds themselves every aspect they can of their speakers as Dynaudio.

Many speakers companies are finding it financially beneficial to get into auto companies. Harmon has really been there with Infinity, JBL, Revel and the Levinson name.

At least Dynaudio aren't in Best Buy like B&W or all over the internet retailers yet.

Just bringing out some points so hope my post doesn't seem confrontational.

Not at all. I respect all views and recognize the active speaker component, but there were many before them in that arena (Meridian for example). I guess I'm just disappointed because the C2/C4 was one of my faves many moons ago and seems so long in the tooth now. I will tell you a funny story, I had the Salon 2's at the time and my wife and I went to audition the C4's. We were listening to this Bob Dylan track - The Man In The Long Black Coat - and my wife turns to me and says, "these sound better than YOUR speakers!" Ouch.


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[KeithR]

Well, even outside of the active stuff Dynaudio's Excite series came out in 2013, Confidence Sig/Platinum in 2014, and Contour in 2016.

It would be nice to see an Esotar3 at some point

[Elberoth]

Some of the newer lines of Dynaudio are a bit easier but typically they require an amp with ample current to sound the way they were intended. The best I've heard Dyn sound was when our dealer used to carry Krell.

That is true. The Dyn Consequence Limited Edition are very difficoult to drive - I believe they are only 81dB efficient. My friend used to drive them with the giant Vitus SS-101 integrated, which run out of steam, so he had changed to D'Agosting Progression monos which I believe are 600wpc or so. The Temptations were much easier to drive, although those were seriously limited in LF performance.

[Elberoth]

Speaking of Dynaudio standmounts. I had the Dyn Special 25 at home last year. It is a 2-way, with their top of the range Esotar2 tweeter and top of the range 8-inch woofer with neodumium magnet - so pretty much their statement 2-way. I cannot say I was disappointed per se - they sounded pretty good and could play suprisingly loud for a 2-way (thanks to 8-inch bass driver), but they were worlds apart from my Magico S5 mk 2.

[KeithR]

Speaking of Dynaudio standmounts. I had the Dyn Special 25 at home last year. It is a 2-way, with their top of the range Esotar2 tweeter and top of the range 8-inch woofer with neodumium magnet - so pretty much their statement 2-way. I cannot say I was disappointed per se - they sounded pretty good and could play suprisingly loud for a 2-way (thanks to 8-inch bass driver), but they were worlds apart from my Magico S5 mk 2.

The Special 25 cost like $5k back in the day and was voiced bright to me. The C1 always sounded better.

But why are we comparing $40k speakers to decade+ old, $5k ones?

[Elberoth]

The Special 25 cost like $5k back in the day and was voiced bright to me. The C1 always sounded better.

But why are we comparing $40k speakers to decade+ old, $5k ones?

Special 25 have been reintroduced a ~4 years back due to the high demand. And they still had their best woofer and tweeter ... despite the modest price.

[Hessec]

The Special 25 cost like $5k back in the day and was voiced bright to me. The C1 always sounded better.

But why are we comparing $40k speakers to decade+ old, $5k ones?

Because they might sound better. Price doesn't always dictate.



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[AJR]

An update: I am now an extremely happy owner of a pair of S3 mk2s! In stunning bronze m-cast. I bought the show room pair at a reasonable discount which helped me get comfortable with the outlay. They have around 100 hours on the clock and were delivered in 2 days, so no need to wait the 4-8 week delivery time on a new pair.

Given my listening room is also my lounge I could only place them about 1.5 feet away from the rear wall. From my listening position they sounded best about 3 feet away but that didn't work very well space-wise. The soundstage is not quite as deep but it is still amazing. They are about 7 feet apart slightly angled in.

As predicted by the dealer the bass sounds a bit bigger in my room compared to the show room. I think the bass from the Dynaudio Contour 60s would probably be too big for my room. And as I posted previously, I have grown to like the tighter, more defined bass from the S3s as compared to the Dynaudios. With the slightly bigger boom given my acoustically-imperfect room, I feel like I have the best of both worlds.

I tried some of the other ported speakers I mentioned previously but overall I preferred the S3s.

One thing I noticed compared to the sound they produced in the show room (with a Soulution pre and power amp and Vovox Textura Fortis cables) is that the upper mids and treble don't quite have the same 'sparkle'/crispness with my Devialet Expert Pro 220 and (very) cheap speaker cables. A cable upgrade is the next step in this very expensive (but enormously pleasurable) hobby.

Very, very happy!

AJR

[Kuoppis]

AJR, congrats! Great choice. And even a great color (totally biased comment) .

Based on my experience the sparkle in the highs will come back, as I would attribute that to the burn-in process which will take about 400-500 hours to complete. I have noticed that all drivers are varying their characteristics at different times during the process, but the end-result will be a lots of music listening joy. Let us know how they develop. That said, Magicos are known to be merciless regarding what's upstream, so you will definitely get more out of your new toys if you ensure the cables are up for the task.

I'm sure you'll be another happy mk2 owner appreciating the diamond coated beryllium and all-graphene technology trickle-down from the M Pro.

Again, congrats and I wish you a lots of happy music listening.


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[Elberoth]

Congrats ! Bronze is by far my fav M-Cast color (both my S5 mk 1 and S5 mk 2 were in Bronze M-Cast).

[Showroom Dummies]

So what albums/tracks have you been playing through your lovely new speakers? What differences are you noticing when playing a certain track?

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[Mike]

Brilliant choice. They will work beautifully in your room and give you lots of enjoyment. Congrats. Let the speakers get to 500 hours before you start monkeying with cables.

[the professor]

Congrats!!!!!!

[Alpinist]

An update: I am now an extremely happy owner of a pair of S3 mk2s! In stunning bronze m-cast. I bought the show room pair at a reasonable discount which helped me get comfortable with the outlay. They have around 100 hours on the clock and were delivered in 2 days, so no need to wait the 4-8 week delivery time on a new pair.

Given my listening room is also my lounge I could only place them about 1.5 feet away from the rear wall. From my listening position they sounded best about 3 feet away but that didn't work very well space-wise. The soundstage is not quite as deep but it is still amazing. They are about 7 feet apart slightly angled in.

As predicted by the dealer the bass sounds a bit bigger in my room compared to the show room. I think the bass from the Dynaudio Contour 60s would probably be too big for my room. And as I posted previously, I have grown to like the tighter, more defined bass from the S3s as compared to the Dynaudios. With the slightly bigger boom given my acoustically-imperfect room, I feel like I have the best of both worlds.

I tried some of the other ported speakers I mentioned previously but overall I preferred the S3s.

One thing I noticed compared to the sound they produced in the show room (with a Soulution pre and power amp and Vovox Textura Fortis cables) is that the upper mids and treble don't quite have the same 'sparkle'/crispness with my Devialet Expert Pro 220 and (very) cheap speaker cables. A cable upgrade is the next step in this very expensive (but enormously pleasurable) hobby.

Very, very happy!

AJR

Congrats AJR on an extraordinary pair of loudspeakers! You made a terrific choice. With only 100 hours of break in time, you should continue to hear steady improvement for the next several hundred hours. I hope you are as happy with your S3 Mk2's as I know Kuoppis is with his!

Enjoy,
Ken

[Mr Peabody]

Hey AJR, that's great, enjoy!

Let me interpret for Mike, "monkey with", is really Floridianese for "carefully evalulate".

[AJR]

Wow. Every single inch I (reluctantly, from a room cosmetic point of view!) I bring my bronzed beauties in from the wall, the sound improves quite significantly!

Will take Mike's advice and play with cables later

[AJR]

Am getting thru my favourites. Hard to describe how much better they sound. A LOT better is all I can say right now. A whole new level.

[Mike]

AJR - so glad you're happy!


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[Audio 1]

Awesome AJR! You now own some of the best speakers on the market today
Just one thing is missing ..... We would love pictures

[AJR]

Regardless of music preferences, I urge everyone to listen to "the numbers" by radiohead on your sound systems. Stunning.

[AJR]

Awesome AJR! You now own some of the best speakers on the market today
Just one thing is missing ..... We would love pictures

don't know how to upload! I think if you look at our German friend's pics you will get a good idea!!!

[Audio 1]

don't know how to upload! I think if you look at our German friend's pics you will get a good idea!!!

When you reply to the thread click the box that looks like a picture called 'insert image'
It will let you choose an image from your computer, or from a URL.

[AJR]

So, next step in this journey is two-fold. I am thinking 12-18 months away. I am VERY happy right now. But, because this is fun!

1. Cables. I am honestly lost at sea here. I like Mike's advice which is to wait until my speakers are properly burnt in. But I am a cable sceptic. My cables are bottom, bottom range. As in about $300 for 2x 3m cables. My tech mates say spend $1k and get decent 14 gauge thick cables properly insulated. Steps up are massively diminshing. Steeper curve than speakers, amps etc. Well, that is one view.

2. Amp. Does my Devialet 200 Expert Pro do the S3 mk2s justice? I don't want a debate about what the best amp is for the Magicos. No doubt I can do better. But have sown my seeds, so to speak. I just want to know whether 220 Devialet watts is enough, or should I upgrade to the 440 or 1000.

Grateful for constructive thoughts!

[AJR]

When you reply to the thread click the box that looks like a picture called 'insert image'
It will let you choose an image from your computer, or from a URL.

will try!

[AJR]

Can I please make one more music recommendation: The War on Drugs "Up all night". Shows off the Magicos. Full range. Voice, kick drums, bass guitar, treble. Just amazing.

[Showroom Dummies]

Can I please make one more music recommendation: The War on Drugs "Up all night". Shows off the Magicos. Full range. Voice, kick drums, bass guitar, treble. Just amazing.

Keep the music recommendations coming. I'm especially interested in what electronic music you are playing.

Sent from my Swift 2 Plus using Tapatalk

[AJR]

Keep the music recommendations coming. I'm especially interested in what electronic music you are playing.

Sent from my Swift 2 Plus using Tapatalk

old school: Aphex Twin, Future Sound of London, Massive Attack, Orbital, The orb, B12, Chemical Brothers, Boards of Canada, UNDERWORLD!, Portishead, Richie Hawtin, goa trance (), leftfield, amon tobin, the list goes on.

Recently, I like Mala, Burial, Four Tet, Monolake, Zomby.

AND 90s grunge, plus Tool, The National, and Radiohead.

Am not a jazz guy, but man the tracks from Whiplash are amazing. My mate is a jazz guy and what got him over the line with my demos of the S3 mk2s was how they handled the bombardment of sound.

[Showroom Dummies]

old school: Aphex Twin, Future Sound of London, Massive Attack, Orbital, The orb, B12, Chemical Brothers, Boards of Canada, UNDERWORLD!, Portishead, Richie Hawtin, goa trance (), leftfield, amon tobin, the list goes on.

Recently, I like Mala, Burial, Four Tet, Monolake, Zomby.

AND 90s grunge, plus Tool, The National, and Radiohead.

Am not a jazz guy, but man the tracks from Whiplash are amazing. My mate is a jazz guy and what got him over the line with my demos of the S3 mk2s was how they handled the bombardment of sound.

I'm so jealous

Sent from my Swift 2 Plus using Tapatalk

[AJR]

A quick update: my S3IIs probably have about 250 hours on the clock now. I have noticed that the bass has evolved from being very tight to now being a lot phatter (but not flabby). It seems to be deeper, richer and generally 'bigger'. Amazing to hear such a change. It will be interesting to see how it continues to change as the consensus appears to be 400-500 hours of break-in is needed. I haven't noticed a big change in the mids and treble.

[Mr Peabody]

What you are describing sounds like typical speaker break in I've experienced. The bass is there but it's almost too tight to be useful but as the woofer(s) break in the bass becomes fuller, not out of control, ust getting "right". On some speakers I've had the trebleand mids smooth out as well.

Gld you are enjoying them, sounds like you made the right choice.

A quick update: my S3IIs probably have about 250 hours on the clock now. I have noticed that the bass has evolved from being very tight to now being a lot phatter (but not flabby). It seems to be deeper, richer and generally 'bigger'. Amazing to hear such a change. It will be interesting to see how it continues to change as the consensus appears to be 400-500 hours of break-in is needed. I haven't noticed a big change in the mids and treble.