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Magico vs Kef vs B&W vs. VSA

    I am in the hunt for  floorstanders in the range of $30,000 or less. My candidates are the following in order of preference:

1. Von Schweikert Audio Vr 44 mk2 Aktiv ( used )
2. Kef Blade
3. Magico S3 or S3 mk2
4. B&W 800 d3

    I have not heard all of them ( and the ones I have where at the shows ) but they are the only ones in this price range I can do a home audition. I would have placed the Magico's at a higher rank but I'm afraid my Audio Research Ref 75 SE may not be able to make them sing ( the wife will no longer agree to a change in amplifier ) . Also, if I go the S3 mk2 route I will not be able to audition them since they are on order basis only at my dealer. Hence, my top choice would be the VSA VR 44 Aktiv's  which on the other hand  do not have  too many reviews.

  My current speaker's are Harbeth SHL5+, however in my heavily dampened 35 sq. meter room ( originally for HT use and acoustically treated for that ) they do not have enough bass and cannot seem to fill the room with sound. Though I will be auditioning the speakers in my place as I have made the mistake of purchasing equipment based on the demos at the dealer's, I just want the opinions of those who own or have heard them for prolonged periods of time. Please do not suggest any other speaker cause as I have stated above these are the only ones that will allow a home audition.

  My listening preferences are mostly vocal jazz, some 80's rock and New Wave music. The rest of the system is composed of 

ARC LS 28 Pre-amp
ARC Ref 75 Se
Esoteric K07 SACD/CD player
VPI Prime with Benz Micro LPS-MR
Simaudio 610 lp phono stage
IC's and speaker cables -  full loom MIT
PC's all Shunyata 

 Replies appreciated. Thanx.

 


attymbb
herndonb
124 posts
 
**dealer disclaimer**
With each listening session, the Magico S3 MK II has been impressing me more and more.  The precision, the most mesmerizing imaging, the control, they are stunning in every way.  Front end is a UDP-205 and Vanguard integrated and they drop jaws and put smiles on the faces of all that have listened.  They are hard to find fault with.  If you have the opportunity to listen to them, they are hard to stop listening to.  Each time they are played, twice as much time is spent as was allotted.  It's like hearing your music for the first time.  
vitop
221 posts
 
I have never heard the Magico but it is a speaker I have always wanted to hear. The best speaker I have heard is the Legacy Aeris and it falls into that price range. The dealer told me it compared to $100k speakers and the only $100 speakers I have ever heard were some of the Wilsons. I actually think the Legacys were better. Sadly, I could not afford them. Has anyone been able to hear the Magicos vs the Aeris? I am wondering how they might compare.


The only speakers on that list I have heard myself are the B&W speakers. I liked them, but I thought they were voiced to emphasize the high end. Lots of pop to them. I actually like them whereas some people do not. I am not sure they are the most accurate, but I enjoyed the listen. I think they may fatigue after a while or with some types of music that already lean towards highs. Not sure that helps a whole lot.
kot
132 posts
 
Bowers Wilkins 800D3 are in totally different league compared to the any brand mentioned here, if.... you know what live music sounds like .... Other models just sound what many audiophile prefer... IMHO of course :) If you live in Europe, or willing to take a chance, the Chario Serendipity are fantastic as well...

Truth be told the B&W 802D3 s are phenomenal as well, especially for the 35 sq m room . The most musical (forgiving to the poor quality recordings) among the new D3 line up is 803D3 model , 15 grand too :). With the B&W the Cardas Golden Crosses in shotgun bi wire mode sound the best. For the amp I would recommend the german Symphonic Line RG4 MK4 monoblocks (much better match than your ARC amp).So if you are a music lover (as most audiophools claim they are of course ;) ) listen to the B&W or Charios...

Heck, for $2500 you can get Eminent -Tech 8bs, which are as good as any here on their own if used with highly refined power amp (such as Symphonic Line rg4 or rg 7, as they need power) , if not MUCH better ..... Add a pair of REL ref (10 inch only) subs with good external crossover and for about 15 grand US you are talking reference system comparable to any system at any price! :) (no kidding). But we all know too well that the pride and ego dominate this hobby :) ....
exron
111 posts
 
Here's my take.  I would go with the Magico as first choice then the  B&W 800 D3.  However, if you want to save some money and bass is not super important to you, and if you have a normal size room, I have never heard a more beautiful sounding cone speaker than the Harbeth 40.2      Best of luck to you.

danvignau's avatar
danvignau
935 posts
 
Why waste your money. You already have a great system.  Collect more music.

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