Quandry: Used Magico V2 vs. new S1

I auditioned the S1 5 months ago. The stage is like all Magico's very deep. I also heared the S5 and it gave the same deep stunning sound. I did not find them were wide according to the stage. This serie does not have a very fast respons of the low freq. like some other Magico's can. The S1 is a good looking speaker. The S5 is by far not that good looking.

I also did not like the low freq. of the S5. It also gave acoustic problems with the lowest freq. I missed the layers I want to hear in the lowest freq.

The demo I heard with the S5 the speakers dissapeared fully. I personal prefer a wider image. I like the image about 1 metre beside the speakers as well. The timing and speed of both the S1 and S5 did not convince me.

I did not say slow, I prefer a faster response in the low freq. Other Magico's were better in response.

Nothing is perfect, and we are not perfect either. Money often does not garantee you the best sound. It is all about making the right combination of stuff. The art of sound! Audio becomes more clear wenn you know the properties of an amp, source, cable or speaker etc. Wenn you did hundreds of tests you can give every single part the properties it owns. Properties together can create the sound you are looking for. For example: Pass Labs gives a very deep and wide stage. But the individual focus of instruments and voices is not sharp enough. I talked many times about this to the people of Pass labs. So you need sources and cables to solve this. Many times people use stuff with the wrong properties. Wenn a client sends a list with all the parts of his set I know how it wil sound and how the stage will be build. ( wenn I auditioned the things he owns)

I am from Holland and Siltech is made overhere. I did test many of there cables. To be unnest there not the best. That is an understatement! In a-b shoots I always won. I do not like the filtering in the mid freq. You think you get more, but you get less. Audioguest in superior in timing and also in blacks. In the past I won Always wenn I was with Nordost Valhalla powercables and other shop with Emperer powercabels. At shows we Always were teasing them. We call it overhere Slisssssstech. I hate worse demo's. They were good at giving worse demo's. Then I Always put the mirror in front of you.

I never liked DSC. Because it does not have a heart, this is an essential part for the emotion in music. So we agree on that.

Avalon and Wilson never will be a speaker with who I could life. It is not my tast in sound and from both I don't like how they present the individual focus of instruments and voices.

You always listen to all parts togheter including the acoustics. I became a stillpoint dealer a few months ago and yess they are great.

I only like there digital cables. In the past I compared Valhalla with the best Siltech. There were a lot details missing with the Siltech cables. I sold Nordost over 9 years of time. Nordost is not easy to use because you need to use it very precise. Nordost misses a sharp and small individual focus of instruments and voices.You only can use Nordost for a part in an audio system. The difference between the best Siltech and Audioquest is blacks and timing. With Audioquest I can create the focus and touchable image I experienced at classical live music. In the past the demo's of Siltech were worse because the high freq. were soo bright. The difference between the Valhalla Powercable and Emperor was very big. The Valhalla was beter in speed and timing. Focus of every singel part of the recording was a lot better. A few times the client had Emperor cables as well. I Always won and got the deal. The mid freq of Audioquest is more open compared to Siltech. This is why you get a sharper individual focus of instruments and voices compared to Siltech.

Peter is fully right, but don't forget that they have different
prices. I love the looks of the S1. But when you compare them
with the more expensive Magico spakers you are aware of their
limitations. I heard both S1 and S5. They are nice speakers but
they still miss something. Peter calls it 'thin'. I call it lack
in timing. A better timing would have given them more layers in
the low freq.

The S5 was with D’Agostino power, Audio research Ref pre amp
and Puccini cdplayer and Audioquest Wel Signature cables. The
S1 was with Zanden. The S5 had colouration in the low freq
caused by the woodenfloor. I missed the different layers in
the low freq. The S1 didn't have this problem.
But I still didn't find it fast enough. I didn't ask about how
many hours the S5 had played. it is possible that they didn't
play 500 hours. The only things I missed was that I prefer a
wider stage. I play far beside my spakers. With this set the
stage was within the speakers.

The natural sound of the S1 and S5 are both very good. I only
miss a faster response. I prefer them over Avalon because they
can give a sharper what I call; individual focus or intimate
focus. I want to touch an instrument or voice like I can when
I listen to a classical concert with a few instruments in
real. This part I judge in every system I audition.

Classical music doens't work with Wilson. Take a violin, it sounds so much different in real. Soon I will audition a DSC again. I will bring in my own music. It never did move me. This will be with tubes pre and power. That is different compared to all other times I auditioned a DSC.