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Magico S5 vs KEF Blade 2 vs TAD Evo One vs YG Kipod II Sig w/pwr bass

Opinions please. All are Used and are the same very good price but The Y&G are $4000 less which is nice.

KEF Blade 2

TAD Evolution One

Y&G Kipod II Signature w/Pwr Bass module

Magico S5


Would love your thoughts any thoughts on any please! Being all used and in good shape these are all within $500 of each other used price but Y&G and those had highest list but know to be good used deals because they are pretty serious speakers.

I think as far as used speakers in the great value - now less than 1/2 price but still new enough to provide great performance these are some different but pretty serious speakers. Please any and all feedback totally welcomed and is super helpful 

Source: Bricasti M1SE DAC 

Preamp: Parasound JC2 Pre

Amp: Pass Labs X350.5 Amp

IC: Darwin TRUTH Balanced

SC: HiDiamond D8 w/Furutech

PC: HiDiammond P3 (7)

AC: HiDiamond HDX2 

Transport: microRendu 1.4 and full suite of UpTone Audio Premium Power Supplies (2)x LPS-1 and (1) JS-2 LPS - (2) Regens - ISO and Amber and custom Canare DC cables for all / Tellarium Q Black Diamond USB cable and Curious Regen Link

Room is 12 x 23 w/Cathedral Ceilings - 15 Foot a peak 

Music: Assorted Music no metal or loud hard rock anymore really - not much Large Scale classical either but everything else.

Likes: Transparency- Delicate-linear-Dynamic-Fast - high resolution-microscope but not sterile not etched or lifeless - I know there is a fine Line here but I'm looking to walk it and come out on the right side - but real see through into the music - transparent to the source because I love my DAC - there more everything else sound more like my DAC the closer I'm getting to where I want to go as close as possible - image and sound stage lover - tight bass - hate flab - like speed and transparency as my selection choices might speak to

Coming from: Rethm Saadhana V3 speakers which I love and are incredible but want to try something else. 

Love any feedback about matching or equipment matching or one or multiple of these - what you heard at shows or whatever. Love more Info on these.









128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xfsmithjack
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fsmithjack OP
712 posts
 
Thanks for the info Dave! Was thinking one of those mega systems some people have that I only get to dream about.  

ATC's are excellent speakers though. I've heard quite a few and liked them all. Especially the powered ones. Nice and accurate and precise and very linear.

Got a few hours in tonight with the Magico's. Starting to get a little more acclimated to them. One thing I notice is how other recordings I use to think were of decent and of similar quality sound so different from one an other now. Some sound so much worse and others so much better and some are amazing but they never stood out so different like that before! These are just such different speakers and I do like very much how the real good recordings are now amazing - I'm hearing stuff I've never heard before and man do they hold together - always. They are one stable and confident speaker. 
audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
3,585 posts
 
fsmithjack, as I mentioned you have to totally retrain your brain. 

A Magico has a much more pronounced treble than the Rythems. I know the Rythems are an improved Lowthar type design but without a doubt they do sound much more shelved in the top end compared to a state of the art Beryilium or Diamond tweeter, hence you are hearing both the good and bad of the recording world.

As you improve your components by adding a real power conditioner, adding room tuning, adding a real server, you will be able to selectively tune the system to sound the way that you like.

I still stick to my guns that an Audience power conditioner will give you just the right amount of warmth without taking away too much detail.

If you want a line on really cheap warm sounding cable try the Soundstring line, sounded a lot like the Kubalas at 1/3 the price. The Gen II. 
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Dlcockrum 10-19-17
shadorne has ATC SCM-100A powered loudspeakers. ~$6K. They are really great speakers by all accounts, especially for rock at high SPLs. ATC claims that these are used by several top mastering engineers by name and they probably are.
Hi Dave,

I believe you were looking at the description of one of Shadorne's previous systems.  His most recent system description indicates a pair of ATC EL150SL speakers, which I believe sell in the USA for well over 10 times that amount.

Best regards,
-- Al
 
dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
Hi fsmithjack,

I underestimating the price of the ATC SCM-100s - more like $15k best I can tell. Definitely a fine speaker worthy of audition by anyone looking in that price range. Easy on amps too.

Audiotroy Dave pretty much nailed it. You have moved to a speaker that is very high up on the resolution scale and it will change your listening world in almost every way as you have already experienced.

BTW - I have been experimenting with Dueland 16 gauge speaker cables and 20 gauge ICs. Very inexpensive. Very smooth/glare & grain free yet open and airy in the upper mids/treble, textured and rich in the mids, and the bass sound character is the best I have heard from any cable with my Thiels. The Dueland wire ($10/m) and RCA connectors are available from Parts Connexion in Canada and Chris will even assemble/terminate the ICs for you for a nominal charge. Speaker wire is said to sound best "bare-ended" (no terminals), although I have not tried this. A few hundred bucks for the whole deal. I am simply in disbelief at the performance of this inexpensive wire. Could be worth your while to try these before spending big $$. If you want terminated and finished speaker cables using multiple strands of the Dueland wire, Tweek Geek has a very nice pair for relatively small expenditure advertised here on Audiogon. I have these on trial right now and they are killer.

Dave

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shadorne
7,467 posts
 
@dlcockrum

I have built several systems like most people here. I think the system you refer to was a 7.1 all ATC system. That 7.1 system is perfect for HT but for the last few years I use a simplified setup with a pair of active ATC EL150SL for 2 channel music only.

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/6257

I did not recommend ATC on this thread as I didn’t see the OP asking about them. If there is interest I can always add something. ATC is not for everyone. Definitely one of the most revealing speakers in the world. If Magico gives fsmithjack a headache then ATC would probably bore a hole right through his head! LOL


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