Magico A3

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   

If the A3 is a smaller version of the S3 MKII then that would be a tremendous speaker.

@allhifi - My only point was that around the time the S3 Mk II came out it was similarly priced to the Sopra, and while the S3 is a more  musical speaker, it was lacking in the bass, chesty, demanding of room and amplifier.

As for your comments about construction, I really do like the all aluminum construction, but I find your overall take demeaning without good cause.

It will be interesting to learn the full set of cost saving measures employed in the A3. The rest of this post is speculation, so Magico fans, cut me some slack.

I think the high-end Magico's use billet, machined aluminum, while the A3 uses what appear to be extrusions. Not a bad thing, I think.

What makes the A3 a potential killer in the price range (IMHO) is bass extension and sensitivity of a "normal" speaker (compared to the S3) with the fabulously smooth mid-treble of the S3.  It could in fact fix everything I complained about in my review of the S3, at a better price point.

Best,

E

I recently went on a tour of the Magico factory in Hayward Ca. and it was amazing to see the work that goes into these speakers. The machined aluminum enclosures alone are a piece of art before finishing and populating the driver holes. The tour also included a demonstration of their flagship speakers in their listening room. But still, even the $9500 version is still out of my price range. Maybe in a few years I can get a pair used from this site.