new Magico speakers the Q5

"Sell everything you own and buy these speakers.They are surely the cat's meow."

Selling everything I own wouldn't get me close to affording these - USD54k apparently!

"Sorry, it just doesn't add up."

"Actually, it probably does.
Magico's appeal is its no compromise focus on quality...."

And 'there's the rub' - the price is more linked to marketing than it is to either cost of manufacture (surely a fraction of their price) or value for sound (purely subjective but to this day the Magico V3's stand out as the most disappointing 'high-end' speaker I've ever heard (and you can add the Minis to this viewpoint).

Magico find themslves in a circumstance where their speakers have received massive reviews and they need to 'make hay while he sun shines'. Release a new model at 30K less than the awesomely reviewed M5 and there's an instant market from those that couldn't quite reach the stratospheric price levels of the M5. I say good for them - if there are buyers, then they're satisfying a demand and the loss is to those (other companies) that couldn't meet that demand.

Bottom line is that I'm probably not qualified to comment on the sound of speakers priced at such levels, my system being as humble as it is. Nevertheless, I have spent several hours auditionong the Magicos (V3) at the same time as Avalon (Indra) and Wilson Watt Puppy 8's and the Avalons were in an entirely different league. All very personal, of course, but the Avalon Indra's put it all together - one of the best integrated and most persuasive speakers I've heard. The magicos were fine, but didn't seem to present anywhere near the musical landscape that the Indras put forward. To be fair, the Wilsons were also well behind the Indras. All in my subjective and humble opinion of course!

So, if Magico keep finding purchasers with deep enough pockets, then all to the good for them. As far as the advancement of speaker technology goes or the pursuit of the 'live sound', you can relax; it hasn't been found yet. I'm yet to be convinced that Magico are actually ven looking for it!

Apologies to those fans of Magico - ours is a hobby that is inseperable from personal tastes and listening preferences - mine just don't happen to favour the Magico. At least, not at their asking prices.

Roypan, you misunderstand me, I think. I'm not talking 'marketing' in the traditional sense of media advertising. I don't know anyone that buys hi-fi based on glossy advertisements. I'm actually talking about the Company's marketing strategy - how they position products in the market and how to use their brand reputation established through the audio reviewing community.

The bottom line is that this audio reviewing community pretty well determines for the industry what is a fair price for a product. A pair of speakers lists at 100k, the magazines and on-line audio reviewers rave about it and declare it worth every cent, and the market credibility of the speakers at 100k is established. Companies then need to use the reputation thus established, to generate their profit. I think Magico have an ideal strategy in this regard.

I'm not criticising Magico for their marketing strategy in releasing a speaker 30k below their top model, and then being able to 'market' them as superb value with the claim that 'trickle-down' technology delivers 95% of the sound of the M5. (This is purely an example, by the way - I don't know how Magico are positioning the Q5 in the market.)

I have clearly offended you and I therefore assume you are a Magico owner. As I said, my opinions regarding the sound of two modeels of the Magico are purely subjective. I'm not commenting in any way way about "the majority of audiophiles community, all over the world" as you ask. I can only be sure of my own impressions based on my listening compared to some other similarly priced speakers. They didn't do it for me regardless of the fact that "the majority of audiophiles community all over the world" suggest they should have. My loss? ....Perhaps...

Roypan, you are correct - I do completely miss the value proposition of the Magico. I listened, I didn't like. End of story for me. If that's how 300lbs+ of machined aluminium sounds, then I'm happy to miss the value proposition. And I think you are underestimating Magico in terms of their market strategy and their business savvy. Like their speakers or not, one cannot argue that Magico have made some very smart business decisions in terms of where they want their products to be positioned.

The only fact that matters to me is that I didn't like the sound of the V3's or the Minis. I hope that this fact doesn't confuse you or anyone else that might happen accross this thread!

I wanted only to express my subjective opinion in terms of these speakers. I hadn't realised such offence would be taken, so apologies for that. I hope you continue to enjoy them.

Roypan,

You say this thread was about the was about the new Q5 and its "real" value proposition. When I look at the OP it mentions nothing about "real value"

Audiogon is ALL about personal opinions - we all have them and clearly yours and mine differs and I agree let's not continue the argument about my views.

I will finish with the comment that you cannot ascribe "real value" in the case of speakers without considering the end user and their listening impressions. You appear to equate real-world value only to build cost and R&D and the such like. If they cost 40k to build and I think they sound ordinary (an example, as I haven't heard the Q5), then to me, they are of little value. I'm quite certain that you also wouldn't purchase a pair of speakers based on their science, materials and cost to build if you didn't like the sound! The "real value" of speakers is different for every listener out there.