Magico S7 & S5

Myles B. Astor said:
I'm not sure what the problem is? I'm not disagreeing and understand the differences between the two models. I was just trying to expand on the point. Perhaps you will see where I'm going when my prequel and report is online in two or so days.
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There is no problem:)
 
socfan12 said:
Myles, you're right, it would be unfair to call the S7 a bigger S3. But from the 10-15 minutes of music I heard on the S7 what struck out to me most was the midrange richness and clarity, like what I heard when comparing the S3 vs. the S5. But as you say, there's a whole lot more going on.
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I'd say when you were there the midrange was more resolving and textured, cleaner and lower distortion. Yesterday was when the midrange really bloomed.





This I wish I had more time to assess. No doubt the S7 tweeter is better than the S5, but how close to the MPro's... That MPro tweeter literally disappeared when listening.
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It'll be in the interview but Alon said the M-Pro tweeter was the one driver that he designed that exceeded all expectations. He actually didn't think it was working when he first listened to the prototype. While the S7 tweeter leans more toward the S5 design, it does have the diamond coating and a modified motor. No doubt to my ears of all the things that Alon did in the S7, it's that difference between the S5/7 tweeter that sticks out in my mind. And as I'll talk about, it has in part in part with time domain effects. But that really isn't fair either because this is a different animal and there are so many sonic improvements most notably the low end.

Whatever, the S7 is a remarkable speaker and will be waiting for the review pair to come shortly!




I really wish I was there for that. That's one track I use to demo gear and use to setup my speakers, so I know it well. As well as Holly Cole's 'I Can See Clearly Now'.
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I've loved that album since reviewed it for TAS in the late '80s(?). And remember that was. 44/16 recording. You wouldn't have known it yesterday when I listened.


Myles, are you back home now listening to your S5s? I'm listening to my S5s and I'm loving them. Just the more remarkable to me that the S7 improves on the S5 in so many dimensions and is that much better overall. Wow.
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Nope, still have one more day here and intend to hit the farmers market at the ferry pier today.

Did you change over to the Vitus gear?
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Nope. Getting cold. I think Mike might be able to guess and there's a hint on another website. :)
 
Myles B. Astor said:
I'd say when you were there the midrange was more resolving and textured, cleaner and lower distortion. Yesterday was when the midrange really bloomed.



It'll be in the interview but Alon said the M-Pro tweeter was the one driver that he designed that exceeded all expectations. He actually didn't think it was working when he first listened to the prototype. While the S7 tweeter leans more toward the S5 design, it does have the diamond coating and a modified motor. No doubt to my ears of all the things that Alon did in the S7, it's that difference between the S5/7 tweeter that sticks out in my mind. And as I'll talk about, it has in part in part with time domain effects. But that really isn't fair either because this is a different animal and there are so many sonic improvements most notably the low end.

Whatever, the S7 is a remarkable speaker and will be waiting for the review pair to come shortly!
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Nice! And totally agree with you, the S7 is an amazing speaker. I don't usually wax on about gear I hear or even own, but the S7 is indeed special. Amazingly, the MPro even more than that, too!





Myles B. Astor said:
I've loved that album since reviewed it for TAS in the late '80s(?). And remember that was. 44/16 recording. You wouldn't have known it yesterday when I listened.
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I like Temptation more than Don't Smoke in Bed, musically and sonically. Saw Holly Cole live and she's an amazing singer.




Myles B. Astor said:
Nope, still have one more day here and intend to hit the farmers market at the ferry pier today.



Nope. Getting cold. I think Mike might be able to guess and there's a hint on another website. :)
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We ate like pigs over at the Farmer's Market last weekend. Great fruit, and the Oyster place is very good (so says my wife - I can't eat seafood). Not sure if 'Off The Grid' is open tonight/tomorrow, but definitely a great place for that food truck scene I mentioned.

Have a safe trip back, Myles. We'll chat more when you're back.
 
madfloyd said:
Do you mean the S7 doesn't have the same tweeter?
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Yes, different tweeter. Different geometry, and maybe even different ratio of Be/diamond coating, not sure. And as Myles mentioned, modified motor.

I think the MPro drivers are only in the MPro and Q7mkII speakers. The S7 has modified versions of them.

Ian, I heard the MPros briefly on Wens afternoon. They are absolutely stunning! I cannot believe how beautiful the MPros sound, especially that tweeter. It is uncanny! Congrats again!:tup:
 
socfan12 said:
Nice! And totally agree with you, the S7 is an amazing speaker. I don't usually wax on about gear I hear or even own, but the S7 is indeed special. Amazingly, the MPro even more than that, too!







I like Temptation more than Don't Smoke in Bed, musically and sonically. Saw Holly Cole live and she's an amazing singer.






We ate like pigs over at the Farmer's Market last weekend. Great fruit, and the Oyster place is very good (so says my wife - I can't eat seafood). Not sure if 'Off The Grid' is open tonight/tomorrow, but definitely a great place for that food truck scene I mentioned.

Have a safe trip back, Myles. We'll chat more when you're back.
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I'm looking forward to a SF Lox sandwich! :)
 
Thx, Myles, you took some good pics. David, my tour guide, would not let me take too many pics so I just took a few.
 
Myles B. Astor said:
Bigger S3 I doubt. Alon won't just do bigger; the new speaker has to be better. That's why Alon didn't just add another woofer to the S5 and instead spent a lot of time designing and developing the S7. It's a totally different speaker with actually some trickle up technology. And Allen didn't actually hear the S7 at their best! :) They were much--I eschew attaching a number like saying 10x--better today. But more on that in my write up.
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Myles, was there any significant difference in the image height produced by S7 compared to S5? Many thanks for all the info and feedback on your experience at Magico factory.
 
The S7 may be too large for some rooms, but I guess there will be no S5 MkII. Wonder if there will be trickle down of the driver technologies to smaller form factors.
 
Yesterday I visited Magico to hear the S7/S5 as described in this thread. Alon was kind enough to spend nearly an hour of his time playing music, and switching cables, for me. As others have mentioned, the S7 is a better speaker, as it should be for twice the price. The word I used to describe the difference is the S7 sounded ‘cleaner’. The bass was certainly more distinct and detailed over the S5, and the overall sound better. The S7 is a bit more efficient than the S5 so that could be a small factor in the difference in sound.

One point he mentioned, and I might have this slightly wrong so don’t go Internet berserk about it, is that the drivers in the S7 are so much better that they were able to eliminate some circuitry in the cross over, and this helps make the sound appear more enveloping (my word). Anyway, the point is the S7 is an all new speaker that clearly outperforms the S5.

A design issue I am not too crazy about, but is probably okay, is that the mid and tweeter module is separate from the woofer section. It is bolted and epoxied to the woofer section. In my mind that is one more thing that can work loose over time with negative sonic implications, but that is just a personal non-speaker designer feeling.

Now for the best part. I have always felt my system really starts to shine around 11 PM, as the air cools down, and the ambient noise goes very low in my house. Due to the Shunyata cabling and power, along with the solid rack and vibration control, and positioning of furniture in my living room, I have really been able to extract outstanding performance from my system. Yesterday while listening to the S5 in their outstanding listening room, I felt like I was listening to my system. It really seemed that close on songs (Patricia Barber, Holly Cole) that I also have and play. Of course, audio memory is short, and I might be wrong, but that was my impression.

Now I need to get a pair of S7s to see if they sound the same as at Magico.
 
Awesome Bud! That's a great validation of what you're hearing at home. Well done.
 
IMO, separate cabinets is a big plus .........


BlueFox said:
Yesterday I visited Magico to hear the S7/S5 as described in this thread. Alon was kind enough to spend nearly an hour of his time playing music, and switching cables, for me. As others have mentioned, the S7 is a better speaker, as it should be for twice the price. The word I used to describe the difference is the S7 sounded ‘cleaner’. The bass was certainly more distinct and detailed over the S5, and the overall sound better. The S7 is a bit more efficient than the S5 so that could be a small factor in the difference in sound.

One point he mentioned, and I might have this slightly wrong so don’t go Internet berserk about it, is that the drivers in the S7 are so much better that they were able to eliminate some circuitry in the cross over, and this helps make the sound appear more enveloping (my word). Anyway, the point is the S7 is an all new speaker that clearly outperforms the S5.

A design issue I am not too crazy about, but is probably okay, is that the mid and tweeter module is separate from the woofer section. It is bolted and epoxied to the woofer section. In my mind that is one more thing that can work loose over time with negative sonic implications, but that is just a personal non-speaker designer feeling.

Now for the best part. I have always felt my system really starts to shine around 11 PM, as the air cools down, and the ambient noise goes very low in my house. Due to the Shunyata cabling and power, along with the solid rack and vibration control, and positioning of furniture in my living room, I have really been able to extract outstanding performance from my system. Yesterday while listening to the S5 in their outstanding listening room, I felt like I was listening to my system. It really seemed that close on songs (Patricia Barber, Holly Cole) that I also have and play. Of course, audio memory is short, and I might be wrong, but that was my impression.

Now I need to get a pair of S7s to see if they sound the same as at Magico.
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