Today, I took the S5s to Magico. My friend who helped set them up has a pickup, so we boxed them up and were on the road by 12:15 PM. Other than one spike that would not unscrew, boxing was relatively uneventful. I suspect the spike somehow fused into the thread since it is supporting a lot of weight. Being round there was no way to get a grip with my pliers so I just removed the holder from the speaker. I was a little concerned with getting them into the bed of the truck, but we both lifted one end onto the tailgate, then picked up and pushed the other end. That was easier than getting them from the living room to the garage.
So, after arriving at Magico we met with Dave, who handles these types of issues. Since it was still lunch time when we arrived Dave gave us a tour first. Magico is in an industrial park in Hayward CA, and occupies the end of one building that appears to have 2-3 other tenents. I asked if it was okay to take pictures, and Dave requested we only do that in the lobby area versus in the manufacturing and assembly area. Which is perfectly fine by me.
Dave showed the entire process, starting with incoming QA making sure all material is up to spec, assembly where individual orders are being built, testing where each driver is tested, and a finished speaker is run-in for some time before shipment. They are very efficient, and have parts assembled for each order, so as one is finished, the next kit is wheeled in, and it gets built.
The computer controlled machine room was interesting. While I had read about these things I have never seen one. In one the baffle for a new M series was being made, and you watch the computer moving the drill around to all the locations on it. The manager of the process, I apologize but I forgot his name, showed us the top part of the M series. It is solid aluminum and appeared quite heavy as he was showing us how it is tapered after machining. Unfortunately, there weren't any finished M speakers around. It appears they are just starting with that series.
All in all, both my friend and I were impressed. They are still a small company, but are very efficient, and the facilities are well organized and clean.
After the tour, Dave introduced us to Alon Wolf. After I apologized for breaking his speaker he graciously explained what possibly happened, and cautioned that it is a good idea to keep an SPL meter handy since it is easy to get carried away. Lesson learned on my part, and it won't happen again from me.
Alon took us to the listening room, which was constructed just for that purpose. As soon as you entered you could tell it was much quieter. My iPhone SPL was reading 30-33 db in there. The dropped ceiling consists of slightly curved panels equally spaced with gaps between each one opening into space between it and the ceiling. The walls all have acoustic panels of various type spaced all along. At one end are the Ultimates, and electronics, and the other end has two chairs, one behind the other, and a small couch against the back wall.
The room was bigger than the front part of my house, but I didn't ask about the dimensions. However, when the Ultimates started playing it filled the room with sound, and with no effort at all. That was impressive to me. Every tap of a drum stick was clear and audible, voices were as if they were standing in front of me, and the bass was very precise. This was the first time I had heard a horn speaker in decades, so it was a new experience. Alon says they are very efficient and work well with low wattage amps. The main concern is that the amp be quiet since the speakers will reveal anything coming to it. I asked if he thought about making a smaller model, and he said with horns size really matters, and efficiency drops if they are smaller. I think I got that right.
After that the tour was over, so we unloaded the truck. By now, everyone was back from lunch, so with 4-5 Magico employees unloading was a breeze. I was still exhausted from boxing and loading them a couple of hours earlier.
Dave said he should know by Wednesday what the damage is. They will check both speakers to be on the safe side. Alon said when I get them back it will be like getting new speakers. I just hope the bill isn't like new speakers.
Here are some pictures from the iPhone. The guy in the picture is my friend who is about my height, 6'2", to give an idea of how big the Ultimates are. Sorry about the fuzzy pictures.
This was a pretty good way to start the week. Friday, a new two shelf rack will arrive so I can use my old amps in my HT/stereo. I have been using this for music the last week, and had forgotten how good it is. After adding the amps, it should be even better.