Magico A5’s Arrive!!!!

Delija said:
This reviewer (Edgar Kramer) has done a lot of reviews (more than 50 models of speakers for SoundStage! Australia), so he doesn't lack a reference for comparison.
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Did he have multiple speakers at the same time at the same price range for each of his 50 reviews to compare or does he just have his memories of their sound?

Delija said:
And, if you ask me - "review" which doesn't mention ANY flaws of a product cannot be considered as relevant. It's almost pure marketing.
Unfortunately, there are to many "reviews" of that kind. According to these "reviews" all products are great and their worth is much higher than their price, bla bla... A total cliché :rolleyes:
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What kind of "flaws" are we talking about? Are you talking about subjective flaws, physical flaws, electrical flaws, or picking fly shit out of pepper flaws?
 
mep said:
Did he have multiple speakers at the same time at the same price range for each of his 50 reviews to compare or does he just have his memories of their sound?



What kind of "flaws" are we talking about? Are you talking about subjective flaws, physical flaws, electrical flaws, or picking fly shit out of pepper flaws?
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Here’s the A5’s flaws (in no particular order):

1. They only come in black.
2. They are heavy (ish).
3. You may have to wait. There is a long list of folks ahead of you who figured out that they are great and didn’t need to wait for a review to tell them. They trusted their own ears.
4. They will make the other speakers in your store (or house) costing the same or even a little more not competitive.
5. They are heavy, solid aluminum. Your dog will not be able to chew the corners like they could we some wood speaker.
6. It’s easy to place in just about any room, so you won’t be able to get to spend a year and try everything from DSP to room treatments to multiple subs to the Spatial Audio subwoofer with a microphone which sent out cancellation waves to control the bass boom (my experience with one of my speakers at home not too many years ago).
7. Due to extended listening sessions, you will spend much more enjoyable time listening and less on the honey-do list.
8. They look like speakers, not something else.
9. They will call increased muttering to oneself, with sayings like “damn, these are good. Maybe too good.” (This last part is mostly me and connects with #4)


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Everything is subjective, however, an experienced Reviewer will immediately identify what one speaker does incredibly well and where it falls short. Just about every review focuses on the great and completely side steps the bad, I think we all know why this is done.

If I buy a pair of speakers, identify everything they do poorly, and start posting those views on every forum and website I can... I'm quite sure the Manufacturer will respond to me in writing. Better yet, would be to create a YouTube account and post a video.
 
Mike said:
Here’s the A5’s flaws (in no particular order):

1. They only come in black.
2. They are heavy (ish).
3. You may have to wait. There is a long list of folks ahead of you who figured out that they are great and didn’t need to wait for a review to tell them. They trusted their own ears.
4. They will make the other speakers in your store (or house) costing the same or even a little more not competitive.
5. They are heavy, solid aluminum. Your dog will not be able to chew the corners like they could we some wood speaker.
6. It’s easy to place in just about any room, so you won’t be able to get to spend a year and try everything from DSP to room treatments to multiple subs to the Spatial Audio subwoofer with a microphone which sent out cancellation waves to control the bass boom (my experience with one of my speakers at home not too many years ago).
7. Due to extended listening sessions, you will spend much more enjoyable time listening and less on the honey-do list.
8. They look like speakers, not something else.
9. They will call increased muttering to oneself, with sayings like “damn, these are good. Maybe too good.” (This last part is mostly me and connects with #4)


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Those are some awesome "flaws" Mike!
 
1. M-series should only come in black, any other color would be a travesty. When I owned S-series I appreciated having color options, but not having color options wouldn't be a deal breaker (I ordered pewter, but rose and bronze were contenders). And if I was to buy A5 I'd be OK with black. My Q3 are black. As a work of art as they all are, when the music is on and the lights are turned down I appreciate the blackness making the speaker disappear from sight.
2. And about weight. When I picked up a pair of balsa wood + plastic Vivid Giya with my little finger made me appreciate even more not being able to do the same with my S3/Q3/M3.
3. And about wait. I had to wait almost 6 months for my Kia New Sorento to arrive. My S3 only took about 4 months. I don't mind waiting to get what I want.
4. Which is why I don't like A5.
5. Not so much dogs with an inclination to chew, kids with pencils and other sharp objects are always a worry with Q3/M3. Not so much a problem with A-series and S-series as they have grilles. M3 wouldn't look right if it had a grille.
6-9. 4 x exactly.
 
dznutz said:
Everything is subjective, however, an experienced Reviewer will immediately identify what one speaker does incredibly well and where it falls short. Just about every review focuses on the great and completely side steps the bad, I think we all know why this is done.
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That's a gross over exaggeration. I couldn't count how many speaker reviews I have read over the years that reviewers quite clearly stated issues they identified. Things like mid-bass suckout, bass boominess, highs tilted up or down, cabinets that had resonances that were audible, etc. And if those speakers are reviewed by Stereophile, JA takes a full set of measurements and identifies any and all issues he discovers during his measurements.



dznutz said:
If I buy a pair of speakers, identify everything they do poorly, and start posting those views on every forum and website I can... I'm quite sure the Manufacturer will respond to me in writing. Better yet, would be to create a YouTube account and post a video.
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Hopefully you listen to the pair of speakers before you purchase them so you aren't buying a pair of speakers that you feel compelled to identify everything they do poorly and you won't feel the need to go on every audio forum and trash the speakers you just bought.
 
:huh:
mep said:
That's a gross over exaggeration. I couldn't count how many speaker reviews I have read over the years that reviewers quite clearly stated issues they identified. Things like mid-bass suckout, bass boominess, highs tilted up or down, cabinets that had resonances that were audible, etc. And if those speakers are reviewed by Stereophile, JA takes a full set of measurements and identifies any and all issues he discovers during his measurements.





Hopefully you listen to the pair of speakers before you purchase them so you aren't buying a pair of speakers that you feel compelled to identify everything they do poorly and you won't feel the need to go on every audio forum and trash the speakers you just bought.
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I disagree with you but ok.
 
Read a speaker review and even the best reviews the writer will offer up hints to the speakers tendency's, sure there's politics involved so a product will have to be a real turd to get a bad review, but there's hints included in setup, placement, component matching then listening impressions and measurements will allow us to see thru the bs.
 
listened to the A5 yesterday at a dealer, amp used was the Spectral audio 300SV, although doing many things well, the overall performance of the system left me a bit cold.
 
imprezap2 said:
listened to the A5 yesterday at a dealer, amp used was the Spectral audio 300SV, although doing many things well, the overall performance of the system left me a bit cold.
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It was the Spectral I bet. I hope you get to hear them with Boulder, Gryphon, Pass, Luxman, etc. Totally different story.
 
Is the A5 as revealing/transparent as other Magico speakers or is it voiced slightly differently? I ask because some think the Q series is simply ruthless and tough to listen to, especially the tweeter. So much is involved in the final system sound that I find it difficult to conclude that one specific link in the chain is responsible for the overall impression of a system sound unless one knows the system well and then inserts a new component into it in order to isolate its contribution. I have heard Spectral electronics sound great with Magico and also not so good. Same with other speakers.

I find the comment that Magico Q5 and Spectral sounded "shrilling" together to be quite funny for some reason. Great term.
 
I think the real question (in terms of Magico comparison) is simply this: how does the A5 stack up against the S3mk2? From what I have read, it is 95%.
 
AJR said:
I think the real question (in terms of Magico comparison) is simply this: how does the A5 stack up against the S3mk2? From what I have read, it is 95%.
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90%. The S3 mk2 still beats it IMO. Slightly more refined.


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LOL, nothing wrong with the Spectral. It left him a “bit cold” because he just bought a different speaker (maybe the wrong one :blush:)
I find these “it did everything right, but it left me cold” comments psychological in nature.
 
LVB said:
LOL, nothing wrong with the Spectral. It left him a “bit cold” because he just bought a different speaker (maybe the wrong one :blush:)
I find these “it did everything right, but it left me cold” comments psychological in nature.
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Never said "did everything right" please read before you comment.
 
AJR said:
I think the real question (in terms of Magico comparison) is simply this: how does the A5 stack up against the S3mk2? From what I have read, it is 95%.
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Not sure I'd assign a percentage, but the S-series is a noticeable step up in quality across the board. In terms of maximum bass output, it might be better to compare the A5 against the S5 MkII.
 
Mike said:
It was the Spectral I bet. I hope you get to hear them with Boulder, Gryphon, Pass, Luxman, etc. Totally different story.
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I went with a friend who is in the market for new speakers, I proposed to him to go listen to the A5, as I really like Magico, and also Spectral. But somehow the system was a bit underwhelming. Soundstage, pinpoint placement, speed, transients, all quite good, but to my ears, and also my friends ears, the music was not very engaging.

I am sure that the A5 can perform better in a different situation.
 
imprezap2 said:
I went with a friend who is in the market for new speakers, I proposed to him to go listen to the A5, as I really like Magico, and also Spectral. But somehow the system was a bit underwhelming. Soundstage, pinpoint placement, speed, transients, all quite good, but to my ears, and also my friends ears, the music was not very engaging.

I am sure that the A5 can perform better in a different situation.
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What else are you guys listening to? Always fun to go and listen to new equipment! How are things in your neck of the woods? Are dealers in the Netherlands pretty much by appointment only with all this Covid stuff?


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Mike said:
What else are you guys listening to? Always fun to go and listen to new equipment! How are things in your neck of the woods? Are dealers in the Netherlands pretty much by appointment only with all this Covid stuff?


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Numbers of Covid are rising again here, basically a second wave, difference with the first one is that less people are getting into the Intensive Care, more younger people now catching the virus, the older people taking more care to avoid it. The government has put more stringent measurements in place last week.

We had a two hour slot at the dealer, only listened to this set up, but the dealer was open to try other options at a later date. (It's one of the few reputable dealers we have in the Netherlands)

Dutch HiFi shops have started again with the yearly audio shows, but instead of open doors, you now have to book a time slot in advance so they can regulate th amount of people coming together. (and keep the 1,5 mtr social distancing in place)
The large shows like the Xfi, have been cancelled upto now, hopefully next year again.
 
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