Magico Demo

[RoyY51]

A friend and I will be attending a manufacturer's demo of Magico's new S-series tomorrow at Scott Walker Audio in Anaheim, CA...anyone else going?

[TheHills44060]

Hi Roy. I have yet to hear a Magico speaker in person so I am envious. The S3's really caught my eye. Hope you have a good time.

[Mr Peabody]

I do hope you plan to come back with a report :) Sounds like fun.

[frenchmon]

Oh Boy! Magico make some of the best speakers out! I've never heard them in person, only through video clips. I'm sure you will enjoy them.

[Jack in Wilmington]

A friend and I will be attending a manufacturer's demo of Magico's new S-series tomorrow at Scott Walker Audio in Anaheim, CA...anyone else going?

Our local HiFi shop (Overture) is having a demo show of the new S7 this Saturday. I'll go at a later date and give them a listen when I can bring some of my demo music.

[RoyY51]

I do hope you plan to come back with a report :) Sounds like fun.

Actually, it was kind of a mixed bag. I went with an audio-newbie friend of mine, and we were two of maybe fifteen people who showed up. The demo was conducted in three different rooms, and we listened to three different models of the S-line. Scott Walker was an amiable host and came across as a really nice young guy.

We started with the S-7, and Scott cued up a 20-minute selection of songs that he had downloaded to his laptop. They were all songs (jazz, big-band, 50's crooners...) that were recorded before the 60's, but the overall fidelity was first-rate. He stopped occasionally to field questions from the audience, and when it was over we moved to the next room to listen to the S-5's, which were a step down from the S-7's. He then proceeded to play the exact same download that we had heard in the previous room...twenty minutes worth. Of course, while still sounding great, it was not quite the same quality as the 7's produced. Twenty minutes later, we came to our final stop, the room with the S-1's. Scott handed off his laptop to his even-younger assistant and we were treated to twenty minutes of THE SAME DAMNED SONGS! At one point my neophyte friend leaned over and whispered: "Do they always play the same songs? Do they play any music by people who are still alive?"

So while I was impressed by the overall quality of the Magico speakers, Scott's choice to go from best to worst, combined with the repetition of the program, make it hard for me to claim that I had an enjoyable experience. Had he started with the S-1's and made the natural progression to the sonically superior 5's, then the 7's, and had he played music by "people who are still alive", It might have been more enlightening...but hey...it was free!

[Jack in Wilmington]

Actually, it was kind of a mixed bag. I went with an audio-newbie friend of mine, and we were two of maybe fifteen people who showed up. The demo was conducted in three different rooms, and we listened to three different models of the S-line. Scott Walker was an amiable host and came across as a really nice young guy.

We started with the S-7, and Scott cued up a 20-minute selection of songs that he had downloaded to his laptop. They were all songs (jazz, big-band, 50's crooners...) that were recorded before the 60's, but the overall fidelity was first-rate. He stopped occasionally to field questions from the audience, and when it was over we moved to the next room to listen to the S-5's, which were a step down from the S-7's. He then proceeded to play the exact same download that we had heard in the previous room...twenty minutes worth. Of course, while still sounding great, it was not quite the same quality as the 7's produced. Twenty minutes later, we came to our final stop, the room with the S-1's. Scott handed off his laptop to his even-younger assistant and we were treated to twenty minutes of THE SAME DAMNED SONGS! At one point my neophyte friend leaned over and whispered: "Do they always play the same songs? Do they play any music by people who are still alive?"

So while I was impressed by the overall quality of the Magico speakers, Scott's choice to go from best to worst, combined with the repetition of the program, make it hard for me to claim that I had an enjoyable experience. Had he started with the S-1's and made the natural progression to the sonically superior 5's, then the 7's, and had he played music by "people who are still alive", It might have been more enlightening...but hey...it was free!

I guess you didn't get the opportunity to express this to Scott? I've been to these demos before and sometimes they have all the demo speakers in one room and they just switch cables. This can be good in that you stay in your original seat and the electronics stay the same. I've also been to sessions where they have a sound board and they can change speakers on the fly with a flick of a switch. I may stop in at my dealer and see how the demo is going to be conducted. Thanks for the heads up Roy.

[Hyfi]

Roy,

That is unfortunate how they did the demo. It reminds me of many gear reviews where they only use very simple female vocal music or stuff I don't listen to. I want to know how things sound with what I listen to, which is way more challenging to properly reproduce than Dianna Krall crooning, or other acoustic guitar/vocal music.

I want to hear some CosmoSquad or Bombastic Meatbats or Morglbl.

[Mr Peabody]

Yeah, progressing up would have probably been better but they had to use the same songs inorder to show differences. They could have mixed the tracks up a bit, old & current maybe.

Jack, no respectable demo would use a switcher :) And, Hyfi, they wanted people to stay for the demo not run, no one listens to the mess you mentioned, LOL

[Mr Peabody]

I forgot to ask, what electronics did they drive the speakers with? Of course, if different electronics, or, even models, in a different room, sort of negates the purpose of use of same tracks. I suppose using same tracks would still be best though.

[Hyfi]

Yeah, progressing up would have probably been better but they had to use the same songs inorder to show differences. They could have mixed the tracks up a bit, old & current maybe.

Jack, no respectable demo would use a switcher :) And, Hyfi, they wanted people to stay for the demo not run, no one listens to the mess you mentioned, LOL

Yeah, other than classical, it seems like the more HE people are, the less demanding music they listen to, which makes no sense. Why spend $50K on speakers just to listen to a female vocalist who cannot challenge the electronics or the speakers?

[Jack in Wilmington]

Yeah, progressing up would have probably been better but they had to use the same songs inorder to show differences. They could have mixed the tracks up a bit, old & current maybe.

Jack, no respectable demo would use a switcher :) And, Hyfi, they wanted people to stay for the demo not run, no one listens to the mess you mentioned, LOL

I know the switcher just adds another component into the mix that could degrade the sound, but a lot of stereo shops around here use them for demo purposes. Especially in a room with multiple sets of speakers. My one local shop would have 4 pairs of B&W and 4 pairs of Paradigm speakers hooked up to a switch box so you could hear the differences instantly. Now we're not talking the 800 series B&W or the Paradigm Signature speakers, but for the average Joe looking to get into HiFi this was fine.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Yeah, other than classical, it seems like the more HE people are, the less demanding music they listen to, which makes no sense. Why spend $50K on speakers just to listen to a female vocalist who cannot challenge the electronics or the speakers?

Like Mr. P said the kind of people that spend 50K on speakers probably aren't listening to punk rock or death metal. If you look at the demo discs the HiFi shops have sitting around it's mostly classical and jazz.

[Hyfi]

Like Mr. P said the kind of people that spend 50K on speakers probably aren't listening to punk rock or death metal. If you look at the demo discs the HiFi shops have sitting around it's mostly classical and jazz.

I know, just pushing imaginary buttons. But what you just said is a big part of why the younger crowd as well as those that listen to other than classical/jazz/female vocals are being pushed away from the whole hobby. If you could demo what I listen to, or do reviews with MY music, you would have a better chance of selling it to me.

[Jack in Wilmington]

I know, just pushing imaginary buttons. But what you just said is a big part of why the younger crowd as well as those that listen to other than classical/jazz/female vocals are being pushed away from the whole hobby. If you could demo what I listen to, or do reviews with MY music, you would have a better chance of selling it to me.

I think that's why most stores encourage you to bring in your own music. At my shop they want you to make an appointment so they can set you up with the speakers that you're interested in and put you in a private room so as not to disturb the other customers. If I hear something I like that is being played in a room, I like to stick my head in the door and tell the listener how good it sounds. They usually invite you in because they want to hear your opinion also. The salespeople like this also as it gives the potential buyer someone elses opinion that is not trying to make a sale.

[RoyY51]

I forgot to ask, what electronics did they drive the speakers with? Of course, if different electronics, or, even models, in a different room, sort of negates the purpose of use of same tracks. I suppose using same tracks would still be best though.

Sorry, Mr. P...I was so fixated on studying and listening to the speakers that I didn't pay any attention to the upstream electronics! I do remember that the monoblocks were huge, and looked very expensive. However, I did notice something that I thought a bit odd...in the largest listening room (which housed the S-7's) Scott had tiny sound-control devices (my words, not his) mounted on the walls behind and to the sides of the speakers. They looked like the bottom half of a hollow golf ball (hollow side up), made of metal, and were mounted on little wooden brackets. Any idea what they were, and for what purpose they were intended? I'm assuming that it was some kind of sound control/sound clarification system, but it's hard to conceive of something that small making a noticeable difference in a 25x30 room!

[Mr Peabody]

Sounds like they may be those Synergistic Research gizmos. You can see them at the Cable Co. They also are offering a free audition of these little things you place under your tweeter and one on the back wall between the speakers.

These products would really give skiptics something to laugh at. I try to keep an open mind and really wouldn't mind seeing if they really did work.

[hifitommy]

other dealers that perhaps may do the demo better are Weinhart Design in Bel Air and Brooks Berdan in Monrovia.

[hifitommy]

rereading my above post, i also suggest The Audio Salon in santa monica california. i have heard top notch demos there of the magicos and wilsons both with the superlative Constellation electronics.

this is not for the thin of wallet but just hearing demos like this, you get to see how good i
t gets.