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B&W 805D2 or Magico Q1?

Has anyone compared these two speakers? with all of the over-the-top reviews for the B&W's and the reputation held by Magico for their pursuit of a new paradigm of perfectionism i am left wondering if there is any real competition or should i just trust the numbers, i.e. $24,950 vs $5,000...? i am not trying to start a fight here either, but theoretically what more can "anyone" do with a woofer and a tweeter with a single crossover and a rock-solid cabinet?
just as an aside, $5K used to buy you a (new) state-of-the-art FULL-RANGE B&W speaker system that could play at LIVE SPL's. of course they couldn't compete with Wison's or Sonus Fabers for resolving fine detail, but umteem improvements later we (supposedly) have a whole new ball game out there.
french_fries

Showing 5 responses by peterayer

peterayer
1,382 posts
 
I own the Magico Mini II. Though I haven't heard the Q1 yet, I've read it is even
better. Less cabinet noise, more extended high and low. I listened to a few
speakers, both full range and more limited, and given my room and appreciation
for what these Minis do, I decided it was worth the cost. They are remarkable
sounding.

I've heard some of the larger B&Ws, but not the 805D2. I prefer the coherence,
clarity, neutrality and naturalness of the Magicos. The bass, too, is quite
outstanding, if not the most extended. Though the bass of my Minis does sound
deeper, and more natural than the bass of the larger B&Ws that I've heard.

IMO, with the Magicos, one is paying for very good, inert cabinets, proprietary
driver and crossover technology, lots of R&D and lots of marketing. I love the
sound, but clearly, it's not for everyone. And the question of value is extremely
subjective.
peterayer
1,382 posts
 
Magmumpi205,

That is a nice list of speakers. Do you care to elaborate? I'd be interested in reading your impressions of the Q1 vs. the Mini II in particular, but also some thoughts on the others.

Have you ever heard the Evolution Acoustics MMOne? It has received some good show reports and is supposed to be a great value.
peterayer
1,382 posts
 
Magnumpi,
Thanks for the information. Is you list written in order of preference? If so, yours would seem to be one answer to the OP.
peterayer
1,382 posts
 
French_fries,
Magnamupi205 answered your original question with his ranking of monitor
speakers. This list is based on his own listening experiences with the speakers.
The Q1 came out on top with the B&W quite a few places down.
I'm sure others might have different opinions, but I haven't read any responses
from anyone else who has heard both of these speakers and ranked them.
peterayer
1,382 posts
 
I heard both the TAD CR1 and R1 at Rocky Mountain in 2010 with the Walker turntable and Technical Brain electronics. Outstanding. Actually, I think the CR1 sounded better because of the room sizes. I own the Magico Mini 2 and though the bass does not go as deep, it is different because of the sealed design. The Magico is also less expensive, but if I could afford the TAD, it would be on my short list for sure. They are great looking also, IMO.

Manual's opinion of the TAD speakers is clearly in the minority.
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