From Sonus faber to Magico

Gene

Gene

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Joined
May 21, 2015
Messages
203
Location
Louisville, Ky
Hi all...
I've had the privilege of using Sonus faber Strads for almost four years. Last year I finally got my dream system and went to an all Accuphase system (A-75,C-3850,DP-750,t-1200, C-37) with a full loom of Wireworld Platinum 8 and was wanting to get your thoughts on the idea of going to Magico S7's as a potential upgrade . I love my Strads but I feel that they just might be the weak link and that newer tech and materials available from Magico just might be the ticket to unleash the Accuphase gear to its fullest potential. I dont think there would be any problem driving the S7's with the A-75 so Im not worried about that. My room is plenty large and has excellent qualities too.
Thanks for any advise and counseling... Dave
 
I'm sure I won't be the last Magico owner urging you to find a way to put any model of their hardware in your listening room. Having heard most high end speakers on the market, I can offer my opinion - You will not regret it.

Eric
 
I’m on my third pair of Magicos and obviously like them. Currently have S3 mk2s.

I can definitely recommend Magicos.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Is the Magico only choice? Not to be mistaken, totally nothing against them at all, but there might also be other options with state of the art engeneering behind and sounding like a dream like Wilson Benesch (something from Square II series ie Cardinal), Gryphon speakers or Stenheim Alumine 5 or above)…

Cheers;
G
 
Golum said:
Is the Magico only choice? Not to be mistaken, totally nothing against them at all, but there might also be other options with state of the art engeneering behind and sounding like a dream like Wilson Benesch (something from Square II series ie Cardinal), Gryphon speakers or Stenheim Alumine 5 or above)…

Cheers;
G
Click to expand...
Thanks, G
No.. I'm also taking a hard look at the latest from Sonus faber (Lilium, Aida), TAD and Canton, But I'm more than open to other suggestions as well. Bring them on.
 
I don't want to shoot out ones which i did not hear - ones above I heard and i can add Vienna Acoustics Klimt to the picture additonaly which is also total bingo...amazing speaker. Those new SFs I did not hear but I assume they should be great. I had previously SF Electa Amator II from Serblin era and those were something. Also Franco Serblin Ktema model comes into the picture...

Anyhow I wish you find something you enjoy!
 
In addition to Magico (I am a happy Magico owner), I would suggest you listen to Wilson Sasha DAW & Alexia 2, KEF Blade 2, and perhaps Rockport Cygnus. What kind of music do you favor?
 
GSOphile said:
In addition to Magico (I am a happy Magico owner), I would suggest you listen to Wilson Sasha DAW & Alexia 2, KEF Blade 2, and perhaps Rockport Cygnus. What kind of music do you favor?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions.
My musical tastes run the gamut but I mostly listen to classical, with bit of Jazz and classic rock sprinkled in ,sometimes.
Really anything but heavy metal i'm open to.
 
You mentioned Canton.... which of their series have you listened to?

As a fan of the Canton loudspeakers myself, I'm just curious.
 
Hi Mike,
Haven't had a chance to hear the Canton's yet but I'm hoping soon to make a quick trip to a friends place for an extended session to hear some Reference 3K's
 
SF vs Magico is apples and oranges, so that's your personal decision.

but 60-watt class A Accuphase isn't near enough for Magicos. ymmv.
 
Well I checked with Magico and while its not ideal, they said that within reasonable levels there would be no problems.
The A-75 output doubles at 4 ohms so thats well over 120w. (Accuphase says its actually much more than the conservative ratings listed)
 
Gene said:
Hi Mike,
Haven't had a chance to hear the Canton's yet but I'm hoping soon to make a quick trip to a friends place for an extended session to hear some Reference 3K's
Click to expand...

Very nice! What front end equipment do you hope to listen with thru the 3k's?
 
I'm fortunate in that I would be listening to the Canton 3K's with Accuphase gear also, which should give me a real understanding as to what I might expect.
 
Yes, come to think of it you're right about the Strads. Very special,indeed.
I really hate the taste of regret so I'll probably pack them up and keep them.
 
So that they don't feel neglected by being "packed away" I would be willing to hold on to them for you and show them some love.
Just saying
 
I'd take a long listen to the S5 MKII's . You may be able to save a few $$$s. I'm on my 3rd pair of Magico's. Unless you want to spend A TON of $, I think the 5's are the sweet spot in
the S line...
 
At that price point, S5 MK IIs, Alexia 2s, Avangartde Duos or Magico M3s. Food for thought and, of course, go with what you like! Enjoy and good luck!
 
We auditioned the Canton Ref 3K a couple of years ago when we assembled our current system. It was the same pair that had been at AXPONA a couple of weeks prior. Unfortunately the speaker turned out to be a huge disappointment for us. i really wanted to like it, as it fit the price point and visual aesthetic I was going for. Despite being predispositioned to forgive a few faults, it just didn't shine. Poor soundstaging, brittle midrange and low treble, and mostly missing anything below 40hz. I double checked the setup after the first listen, and found one of the treble jumpers in the high output position, which was pretty obvious as the stereo image was shifted way to that side. Fixing it helped center the image, but didn't help the sound. The electronics were not in the same class as Accuphase at all, so perhaps that's what let the speaker down.

We also auditioned the Magico S5 (original version) in a separate sitting and didn't like it either. I must not have been the only one, as my local dealer still has that pair in his shop 2 years later (marked way way down). So maybe that says I just don't like an analytical sound...

In any event, if you're considering spending $60k for the Magico S7, I'm not sure that the $16k Cantons can compete. I doubt the Canton Ref 1k at ~$30k would compare well either. As has been said above, I'd look at the S5 mk II, which is supposed to be much better than the mk I, and is probably the sweet spot of the range.
 
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