Wilson Maxx 2. vs. Magico S5 mk2

parkcaka said:
Yes but this would make sense if we were comparing a 2004 and a 2016 product from the same company and same line. Like Maxx 2 vs Alexx.

But when you are choosing between Maxx 2 and S5 which are world apart in design philosophy dates do not really matter.

If you have a big room and want room shaking scale of music S5 has no chance with Maxx 2. A timpani will literally move your furniture with Maxx 2.

Also with Magico you really need very very good amps and source electronics. Magico just likes quality on front end. They shine with hiend stuff. With average electronics Magicos just gives you pain in the **s. But you can get away with about any electronics with Maxx 2. Ofcourse the better front end you have it will play better but I heard 2K Chinese amps with Wilsons and they were not playing bad.:)

It's like 2017 Mercedes S class vs 1986 Porsche Targa. Yes the Mercedes is space age in technology comparing to 86 Targa but still it depends on what you are looking for. :wave:

Love and respect,

Çağdaş
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Although each brand has something of a house sound, IMO dates DO matter. The Magico has a version of their new highly praised diamond tweeter while the Maxx2 uses Wilson's old inverted dome titanium tweeter since replaced by a much better soft dome tweeter.
 
parkcaka said:
Hello,
I sold my Magico Q3 for Wilson Alexias.
Click to expand...

I would do the same. In fact, I would never buy the Q3 at the first place! The Q3 and Q5 never did it for me. The S5 mk 2 however, is a different animal altogether.

I don't want to go into S5 vs Alexia discussion here (there are two forum members who sold the Alexia for the S5, but I'm sure there are people that did the exact opposite), I would only like to point out, that the OP asked about opinion about the Magico S5 mk 2 vs ... the ancient Wilson Maxx II. Where really Wilson has no chance. Not even in the bass.
 
Adam, I agree with you. I had a client wanting to trade his Q5’s in. I was going to just give them to VTSkier since he’s the only one I know who wanted them. I did like the Q3 with Pass XA.5 amps and the Q7 mk2 is really good, but the M is more my flavor.

S series and M Series is soooooooo much better to my ears.

I won’t enter the Wilson vs Magico debate, but I was one of the two Adam mentions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Mr Peabody said:
I'm curious on the bass comments regarding Wilson. Most of my auditions have been with D'Agostino amplification and equally level digital sources. Bass is one area I find the Wilson, in general, lacking. The midrange seems always prominent.

1. Do today's Wilson compare to the Max is bass or did Wilson back off in that area?

2. Perhaps, though the two brands are typically together, maybe there's better synergy amplification for Wilson?

One demo was playing Patricia Barber's Modern Cool, an album I'm very familiar with and on all high end systems I've heard the album the bass reproduction is very good, on the Wilson/Agostino combo this album didn't sound that way. The bass was almost nonexistent When we left we all sort of agreed there must have been a problem, hard to guess as to what it could have been without knowing more about the system in that room.

I'm sincerely looking for Wilson user/dealer comments. I've never heard Wilson do much in bass. And, regarding live, they don't even come close to something like MBL. So if Wilson users are getting room shaking bass from timpani, how are you doing it?
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Mr. Peabody,

Very interesting that you find the bass lacking in the Wilsons. I can't speak for the previous products, but the current line up does not lack for bass!
Even in the little Sabrina, bass is prodigious! And you don't even need a D"Agostino 400W amp to go with it :) The light fixtures in our room (hanging) shake with drum/tympani hits, on the Alexia 2...
One thing I've learnt with the Wilsons is that, while they're a little more forgiving in terms of partering gear, they are completely unforgiving when it comes to set up. A mismatched cable or amp will hurt it a lot less than a poor setup/positioning.

Just my 0.002c :)
cheers,
alex
 
Like anything else in audiophilia, I'd listen to each and decide for myself which sounded better to me, not giving a care what anyone else thought.
But that's just me.

cheers,

AJ
 
AJ Soundfield said:
Like anything else in audiophilia, I'd listen to each and decide for myself which sounded better to me, not giving a care what anyone else thought.
But that's just me.

cheers,

AJ
Click to expand...

OP never said he or she would not listen for himself or herself. And asking never hurts. Bedsides, these online forums are for just exactly that - sharing experiences and opinions.
 
asiufy said:
Mr. Peabody,

Very interesting that you find the bass lacking in the Wilsons. I can't speak for the previous products, but the current line up does not lack for bass!
Even in the little Sabrina, bass is prodigious! And you don't even need a D"Agostino 400W amp to go with it :) The light fixtures in our room (hanging) shake with drum/tympani hits, on the Alexia 2...
One thing I've learnt with the Wilsons is that, while they're a little more forgiving in terms of partering gear, they are completely unforgiving when it comes to set up. A mismatched cable or amp will hurt it a lot less than a poor setup/positioning.

Just my 0.002c :)
cheers,
alex
Click to expand...

+1
 
parkcaka said:
You are right. :wave:

These 2 companies represent two different ends in the spectrum. Both companies have enough long term followers/investors to justify that they produce SOTA products. They are way over being trendy. Alon and Dave both are geniuses.

So to sum it up from my perspective, on bass, dynamics, presence, stage size Maxx wins. On (crystal) midrange, resolution, tranparency, high fidelity, focus S5 wins.

You can’t go wrong with both speakers if you know what you are looking for.

Love and respect,

Cagdas
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Agree i find both Brands to be laterals , both great products , the Wilson does require careful attn to make the Bass right, the Magico less so.


Regards
 
GSOphile said:
Although each brand has something of a house sound, IMO dates DO matter. The Magico has a version of their new highly praised diamond tweeter while the Maxx2 uses Wilson's old inverted dome titanium tweeter since replaced by a much better soft dome tweeter.
Click to expand...

Sorry my friend but I don't think so.

There are many many audiophiles still listening to their 50 year old electrostatics and horns and honestly love them more than our Wilson & Magico speakers. If we were comparing two Magicos with their technology than maybe date counts.

I love the old inverted titanium tweeter. I had Sashas for 4-5 years with that tweeter and I would still choose Sasha 1 for any Magico on market today (except S7, M5 and the new M6).

I am a tour manager and live music producer so I really have my personal tastes that may be stupid for others. I can perfectly see the logic so I am not trying to assert anything.

I love my music big, loud, dynamic, live. Magico has a bass so controlled and perfect that I never witnessed on stage during sound check & rehearsals and gigs. We use big bass amps, guitar amps, real life kick drums on stage. When the drummer hits the kick drum it has to flood the room. Ever praticed in a studio or visited a band in a studio rehearsal? How was the drum? It was everywhere right? You could feel it in your orgnans. It shouldn't just be a "thump" on a perfect point between speakers. Double bass is also almost never acoustic these days even in jazz, they are all amplified and again the double bass is never experienced on stage like Magico's perfect, defined bass. It feels like a pad a pillow under the music and distributes like a flood not an arrow.

I speak like a Wilson fanboy and I am a little that but I also respect Magico greatly. I can clearly see and understand how people can swear that Magico is the best speaker you can have. Even maybe if I have the money in the future I may buy one of the Magico big boys just for a change. Because my friend has a M5 and his system rocks. It has all the bass I need and more.

Love and respect,

Cagdas
 
parkcaka said:
Sorry my friend but I don't think so.

There are many many audiophiles still listening to their 50 year old electrostatics and horns and honestly love them more than our Wilson & Magico speakers. If we were comparing two Magicos with their technology than maybe date counts.

I love the old inverted titanium tweeter. I had Sashas for 4-5 years with that tweeter and I would still choose Sasha 1 for any Magico on market today (except S7, M5 and the new M6).

I am a tour manager and live music producer so I really have my personal tastes that may be stupid for others. I can perfectly see the logic so I am not trying to assert anything.

I love my music big, loud, dynamic, live. Magico has a bass so controlled and perfect that I never witnessed on stage during sound check & rehearsals and gigs. We use big bass amps, guitar amps, real life kick drums on stage. When the drummer hits the kick drum it has to flood the room. Ever praticed in a studio or visited a band in a studio rehearsal? How was the drum? It was everywhere right? You could feel it in your orgnans. It shouldn't just be a "thump" on a perfect point between speakers. Double bass is also almost never acoustic these days even in jazz, they are all amplified and again the double bass is never experienced on stage like Magico's perfect, defined bass. It feels like a pad a pillow under the music and distributes like a flood not an arrow.

I speak like a Wilson fanboy and I am a little that but I also respect Magico greatly. I can clearly see and understand how people can swear that Magico is the best speaker you can have. Even maybe if I have the money in the future I may buy one of the Magico big boys just for a change. Because my friend has a M5 and his system rocks. It has all the bass I need and more.

Love and respect,

Cagdas
Click to expand...
Well then good for you! You'll be able to buy Wilson's with Maxx2 technology for years at increasingly lower prices while many other Wilson aficianados have moved on. To each his own.
 
Isn’t the goal UN-amplified music? I’m not sure trying to reproduce the shitty sound systems at live concerts is my goal. Acoustic, amplified, but not reamplified music for me.
 
Mike said:
Isn’t the goal UN-amplified music? I’m not sure trying to reproduce the shitty sound systems at live concerts is my goal. Acoustic, amplified, but not reamplified music for me.
Click to expand...

Than good for you. Magicos are one of the the perfect speakers for that, among others such as YG and ATCs.

Just an objection for your comment. I organized many many many concerts all around the world in venues such as Royal Albert Hall, Cologne Philharmonic Hal, Carnegie Hall etc. and we almost never had a shitty sound system. I said almost because ones in a while things get ugly because of God knows why:):):).

Also, I pay more than 50K-60K for a day just for renting the equipment alone so they better play good.

Nothing, nothing comes close to joy of listening to live performance in a nice venue for me. We also have a recording studio with 5 recording booths and 4 control rooms. One of the biggest in my country. In the studio during recordings it's a different matter. The sound is as flat and true to do source as possible. But I always get bored of the sound in the studio. It's not engaging enough (for me).

And also a small remark I want to give if I may. Why people who disagree with me give a little bit of hostile answers to my opinions? I don't get it because they are only opinions, not facts. I get a little sad when I read them. I am very happy when I hear your opinions, especially when they are different than mine. It's a learning process for me all the time.

Best,

Çağdaş
 
GSOphile said:
Well then good for you! You'll be able to buy Wilson's with Maxx2 technology for years at increasingly lower prices while many other Wilson aficianados have moved on. To each his own.
Click to expand...

:D

No I already have Alexias and I think they are better than Sasha and Maxx 2. Maybe I'll buy an Alexx down the line or a Magico M6 if I have the money.

:hey:
 
GSOphile said:
So maybe dates really did matter after all.
Click to expand...

Are you really reading my comments? Really?

I said dates do not matter when comparing brands that are different in philosophy. Just as in comparing Wilson vs. Magico or Horn speaker vs Wilson.

Again I said dates MATTER when you compare models from the same sound philosophy.

Let me give examples to clarify,

Maxx 2 vs. Magico S5
Dates DO NOT MATTER. I like the Wilson sound so there's not a question about it I'll choose the Maxx 2.

Magico M5 (2008) vs. Wilson Alexx (2016)
Dates DO NOT MATTER, a Magico guy will choose the M5 even if its way older than Alexx.

Alexia vs Alexx
or
Q5 vs M6
DATES MATTER because the latter represents an evolved version of the other.
It's just a better version of the thing you already love.
So DATES MATTER.

I hope I could explain it this time. Maybe its my fault I don't know, English is not my native language.

Cheers
 
Mr Peabody said:
I'm curious on the bass comments regarding Wilson. Most of my auditions have been with D'Agostino amplification and equally level digital sources. Bass is one area I find the Wilson, in general, lacking. The midrange seems always prominent.

1. Do today's Wilson compare to the Max is bass or did Wilson back off in that area?

2. Perhaps, though the two brands are typically together, maybe there's better synergy amplification for Wilson?

One demo was playing Patricia Barber's Modern Cool, an album I'm very familiar with and on all high end systems I've heard the album the bass reproduction is very good, on the Wilson/Agostino combo this album didn't sound that way. The bass was almost nonexistent When we left we all sort of agreed there must have been a problem, hard to guess as to what it could have been without knowing more about the system in that room.

I'm sincerely looking for Wilson user/dealer comments. I've never heard Wilson do much in bass. And, regarding live, they don't even come close to something like MBL. So if Wilson users are getting room shaking bass from timpani, how are you doing it?
Click to expand...


I am using Wilson Maxx 3's and I have "room shaking bass" when the recording has real low end. As a matter of fact these speakers have been driven by Theta Prometheus monoblocks, ARC Ref 250SE monoblocks, and now D' Agostino Progression monoblocks. There was plenty of bass with all 3 amps in my system. The Progression being the most powerful. I recently listened to the Reference recordings CD Fiesta which has lots of timpani drums in the pieces. There was lots of low end wallop where you could feel the drum. I don't even use subs in my main system because of the Maxx 3's and my room. The larger the room the better for bass extension.
 
Mike said:
Isn’t the goal UN-amplified music? I’m not sure trying to reproduce the shitty sound systems at live concerts is my goal. Acoustic, amplified, but not reamplified music for me.
Click to expand...

Mike
No my goal is that is sounds like I am hearing music played live. I am not sure where you are listening to live music but unless we are talking about "stadium" concerts most live venues I attend sound pretty darn good.
 
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