Game Changer !

MDP said:
"Game Changer"
How many times as an audiophile have you read or heard that phrase ? I think that phrase is used much too often. How many times have you heard something that's so much better than its competition that you are truly shocked ? From my experience it doesn't happen very often.

Auditioning gear is a lot of fun. I love listening to all the different flavors. The other side of that is that all too often I'm disappointed. I've listened to so many speakers that I've lost count. Speakers are my first love in audio. I'll try and listen to speakers every chance I get.

I'm in Boston right now,and yesterday had a chance to head over to Goodwins for a couple of hours. As I usually do, I wanted to audition a couple of speaker brands that I have never had a chance to hear before.

First up was the Rockport Aviors. This is a brand that I have always wanted to hear. I'm not going to go into a review as such. I thought it was a very nice sounding speaker. But not the kind of sound that made me want to sell my Salon's and buy them.

Next was the Magico S5. I really wasn't prepared for what I was hearing. It was the kind of sound that I simply had never been exposed to before. It had a realism that I've never heard before from any speaker, but with absolutely no grain or strain. The highs were crystal clear,without any hint of brightness. The midrange was just spectacular, the best vocals ever ! Bass was just outstanding, tight,full,extended, it really aided the beautiful mids. Soundstage was tall,wide, and deep. But the most important part a speaker plays, is the way it takes all of the separate sounds,and puts them together as a whole. In other words, it makes cohesive music, and that might be the highest complement I can give them.

The S5 is the best all around speaker that I have ever heard.

It's a Game Changer !
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This is awesome Mark! :exciting:

How much was that, ...30 Gs for the pair?
 
Mike said:
Soundstage responds accordingly and proportionately to how far apart the speakers are (within reason of course) and how far out from the wall they are. When I heard them in Toronto, they were quite far apart and 10+ feet out from the wall and the sound was 3D!
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Hey Mike, you listened to them at Eastview in T.O.? Was there last Tuesday a week ago and listened to them for a bit, it was my second audition of the S5 in recent weeks. The first one was at Filtronique in Mtl.
 
RedSectorA said:
Hey Mike, you listened to them at Eastview in T.O.? Was there last Tuesday a week ago and listened to them for a bit, it was my second audition of the S5 in recent weeks. The first one was at Filtronique in Mtl.
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Yup! That's the place. What did you think?

qydevajy.jpg
 
Mike said:
Yup! That's the place. What did you think?

qydevajy.jpg
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Exact same setup. Sound had lots of dynamics, black background and a very big presensation. I had these bad boys on my short list but ultimately did not go for them, and it's Eastviews set up moreso than the Filtronique setup that made me decide so. What I can ascertain is that to me the S5 have oodles of everything but acoustic music just does not sound right , voices fall in the background (in both setups) and I can't see nor feel the room they recorded the venue so ultimately it feels artificial and not real at all. Maybe the setups weren't right, I don't know. I've been questioning myself quite a bit about those two auditions and honestly I don't have all the answers, mind you my purchase is for the long term so a mistake is just not possible. I can understand the attraction to the S5 as they do sound very nice but they are just not for me. YMMV!

To me the best setups I have ever heard consisted of Verity Audio Lohengrin , which to me appears more neutral and realistic. The Lohengrin are to big for my room and waaaay to expensive for my budget so that was out of the question, the Sarastro were also out of my price range new and non existant in the used market (there was a pair on the 'gon last few weeks but the owner never replyed to my emails). I ended up buying a pair of Vienna Acoustics The Music which was strangely love at first listen. Dynamics, detail that the S5 offer in a more neutral and realistic presentation. Everything that the Lohengrin offers in a slightly warmer presentation, somewhere between the Verity's and the Sonus Faber signature although closer to the Verity. Funny enough, I was going to hear them not thinking much but I changed my mind rather quickly. Interestingly there are not many reviews on The Music.

Oups, just realised I'm off the path of the OP's thread. Sorry about that....
 
joeinid said:
I'm in ;)
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Joe, Why don't you guys make an appointment with Ears Nova to go and hear the S1/S5's when you are in the city on Saturday? I don't know if EN has both etc, but why not call and see? EN is only a few blocks from my studio.
 
Absolare said:
Joe, Why don't you guys make an appointment with Ears Nova to go and hear the S1/S5's when you are in the city on Saturday? I don't know if EN has both etc, but why not call and see? EN is only a few blocks from my studio.
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Bruce, Mike (a different Mike) and I should be seeing you around noon on Saturday. I'd like to keep these visits separate. We''ll see what happens.
 
radioactive said:
You're making me want to listen to the S5's. You mention great mids and accuracy -- but what about the soundstage? Were they very open sounding? I've not spent much time with any Magico gear so you've peaked my interest Mark. Also, what kind of music did you listen to for the demo? Classical, Rock, Jazz and what do you think are their forte?

Bryan
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Bryan, I listened to a mix of genres. Santana,Alison Krause,Hugh Masekela, Robin Trower,etc.

I don't think the S5's really care what you want to listen to. But if I listened to rock only,I would look to other amps beside Constellation.
 
Absolare said:
Joe, Why don't you guys make an appointment with Ears Nova to go and hear the S1/S5's when you are in the city on Saturday? I don't know if EN has both etc, but why not call and see? EN is only a few blocks from my studio.
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Good idea Bob !!
 
joeinid said:
Bruce, Mike (a different Mike) and I should be seeing you around noon on Saturday. I'd like to keep these visits separate. We''ll see what happens.
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Understood, just a suggestion....I would be curious at your findings! C U guys Sat. Don't forget you can park right on the street on Sat.. There are a thousand street signs on the block and it is confusing but Sat. and Sun. you can park all day/night for free.
 
RedSectorA said:
Exact same setup. Sound had lots of dynamics, black background and a very big presensation. I had these bad boys on my short list but ultimately did not go for them, and it's Eastviews set up moreso than the Filtronique setup that made me decide so. What I can ascertain is that to me the S5 have oodles of everything but acoustic music just does not sound right , voices fall in the background (in both setups) and I can't see nor feel the room they recorded the venue so ultimately it feels artificial and not real at all. Maybe the setups weren't right, I don't know. I've been questioning myself quite a bit about those two auditions and honestly I don't have all the answers, mind you my purchase is for the long term so a mistake is just not possible. I can understand the attraction to the S5 as they do sound very nice but they are just not for me. YMMV!

To me the best setups I have ever heard consisted of Verity Audio Lohengrin , which to me appears more neutral and realistic. The Lohengrin are to big for my room and waaaay to expensive for my budget so that was out of the question, the Sarastro were also out of my price range new and non existant in the used market (there was a pair on the 'gon last few weeks but the owner never replyed to my emails). I ended up buying a pair of Vienna Acoustics The Music which was strangely love at first listen. Dynamics, detail that the S5 offer in a more neutral and realistic presentation. Everything that the Lohengrin offers in a slightly warmer presentation, somewhere between the Verity's and the Sonus Faber signature although closer to the Verity. Funny enough, I was going to hear them not thinking much but I changed my mind rather quickly. Interestingly there are not many reviews on The Music.

Oups, just realised I'm off the path of the OP's thread. Sorry about that....
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Dan, I find your experience very interesting. I found in my demo just the opposite, acoustic music had an uncanny realism, a great sense of the space in the room where the recording was made.
 
MDP said:
Dan, I find your experience very interesting. I found in my demo just the opposite, acoustic music had an uncanny realism, a great sense of the space in the room where the recording was made.
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+1
 
MDP said:
Dan, I find your experience very interesting. I found in my demo just the opposite, acoustic music had an uncanny realism, a great sense of the space in the room where the recording was made.
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Sorry....gotta say it....different rooms, different equipment, different music, different cables, different ears......not gonna sound the same and sometimes not even remotely the same, no?
 
Absolare said:
Sorry....gotta say it....different rooms, different equipment, different music, different cables, different ears......not gonna sound the same and sometimes not even remotely the same, no?
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Absolutely Bob. I've heard the S5's sound great....and then a brand new pair.....not so great. But I know what they CAN sound like....
 
Absolare said:
Sorry....gotta say it....different rooms, different equipment, different music......not gonna sound the same and sometimes not even remotely the same, no?
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Absolutely right Bob, that being said Mike and I listened to the same equipment in the same room but at different times (not sure about IC's and PC's though.

Mark and Mike, interesting to see that you hear the opposite of what I heard but again I can't change my own feeling about them. And by the way I don't see my interpretation as end all be all it's just my own ears and mind interpreting the info at the time. Interesting to say I wall smitten to the S5 after the Filtronique try out but saw some of the thing that left me meeeeehhh after the Easview audition. Filtronique's components were highly similar to what I have although their listening space is nearfield listening whereas my space is farfield. As I said I didn't dislike the speakers it just wasn't a long term choice for me.

Guess my earing is all wrong....... :S is there a doctor in the house?
 
RedSectorA said:
Absolutely right Bob, that being said Mike and I listened to the same equipment in the same room but at different times (not sure about IC's and PC's though.

Mark and Mike, interesting to see that you hear the opposite of what I heard but again I can't change my own feeling about them. And by the way I don't see my interpretation as end all be all it's just my own ears and mind interpreting the info at the time. Interesting to say I wall smitten to the S5 after the Filtronique try out but saw some of the thing that left me meeeeehhh after the Easview audition. Filtronique's components were highly similar to what I have although their listening space is nearfield listening whereas my space is farfield. As I said I didn't dislike the speakers it just wasn't a long term choice for me.

Guess my earing is all wrong....... :S is there a doctor in the house?
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I'm sure our preferences play into it as well. Your impression of the S5 is very similar to my feelings when I heard the older V series and Mini II and M5. Super low noise floor, tons of detail and not harsh but something not natural about it. However, many people thought they were the best speakers in the world. I haven't heard the new Q and S series though and they are on my audition list. Certainly Mike's purchase and Mark's audition have peaked my interest.
 
Absolare said:
Sorry....gotta say it....different rooms, different equipment, different music, different cables, different ears......not gonna sound the same and sometimes not even remotely the same, no?
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Of course you're right Bob !!
 
hiro100 said:
I'm sure our preferences play into it as well. Your impression of the S5 is very similar to my feelings when I heard the older V series and Mini II and M5. Super low noise floor, tons of detail and not harsh but something not natural about it. However, many people thought they were the best speakers in the world. I haven't heard the new Q and S series though and they are on my audition list. Certainly Mike's purchase and Mark's audition have peaked my interest.
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That's one of the things I definitely heard,a naturalness to the sound, that's what I mean when I say realism.
 
RedSectorA said:
Absolutely right Bob, that being said Mike and I listened to the same equipment in the same room but at different times (not sure about IC's and PC's though.

Mark and Mike, interesting to see that you hear the opposite of what I heard but again I can't change my own feeling about them. And by the way I don't see my interpretation as end all be all it's just my own ears and mind interpreting the info at the time. Interesting to say I wall smitten to the S5 after the Filtronique try out but saw some of the thing that left me meeeeehhh after the Easview audition. Filtronique's components were highly similar to what I have although their listening space is nearfield listening whereas my space is farfield. As I said I didn't dislike the speakers it just wasn't a long term choice for me.

Guess my earing is all wrong....... :S is there a doctor in the house?
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Dan, your ears are just fine !! We all have slightly different tastes and hearing.
 
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