Magico A3

@ebm you're bang on about Absolute Sound...I ignore anything they write about Magicos.

I agree however many people buy based on there reviews.I myself in over 50 years in the hobby never bought speakers or equipment based on any reviews i use my ears and my wallet. I have Magico Q3s that were never reviewed in Absolute Sound.Good luck enjoy!!

Other than you can have it any color you want, so long as its black, its very impressive release. It appears that many builders are targeting this price point, each with a distinctive approach. Just a few off hand, Dynaudio Contour 60, Revel F228Be, B&W 804D3, Focal Kanta No2, Paradigm Persona 3F,  and the Canton Reference 5K. This being a small listing of more broadly available brands, even if none can be considered truly broad products.

Focal made style and finishing options major point on the Kanta. Dynaudio went quite large and while simple in appearance, has some distinctive finishes. A history of very good sound doesn't hurt. The Revel isn't much of a looker itself, but they have a history of very coherent and balanced sound. The Persona is sleek looking entry, but might just be a bit light on the bottom in respect to its price peers. B&W has their house sound and you need to be into it or not at all. Canton has limited looks and finish, but also a solid entry sound wise.

That little twitch that says maybe something new is really making itself ever known ;-).

eric_squires: Better tyhan te Sopra-1's (Focal) ?

The KEF Reference-1's spank the Sopra's -Focal's sorely failed attempt at delivering ......... ? at a more reasonable price. I'd bet that the older (but current) 1028/38 Be series is better than the Slo-pokers.

Seriously, not one of the Sopra's compare to the brilliant performance of the KEF REF range; the REF-3 ($14K US/pr.) a floor-standing champ.

So, if the A3 (Magico) can keep pace with any of the KEF (Reference), 'look-out' it will be on constantl back-order from Magico -and may very well be my next loudspeaker.

Also bear in mind, the Magico use high-strength BOLTS to secure the drive-units (and cabinet components no doubt), out of necessity of course, but a highly desirable method ensuring the vital driver/baffle interface is appropriately coupled.

You'd think competitor's do this as well ? No. Vandersteen, Paradigm 'Persona', GET 'Reference-1' (in the general price range) use self-tapping wood screws to mount the drivers ! Which is laughable. And unfortunate for a $10K + loudspeaker. It must be acknowledged that the Magico A3 (any Magico of course) can easily be 'handed-down' to multiple generations whereas wood-screwed driver models are far less durable -or desirable, for that matter. 

The sheer level of quality/sophistication of the Magico A3  (at $10K) is nothing short of a hi-fi bargain -assuming it has the sonic chops.

peter jasz