[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by VT Skier

You're both welcome.

Cyril, I don't know if I would say the Magicos are "better" than the Rockports, unless your criteria are the same as mine. For instance, if you want a euphonic sound in a beautiful package that will make almost all recordings sound lovely, I don't think you can do better than the Amati Futura. So if that's your goal, you could say the Futura is "better", subjectively, than the Q3.

Objectivity is tougher to come by in this hobby. For an example, see the ridiculous posts in the Wilson forum under "Controversial Opinion" where every single poster defending Wilson speakers already owns a pair. I'm sorry, but once you've bought a product you've probably lost your ability to be completely objective when comparing it to others or responding to criticism about it unless you're very unusual. My goodness, Michael Fremer admitted that the Q5s had the best bass he'd ever heard in his room, and then he said that he preferred the bass on his Maxx 3. And that's fine if you want your bass emphasized, but why not clearly state that as your preference?

I would be the first to say Dynaudio makes a very good speaker for the money, but my Sapphires don't compare to Rockport or Magico. Or to many others, including Bill's Elipsa, much less the Futura or the Strad. And if I go on and on about how great Dynadio is, or how how much bottom end they have, ignoring the measurements that show a mid-bass emphasis to compensate for a low-end roll off, all I do is show my personal bias, which we all have but few will admit to.

I can only assume that Alon Wolf's consistent use of Spectral, Soulution, Boulder and similar gear at shows reflects his personal bias toward a certain sound. Thankfully, I don't think that bias is reflected in his speaker design, because as I wrote earlier I haven't heard another speaker that is more tonally accurate or neutral than the Q3. And that reflects my preference for a certain type of sound, if neutrality or lack of color can be called a type. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a colored system. One of the best I've heard was the Strad system Bill had a hand in during last year's SSI in Montreal. Which is why I can respect the choices others make with their systems even if I would have chosen differently. But I wouldn't say my choices are "better" than theirs, or that my gear is better.

Great comments, Jon. I personally haven't been blown away by Magicos at shows using Soulution, Spectral or Boulder. On another note, I think my local dealer's penchant for using Wilson with Spectral also have influenced my view of that brand.

I personally would be much more interested in hearing the Magicos with Burmester, Pass Labs, C-J, EAR, or even DarTZeel.