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Magico A3 vs Magico S1 MK2

What do you guys think about either of them. I am currently trying to get rid of my BW 702 S2 and thinking about either of them. I have auditioned Magico A3 and liked it a lot. Had auditioned S1 MK2, a while back. I currently have Naim Unity Nova. I like the S1 Mk2 overall except for bass, which A3 does better. A3 is also good on high and meds, but little colored when compared to S1Mk2, which is bit neutral. Am liking both, but want to see if any of you guys have owned either of them and your overall experience. 
romney80

Showing 2 responses by yyzsantabarbara

yyzsantabarbara
4,455 posts
 
@kingbarbuda I heard the A3 with my stereo Benchmark AHB2 and it was not that great, the sound seemed collapsed into the speakers. Have you compared the AHB2 in stereo mode vs AHB2 mono blocks with the A3? I had a suspicion that the single AHB2 amp was under-powering the A3's.
yyzsantabarbara
4,455 posts
 
I demoed the A3 with Mark Levinson 585, almost as good (85%) as the 60K combined ML preamp + amp + DAC system with the A3. You can get the ML 585 used now for around $6-7K. Great pairing with the A3.

The 585 is still supposed to be better than the new ML 5000 series integrated, except maybe the built-in DAC in the 5000 series maybe slightly better. This last statement is from a dealer who actually does not sell ML but has listened to the line a lot.

I do not think the 585 does streaming but just buy a Sonore xxxRendu and you are covered. 
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