Magico M3 vs Focal....

R

Redphu

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Hello all,

Would love to hear from those who have heard these two brand/models side by side. Currently looking to upgrade my Focal Utopia evo, looking for that magic in the midrange that I feel the Utopia is a bike lacking. Would it make sense to go up in the the Utopia like the Stella or jump ship to the M3; I've been told the M3 are hard to drive and lack bass.

I was looking to build a hybrid system: 2channel/AV 5/1 but have decided to change over to 2 channel

Krell 3 channel amp
Krell phantom
jl sub
lampizator GG2
Signature Rendu SE

I will most likely change to mono blocks (SS) in the near future

Livingroom: 15x25 hardwood floors with rugs/curtains
music taste from rock to classical (not the grand orchestral stuff and no opera.
 
The dual midrange drivers Of the Focal Stella Evo might be just what you are looking for! I have not heard magico so cannot offer a comparison there.
 
For your taste in music I would stick with the Focal. I am a Magico fan, however, IMO Focal has a bit more excitement that would suit Rock.

Magico has bass, it's just very defined. I find the sound quite different from Focal. Magico tends to be more what people refer to as an "audiophile" sound, where Focal is a bit more raw, for lack of a better adjective right now :)

I have no doubt Krell can drive Magico. If not mistaken, you are using a home theater preamp, if deciding not to go surround, that's where I'd make my change, get a dedicated stereo preamp of high quality.

You can try an experiment, go direct from your Lampi into your Krell power amp and see if the midrange is more to your liking. I'm assuming your GG has the variable output. If not, you may have to borrow another preamp. Either way, I'd experiment a bit before making any permanent change.
 
Magico M3’s have amazing bass. It’s deep and articulate and absolutely fills our 20 x 25 room. However, the problem is that many folks think “woofy, woofy” over bloated, resonating Bass is “more bass.” It’s just more bad bass. Magico Bass is so articulate and defined. You can really follow along those bass lines in a song.


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I like a solid foundation to my music and a warm, rich sound. Gryphon Antileon Evo + Magico M3’s will give you that, and still have articulate bass.

The M3’s, as much as any dynamic speaker I have heard, are transparent and uncolored. They really sound like the upstream equipment and have less of their own sound. As folks have said, they have articulate bass. That’s “who they are”. But their “articulateness” also carries thru to the rest of the frequency range. The M3’s have brought me tremendous joy listening to rock music, because with the right associated equipment, can also separate out individual instruments in a way that other speakers/equipment haven’t. The M3’s do it, but the upstream equipment has to be able to allow them to do it. The more you are willing to invest in outstanding upstream equipment the better the M3’s will sound. That’s NOT to say that the M3’s will necessarily sound bad with lesser equipment. Not at all! You just may not hear what they are capable of. They are capable of a LOT!
 
Hi Mike,
How would you compare the magico M3 bass with the MBL 101e bass in terms of quality and quantity?
Thanks,
Anshul

Mike said:
Magico M3’s have amazing bass. It’s deep and articulate and absolutely fills our 20 x 25 room. However, the problem is that many folks think “woofy, woofy” over bloated, resonating Bass is “more bass.” It’s just more bad bass. Magico Bass is so articulate and defined. You can really follow along those bass lines in a song.


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Click to expand...
 
apdoc2004 said:
Hi Mike,
How would you compare the magico M3 bass with the MBL 101e bass in terms of quality and quantity?
Thanks,
Anshul
Click to expand...

The MBL Bass is adjustable, so you can dial it into the room. It’s also a band pass, so it sounds different, but equally good. Magico Bass is the king for me, for box speakers. It’s soooo good.


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M3s are not really difficoult to drive. They are not exactly SET friendly speaker, but any quality solid state amp will drive them with ease. In a 15x25 room you will get plenty of deep and super articulate bass. Once you experience the quality of Magico bass, you may never want to go back to any bass-reflex speaker.

I had Dagostino Momentum S200 a while back and loved the compination with a Golden Gate.
 
Mr Peabody said:
If not mistaken, you are using a home theater preamp, if deciding not to go surround, that's where I'd make my change, get a dedicated stereo preamp of high quality.
Click to expand...

If you still want audiophile 2 channel, while keeping a HT set up, get a Bryston SP3 or SP4. Best of both worlds



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Thank you everyone for chiming in with helpful insight and suggestions. After spending an afternoon with the M3, I have a better understanding of the characteristic sound that Magico does so well and that is to represent the natural sounds, conveying voices and instruments in such a precise, coherent, and dynamic manner; in short a level of realism not found in other speakers. Overall a good session and adding more reference to my repertoire. I've got some thinking to do...
 
I read something somewhere within the last whatever, where 10 of the pre-eminent HiFi reviewers listed their top 10 high-end speakers. 9 of them had Magico M3 in their list.

I own M3. Bass is not wanting. I also have S-Sub, bass is not wanting even more!
 
Maybe I'm looking at the wrong speakers but are people comparing apples to apples?

The Focal Stella Utopia III EVO cost 50k euro for a pair.
The Magico M3 costs 109k euro for a pair.

That is a HUGE price gap.
 
Speaking of which, my room is almost the same size as Redphu's, and the M2s are working perfectly for me.

But Mike has greater experience with all of these speakers in different size rooms, so I defer to his judgment.
 
@VT Skier

Can you describe your experience at choosing the M2 as the ones to purchase. What kind of music do you listen to and do you plan on using a sub in the future? Thanks.
 
Went to listen to a Focal Maestro Utopia EVO yesterday.

20191123_162234_HDR~2.jpg

Even driven by a set of Nagra HD preamp and monos, the midrange richness/fullness was wanting and the treble a bit too prominent.
I think even the Magico or YG acoustics which are said to be rather neutral can better it in this aspect.

However I have to declare conflict of interest : I am a Magico S5 owner. :)
 
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