Kuoppis
New member
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2015
- Messages
- 5,203
- Thread Author
- #1
At Munich High End I had the pleasure in an early morning meeting to talk to Yair Tammam and discuss at length the S3 mk2 and the changes compared to the mk1 version. As it was pretty convincing and I very much liked what I heard, I pulled the trigger on S3 mk2s order today. Hence, there is a little speaker upgrade is in the works.
You may have noticed in the past, I was not in favor of the S3 replacement cycle. And so, I also looked at other things, e.g. horns. But that would have required a switch to tubes and basically re-working my entire set. Alas, I do like my set and I'm not done with transistor amps yet. And I do enjoy the ease of use.
While S3 mk1 is an excellent speaker, based on the demos I have heard, there are three quite significant improvements in the mk2 version: treble, bass, coherence.
TREBLE: Diamond coated berylliums make the highs naturally smooth, no sign of beryllium bite. Very refined and smooth presentation, yet with the 50 kHz resolution. The difference to the mk1 version is immediately audible. Technology borrowed from the M Project - it's easy to achieve standing on the shoulders of giants.
BASS: In 2015 Meghan Trainor sang "It's all about the bass", pretty much applies here. While the change in the highs is significant, the change in the bass is bigger.
Also testament to the M Project aluminum cones were replaced by a bit larger carbon nano-graphene woofers. These bring a texture to Magico bass that was not there before. Deep, detailed, organic. More musical w/o being boomy or losing definition. Simply excellent.
Now the big brothers need to play catch-up: S3 mk2 is again the S-line technology lead, just as the mk1 was.
COHERENCE: In addition to the sub-area improvements, the S3 mk2 offers a new level of coherence, in particular better integrating the highs into the fold.
Further, in the MIDS I not notice a huge difference per se (as the mk1's already had the sub enclosure), except a very nice coherence across the range. So no bass, mids, highs - just music.
Overall, yes it is again an investment into a better musical experience. Just IMHO, a worthwhile one.
You may have noticed in the past, I was not in favor of the S3 replacement cycle. And so, I also looked at other things, e.g. horns. But that would have required a switch to tubes and basically re-working my entire set. Alas, I do like my set and I'm not done with transistor amps yet. And I do enjoy the ease of use.
While S3 mk1 is an excellent speaker, based on the demos I have heard, there are three quite significant improvements in the mk2 version: treble, bass, coherence.
TREBLE: Diamond coated berylliums make the highs naturally smooth, no sign of beryllium bite. Very refined and smooth presentation, yet with the 50 kHz resolution. The difference to the mk1 version is immediately audible. Technology borrowed from the M Project - it's easy to achieve standing on the shoulders of giants.
BASS: In 2015 Meghan Trainor sang "It's all about the bass", pretty much applies here. While the change in the highs is significant, the change in the bass is bigger.
Also testament to the M Project aluminum cones were replaced by a bit larger carbon nano-graphene woofers. These bring a texture to Magico bass that was not there before. Deep, detailed, organic. More musical w/o being boomy or losing definition. Simply excellent.
Now the big brothers need to play catch-up: S3 mk2 is again the S-line technology lead, just as the mk1 was.
COHERENCE: In addition to the sub-area improvements, the S3 mk2 offers a new level of coherence, in particular better integrating the highs into the fold.
Further, in the MIDS I not notice a huge difference per se (as the mk1's already had the sub enclosure), except a very nice coherence across the range. So no bass, mids, highs - just music.
Overall, yes it is again an investment into a better musical experience. Just IMHO, a worthwhile one.
