I’ve listened to Magico A3’s in two different places. First at an audio show where the speakers were set up in a hotel room by the dealer and a Magico rep. I thought they sounded excellent. I then auditioned them in the dealer’s showroom with the same source and amplification and they sounded dull. Why? The dealer’s room had acoustical panels on the side walls to limit reflected sound. Speakers need to be auditioned in the room in which they will be used and with the music one likes most to get an accurate sense of whether they suit one’s needs.
I’ve also auditioned the smaller ATC speakers (SCM 11 and 19) in a different dealer’s showroom and thought they sounded excellent. I agree they sound better at higher volumes comparable to a live performance. I also agree with the prior comments regarding the highly subjective nature of speaker preferences. I don’t care a great deal about the design, only the result.
BTW, if you like a speaker, but find it lacks enough midrange at low listening levels, but otherwise like it at moderate to high listening levels, one can always use an equalizer either with software or hardware. (Some will view this as heresy, but what do you think recording engineers sometimes do when they mix a recording?)
I’ve also auditioned the smaller ATC speakers (SCM 11 and 19) in a different dealer’s showroom and thought they sounded excellent. I agree they sound better at higher volumes comparable to a live performance. I also agree with the prior comments regarding the highly subjective nature of speaker preferences. I don’t care a great deal about the design, only the result.
BTW, if you like a speaker, but find it lacks enough midrange at low listening levels, but otherwise like it at moderate to high listening levels, one can always use an equalizer either with software or hardware. (Some will view this as heresy, but what do you think recording engineers sometimes do when they mix a recording?)