Magico S3 mk2 vs Dynaudio Contour 60

AJR

AJR

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Hi all,

I have just joined AS and am hoping for some advice/comments/suggestions.

I am deciding between buying the Magico S3 mk2s or the Dynaudio Contour 60s. I have a Devialet Expert Pro 220, a listening room around 15' x 25', and typically listen to rock and electronic music. I have listened to both the S3 mk2s and the Contour 60s once (and on separate days) and plan to listen to both again on the same day. Different retailers are selling them and have different set-ups but similar rooms sizes. The S3 mk2 retailer is using a Soulution integrated amp and the Contour 60 retailer is using a Mark Levinson integrated amp (unfortunately I forgot to get the details of each amp).

My initial impressions were that the S3 mk2s were a little more coherent, linear and articulate, but the Contour 60s had slightly deeper (but still well-defined and not overly 'boomy') bass. However, I am a little concerned that the Contour 60s might be too big for my small-ish room, particularly given that they are rear-ported. Notably, the S3 mk2s are more than double the price of the Contour 60s. I am willing to spend the extra dosh on the S3 mk2s but only if I conclude that there is an appreciable improvement over the Contour 60s.

Any thoughts before I give them both a second listen would be gratefully received!

AJR
 
Welcome AJR.

I recently replaced a ported Aerial 10T with a Magico S3 Mk II after listening to Aerial 7Ts, Wilson Sophia 3s and Sashas, and B&W 802 and 803 D3s. My general impression is that the S3 Mk II's base goes lower and is more accurate but less prominent than the ported speakers mentioned. I think the Magico's are to die for, but my musical tastes run toward classical and jazz, so YMMV. I would call you room more medium sized than smallish and would think either speaker should have adequate breathing space.
 
Thanks both. Much appreciated.

"...is more accurate but less prominent" is a great way of descibing the difference in bass. I have always has ported speakers so when I heard the S3 mk2s the bass sound surprised me a little.
 
AJR said:
Hi all,

I have just joined AS and am hoping for some advice/comments/suggestions.

I am deciding between buying the Magico S3 mk2s or the Dynaudio Contour 60s. I have a Devialet Expert Pro 220, a listening room around 15' x 25', and typically listen to rock and electronic music. I have listened to both the S3 mk2s and the Contour 60s once (and on separate days) and plan to listen to both again on the same day. Different retailers are selling them and have different set-ups but similar rooms sizes. The S3 mk2 retailer is using a Soulution integrated amp and the Contour 60 retailer is using a Mark Levinson integrated amp (unfortunately I forgot to get the details of each amp).

My initial impressions were that the S3 mk2s were a little more coherent, linear and articulate, but the Contour 60s had slightly deeper (but still well-defined and not overly 'boomy') bass. However, I am a little concerned that the Contour 60s might be too big for my small-ish room, particularly given that they are rear-ported. Notably, the S3 mk2s are more than double the price of the Contour 60s. I am willing to spend the extra dosh on the S3 mk2s but only if I conclude that there is an appreciable improvement over the Contour 60s.

Any thoughts before I give them both a second listen would be gratefully received!

AJR
Click to expand...

I think you already summed it up yourself in the phrase that is in bold, I might add that on paper the comparison seems odd since one is almost triple the price of the other. May I ask what other candidates you had in mind and discarded before settling on those two? Welcome to the forum and let us know what you decide in the end.
 
You have a big enough room for the Dyns also.

Try to bring the Devialet to the dealers and listen to both speakers connected to it with the same music, you'll have one less variable to worry about and will be easier for you to pick a favorite.
 
I recently saw a s/h contour 60 for 5000 pounds . I guess a s/h magico would cost a lot more . I thought the 60 were pretty good vfm for the money when I heard them
 
Thanks all for your comments.

I discarded the Focal Sopra 3s (too bright and a bit lightweight in the bottom end) and Sonus Faber Amatis (too warm and less sound definition).

Agree it seems odd comparing speakers in very different price brackets, but Dynaudio is notoriously good VfM and I really liked the sound of the Contour 60s.

Thanks for the comments that my room should be big enough for both speakers.

Will be testing both with my Devialet soon and will let everyone know my further thoughts.

AJR
 
Depending on where you are you might want to try to hear the Revel Salon 2, Nola KO2 or the Canton Reference 3K.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I did try the Salon 2s and liked the sound but didn't like the aesthetic. Will check out the others.
 
I like both brands. The C 60 really impressed me hearing it. I think the new Contour is really going to do well for Dynaudio.

Like you, I heard both on different electronics. I will try to convey my impressions, not meaning anything negative but trying to distinguish what difference I hear.

The C 60 has a nice flat response, open and reminds a bit of leaning toward a studio monitor sound. A bit more attitude or attack than Magico. Also, I'm not sure which models of Magico I heard but they seem to display the same sort of character. I got a sense of dark background with a smooth sparkling high end, a lot of refinement that made it a nice listen. I'm not coming up with the words for Magico I want, they deliver the music with such an ease and non-offensive manner, while remaining musical.
 
So, I listened to the Dynaudio Contour 60s and the Magicos S3 mk2s today. Conclusions:


- Magico's high and mid range is superior. Slightly crisper and slightly better sound separation. Maybe 15% better to put a number on it. But the Dynaudios are still very, very good.


- Dynaudios bass is phat! You feel the air move inside you. But in a controlled way. The Magicos bass is super tightly controlled and seemed to go a bit deeper but you don't 'feel' it like you do with the Dynaudios. The bass in the Dynaudios can in some tracks be a little too prominent whereasthe Magicos bass seems perfectly integrated with the rest of the sound. But can always adjust the bass down from the Devialet. I mainly listen to rock and bass-heavy electronic music (but also listen to Jazz) so bass is important to me. I do like to 'feel' it.


- The soundstage created by the Magicos is deeper and more '3D'.

- The Magicos sound was more linear. They sounded a bit better at lower volume.


- Magicos sound is more 'neutral' (ie more of a complete pass-thru of the sound from the amp) whereas the Dynaudios have a slightly 'warmer' sound.


- Magicos win hands down on the aesthetic front. They are smaller (the Dynaudios are taller with a bigger footprint, although footprint is not too big) and just look absolutely stunning. Orgasmic even! The test speakers were a stunning dark bronze colour. Cast aluminium casing so a beautiful rough texture which is very noticeable and looks superb.


- Am less concerned than I was about the Dynaudios being too big for my room (in terms of needing space from the rear wall to breathe). More of an aesthetic thing as they are very tall speakers and would visually dominate my room. Simply put - I could spend a long time just gazing in awe at the Magicos; not so with the Dynaudios. Not that the Dynaudios are ugly - just very tall and 'normal' looking.


- Magicos are obviously a lot more expensive. I understand why.


Hmmmm. Plenty to think about. Short conclusion is that the Magicos are a more pure and better speaker with almost perfect sound integration and imaging. They are almost flawless. Only reservations are the significant additional cost (VfM - the Magicos were not 'miles' better IMHO, but the were appreciably better) and I did like the bigger bass sound and general 'warmth' from the Dynaudios.

A question for everyone: the Magicos I tested had only about 100 hours run in time (as did the Dynaudios). How does the sound (especially the bass) change after say 300-400 hours?

Also, the sales guy said if I want a bigger bass sound I could alway get the Magico S-sub. They have one there but no connecting cable yet. I imagine that would probably do it! So maybe start with the Magicos, get over the sticker shock, and then add the S-sub? And so the audio arms race begins...

AJR
 
Another thought: taking into account my bass concerns, has anyone compared the S5 to the S3 mk2 with the S-sub? The retailer didn't have any S5s to test. They do have the S7s but they are beyond my budget.
 
Your room is perfect for the S3 mk2 - even without subs. S-Subs would definitely nice. As for the S5 mk2, give a listen to the S7's. They are close in performance, appearance, etc. If you prefer that sound, the S5 mk2's will be similar.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks Mike. I get your point that the S3 mk2s are perfect for my room. And I agree. But what I am saying is I prefer more 'powerful' (am running out of words to describe my preference - best I can come up with is I like to physically 'feel') bass. Do you think the S5s will deliver on that? S7s might but they are a price point too far for me. The price point seems to be the S5s or the S3 mk2s plus S-sub. What I am after is the superior Magico soundscape but with big bass.
 
AJR said:
Thanks Mike. I get your point that the S3 mk2s are perfect for my room. And I agree. But what I am saying is I prefer more 'powerful' (am running out of words to describe my preference - best I can come up with is I like to physically 'feel') bass. Do you think the S5s will deliver on that? S7s might but they are a price point too far for me. The price point seems to be the S5s or the S3 mk2s plus S-sub. What I am after is the superior Magico soundscape but with big bass.
Click to expand...

Well, with the S-Subs, you can add more and more bass until your ass vibrates out of the room. The S5 mk2's do have more bass than the S3 mk2. But if it wasn't enough for your liking, then adding subs would still be the best option.

As a side, don't confuse more bass with better bass. Magico bass is very well defined and integrated and at first, some think there isn't enough bass because they're used to bloated "puff, puff" bass.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Mike - apologies. I now see what you are saying. Given my retailer doesn't have the S5 mk2s to test I should try the S7s that they do have, and if they give me the 'feel' I am after then maybe the S5s will do the job. The S5 mk2 drivers are of course bigger than the S3 mk2s so maybe they will.

Still, the question I ask the forum is whether anyone has compared the S5 mk2s against the S3 mk2s plus the S-sub.

AJR
 
"... until your ass vibrates out the room...". �� Maybe not to that extent!
 
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