Game Changer !

MDP

MDP

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"Game Changer"
How many times as an audiophile have you read or heard that phrase ? I think that phrase is used much too often. How many times have you heard something that's so much better than its competition that you are truly shocked ? From my experience it doesn't happen very often.

Auditioning gear is a lot of fun. I love listening to all the different flavors. The other side of that is that all too often I'm disappointed. I've listened to so many speakers that I've lost count. Speakers are my first love in audio. I'll try and listen to speakers every chance I get.

I'm in Boston right now,and yesterday had a chance to head over to Goodwins for a couple of hours. As I usually do, I wanted to audition a couple of speaker brands that I have never had a chance to hear before.

First up was the Rockport Aviors. This is a brand that I have always wanted to hear. I'm not going to go into a review as such. I thought it was a very nice sounding speaker. But not the kind of sound that made me want to sell my Salon's and buy them.

Next was the Magico S5. I really wasn't prepared for what I was hearing. It was the kind of sound that I simply had never been exposed to before. It had a realism that I've never heard before from any speaker, but with absolutely no grain or strain. The highs were crystal clear,without any hint of brightness. The midrange was just spectacular, the best vocals ever ! Bass was just outstanding, tight,full,extended, it really aided the beautiful mids. Soundstage was tall,wide, and deep. But the most important part a speaker plays, is the way it takes all of the separate sounds,and puts them together as a whole. In other words, it makes cohesive music, and that might be the highest complement I can give them.

The S5 is the best all around speaker that I have ever heard.

It's a Game Changer !
 
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Mark,

Glad you enjoyed the listening sessions. Can you comment on the difference between the S5s and the Salon 2s?

Mike
 
Wow!

Thanks Mark. I appreciate your opinion. I know these really must be amazing speakers. We've always talked about what it would take to dethrone the king. Looks like we found it.
 
Ritmo said:
Mark,

Glad you enjoyed the listening sessions. Can you comment on the difference between the S5s and the Salon 2s?

Mike
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Mike, I guess the thing that stands out the most is the S5's realism. Horns,percussion instruments , vocals, just sound more like what you hear live !!

The demo was with Constellation preamp and amp with DCS digital playback which paired well with the S5's. I think for rock music you would possibly want to try other amps, but listening to Hugh Masekela and the beautiful horns in his band was mesmerizing !

I know that 30,000 dollars is not cheap, and I most likely will not be able to afford these for myself,but considering what I've heard that cost much,much more than the Magico's, I think they might be one of the best values in Hi Fi .
 
Mark
I too have heard the Magicos with Constellation and while I wouldn't call it game changing I agree they should be included in any discussion of some of the finest speakers currently available. It sure didn't hurt when I heard them that they were connected with about $75k of MIT product.

The only time I heard the Rockports were at RMAF and I listed that room as one of the most disappointing at the show. I am not saying they were bad. I was just looking for a lot more from that room.
 
How is the term "game changer" being defined? To me a "game changer" is something that opens up new avenues to more discovery or access versus an "upgrade" which to me denotes a marked improvement in sound quality or performance. Example: A game changer for me was the purchase of my Logitech Squeezebox Touch and a subscription to MOG. I could be wrong.
 
Nice Mark glad you had a good listen and the s5's sound great. I will also be in Boston Monday thru Thursday . I emailed goodwins and I'm going to stop buy. Hearing the s5 will be a treat but i will be there to hear the s1 .
S5 is way out of my pricerange. But stranger things could happen :)
 
Game changer is a phrase I haven't used before. For me, it means something completely different from the norm. I haven't heard other Magico's , so I don't know how they measure up. The S5's sound that way,different from any other speaker I have heard because of their amazing realism.
 
Glad you liked them. I need to listen to them again since it's been 6 months or so. My dealer in Portland should have his the end of this month, so I will get to play then.
 
I'm looking forward to your opinion Jock!



the professor said:
Glad you liked them. I need to listen to them again since it's been 6 months or so. My dealer in Portland should have his the end of this month, so I will get to play then.
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I've really like the S5s since I first heard them over a year ago. They are the "fun" Magico (along with the S1).

I haven't had a chance to listen to the S series Magicos since I've had my Raidho's so I'm looking forward to that. I find that it's always interesting to note what you are used to at home when you do an audition. Sometimes it makes all the difference. :)
 
Mark - great write up. I've auditioned the Magico S5's in Toronto, Boston, Miami (thank you John!), etc. To me, its not contest when comparing to the Q1, Q3 or even Q5's (I've never heard the Q7's). The S series for Magico is the proverbial home run. I went back through my notes of those various listening sessions, and I wrote:

- Amazing bass
- Not the uber detail of the Q series, but a much more enjoyable speaker to listen to. More musical.
- Excellent speaker for a bigger room.
- Listening, absolutely nothing sticks out. Everything works beautifully coherent on the speaker.
- It seems easier to drive than the Q1 and S1 based solely on the volume level on the preamp.
- Deep soundstage.
- Imaging is excellent.
- The overall sound presentation is slightly "dark". Lacks the lightness and airiness of the Raidho's.
- Lots & lots of space around the instruments and vocals. This is the strongest point of the speaker.

After listening to the S5, I moved to the Q5 and wrote "who turned off the lights?". :)
 
MDP said:
Mike, I guess the thing that stands out the most is the S5's realism. Horns,percussion instruments , vocals, just sound more like what you hear live !!


I know that 30,000 dollars is not cheap, and I most likely will not be able to afford these for myselfi
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Mark, just remember what you like about the S5, never say never, I'm sure someone might look for something better and might sell at a price you can afford.
 
MDP said:
Game changer is a phrase I haven't used before. For me, it means something completely different from the norm. I haven't heard other Magico's , so I don't know how they measure up. The S5's sound that way,different from any other speaker I have heard because of their amazing realism.
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Hmm, it could be that the phrase "game changer" means different things to different people and therefore it's correct anyway it's used. I wonder if perhaps these speakers you speak of have a new innovative design that contributes to their sound quality? That would be a possible industry "game changer" if other makes adopt it.:eyebrow:
 
MusicDirector said:
How is the term "game changer" being defined? To me a "game changer" is something that opens up new avenues to more discovery or access versus an "upgrade" which to me denotes a marked improvement in sound quality or performance. Example: A game changer for me was the purchase of my Logitech Squeezebox Touch and a subscription to MOG. I could be wrong.
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When I read Mark's post this is how I understood his take on "game changer." Obviously different phrases can have different meanings. I think what's important here is to look past the wordage used and appreciate the experience that he had with these speakers.

Thanks for your insight on the S5's Mark. They sound like a very special speaker. What else did you listen to there?
 
Penthouse-D said:
Well, I'm glad to hear that my impulsive decision to sell my Q5's and buy S5's may not have been as bad as some other impulsive buys I've made!!
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Sometimes it takes a while, but we all learn in the end. How are you liking the S5? Do you have them yet? I want to hear the S1.
 
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