Magico M3 Review

No. I suspect A3 made the used price of Q3 plummet.

Interesting comment. The A3 may affect the prices of many new and used speakers.

I saw two Q3s for sale on Audiogon over a year ago, long before the A3 announcement. They were asking in the low $20Ks. Those who have compared the A3 to the S3 Mk2 prefer the S3 Mk2. Those who have compared the S3 Mk2 to the Q3 prefer the Q3. It follows that they would prefer the Q3 to the A3. I don't know as I have not heard the A3. The build quality is not as good as the Q3. I'm sure they sound different and were designed for different customers.
 
Congrats! The Q3s' single crate is indeed a nightmare. The introduction of the new M series made the Q series prices plummet - which makes them a great buy now (if you have the room AND amplification needed).

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They look beautiful. A3 are hardly a competition to S3 / Q3 performance wise to my ears.
 
They look beautiful. A3 are hardly a competition to S3 / Q3 performance wise to my ears.

This does not surprise me in the least. However, for those looking at that $10K price point, I imagine the A3 is worth an audition.
 
My electronics are now sitting on Critical Mass footers (clock, DAC and pre-amp, each on their own CM footers)....The M3 have been sounding a bit muddy since then, particularly at the bottom end. They still look great. I was going to upgrade to Mpods on outriggers, but the spiked Mpods probably have changed that plan. I'm wondering if I can have some outriggers CNC'd and anodized, use with the spiked Mpods.

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My electronics are now sitting on Critical Mass footers....The M3 have been sounding a bit muddy since then, particularly at the bottom end. They still look great. I was going to upgrade to Mpods on outriggers, but the spiked Mpods probably have changed that plan. I'm wondering if I can have some outriggers CNC'd and anodized, use with the spiked Mpods.

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Can you move them out from the walls (side and back) a little?
 
They are already 53 inches off the back wall (measured from wall to front of speaker enclosure, the amp infringes on that space however)...and the side "wall" is just a curtain, the real wall is about 10' away.
 
They are already 53 inches off the back wall (measured from wall to front of speaker enclosure, the amp infringes on that space however)...and the side "wall" is just a curtain, the real wall is about 10' away.

Give them time. Play some Daft Punk Random Access (seriously). Get the drivers worked in. Takes hundreds of hours.
 
Things went muddy when the CM went under the electronics....I thought they came good for a while last night but today they've gone muddy again. Something whacky going on with those CM footers.

M3 improved enormously when the casters came off and the Mpods bedded down into concrete. The CF side walls of the M3 vibrated like crazy when on the casters, since they went on the spikes the cabinet resonances have gone. I haven't checked the faceplate tie-rod tensions yet, I'll do that when the speakers have a couple of hundred hours on them.
 
Things went muddy when the CM went under the electronics....I thought they came good for a while last night but today they've gone muddy again. Something whacky going on with those CM footers.

Yes...do you remember reading what they need? Two weeks break in. Sounds absolutely goofy, but it’s true. After one week, the system they were in sounded awful. After two weeks, superb! (And I didn’t listen in between).
 
The electronics have only been on the CM for 4 days thus far...for what they cost I could have bought a proper rack.

My current thinking for next step is either Grandioso P1X or D1X. I haven't decided which yet.
 
Congrats, great choice.

So far, I have burned on pair of S1s, one pair of S3s and one pair of S3 mk2s. My experience is that Magicos need about 500 hrs. of burn-in. Although, the current generation requires less than first one. The mk2s sounded great out-of-the box, but still settled for a while.

Enjoy in good health.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I’m streaming Spotify and it sounds great, but I’m itching to get my hands on a Grandioso P1X to hear what these speakers are really capable of.

A new power center is also on my radar...Gigawatt, PS Audio P20, Accuphase PS-1230. Not many choices...I’m leaning towards the Accuphase but I’m not a fan of the Accuphase aesthetic.
 
Congrats, great choice.

So far, I have burned on pair of S1s, one pair of S3s and one pair of S3 mk2s. My experience is that Magicos need about 500 hrs. of burn-in. Although, the current generation requires less than first one. The mk2s sounded great out-of-the box, but still settled for a while.

Enjoy in good health.


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My experience with S3 MkIIs similar to Kuoppis's. Bass is the most obvious. It doesn't break in evenly - in fact, awful at times. My dealer had a similar experience. Checked with Magico and was advised that the drivers break in at different rates due to their different positioning within the enclosure.
 
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