I thought I would go ahead and detail my impressions on my speaker journey individually. The obvious disclaimers are that my overall impressions of the speaker and components are just my opinion. “Warm” to me may be bright to someone else, etc. A big image to me may be small to someone else. So, please take this FWIWI will detail each system that I listened to, with the particular electronics with each speaker. I also tried to describe the basic construction of each speaker, at least Wilson and Magico.
Of note, my taste in speakers and electronics is on the lean side. I’m not much for warmness in speakers/electronics, and prefer solid state. I crave beautiful imaging and articulate resolution. I love hearing the small things in a recording. The background bass drum positioned just off center, that instrument in the soundstage that is clearly in the back versus something in the front. I go nuts when I hear the texture of music, which brings me ultimate enjoyment when I listen to music.
I used the following songs for demo:
1. Nils Lofgren-Believe (acoustic live), fantastic album for hearing piano harmonic registers and a great center phantom image with NL’s voice.
2. 2cellos-Despacito. If you haven’t heard this group, check them out, they do renditions (just 2 cellos) of modern music. Absolutely incredible imaging, probably one of the best recordings I’ve ever heard. Seriously, if you haven’t heard this, listen to it. The bow going back on the cello can literally be felt, its’ THAT good.
3. Oscar Peterson-Night train, to get a flavor of the general timber from jazz instruments, fantastic for cymbals reverberating after being struck.
4. Lyle Lovett, North Dakota. Really like the beginning of this, going back in for between left and right.
5. Beck-Sea Change, Lost cause in 24/192
6. Canon in D piano, fantastic recording
7. Anne bison-Dry my tears. This was the record that Esoteric often uses in the demos and shows off the dynamics of a female voice. I like Anne’s voice, it’s not overly harsh, and this recording is fantastic, with close mics next to Anne. Awesome central image.
8. Chainsmokers-The one. I’m not much into modern, hip hop crap, but I really like some of their music. About a minute into this, there is a tremendous bass line, with music covering all the way down to 20hz. Extremely visceral bass response.
9. Lou Reed-Take a walk on the wild side
10. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis-Lets call the whole thing off. I loved this recording, especially Louis’ voice, which is extremely deep and visceral. You can hear Louis’ inflections and imperfections in his voice, which make this recording so real and awesome!
Wilson Alexx
The Alexx (109-112K) is obviously a superspeaker with a tremendous amount of capability. 450 pounds each. It has two large bass drivers measuring 10.5 and 12.5 inches, and composed of a Doped Paper pulp; a separate module for lower mid range composed of doped paper pulp and cellulose/paper pulp composite, a Doped Silk Fabric tweeter, and another module for upper mid range. The tweeter is trickled down from the WAMM, I think it may even be better than the one in the WAMM. They use special damping material for the casing called X-material with S-material baffle, and the whole speaker is wired with Transparent Opus cabling which they modify for the speaker. The units are modular and can be moved backwards and to the front, in the coronal plane. You can induce rake into each module. They do all this to achieve accuracy in the time domain in order for all five drivers to send the sound waves in such a fashion so that they reach the listener’s ear at the same time. The speakers are front and rear ported and where you plug one of the ports depends on the acoustics of your room. I think that this customization of Wilson is what sets it apart from all other brands in this industry. It allows the end user to effectively, of course within reason, to place the Alexx in almost any room. Wilson allows you to customize any color you like for your speaker. They have over 60 choices to choose from. If there isn’t a color they have that you want, you can customize it! Of course there are upcharges for it. The Wilson delaer was telling me that one of his clients matched his Ventador Lamborghini in orange with his Alexx. Not my choice of color for car or speaker, but to each’s own.
Electronics:
Dan D’ Agostino Momentum M400 monoblocks with Momentum pre-amp
dCS Vivaldi 4 stack.
Transparent opus cabling all throughout (SC, IC, power, digital cables etc)
Torus AVR 20 conditioner and I think also a transparent power conditioner
HRS M3X bases for the Monetum M400 monoblocks
Full HRS rack for the digital front end at the preamp
And now to the sound:
The bass on these drivers is the best I’ve heard on any single loudspeaker. I’ve never heard sub-80 hz notes reproduced so well and so accurately. Each note was so well separated. Extremely visceral bass, and well integrated with the mids and high.
I found these speakers to be very grandiose in their presentation. Gigantic image left to right, front to back, top to bottom. However, despite a large three dimensional image, the image was not entirely resolved. I found that it was slightly blurry, and that the speakers didn’t disappear as well. Dynamic range was plentiful with D’Agostino doing a good job provide ample power and control. I found the sound to be slightly warm for my touch. I also am not a fan of dCS, I find their sound to be a bit dry and sterile. D’ Agostino electronics are also a touch warm so perhaps a change in the electronics, digital front end, and cabling may provide a different sonic signature with the Alexx loudspeaker.
Conclusion: An absolutely amazing speaker, no doubt. A real statement piece. Fantastic bass, with great customization for the acoustics of the end-users room, and a huge but slightly imprecise 3-D image. Also, probably the most beautiful speaker I have seen. That finish and feel of this speaker is a statement.
Wilson Alexia (2):
Electronics:
Dan D’Agostino Progression stereo amp and preamp
dCS Rossini
Transparent XL cabling
Torus power, I can’t remember which one, but I think it’s the one below the flagship AVR 20
This is Alexx’s little brother. The Alexia 2 was created more of as a little brother to the Alexx as opposed to an older brother to the Yvette or Sasha. It was two bass drivers, which are smaller than that in the Alexx. It has a single mid range module and a tweeter. This is also modular, like the Alexx. It is rear ported (no choice on the direction on air flow in this one). Internal cabling is also Transparent, but it’s a custom line, and I’m told its at a level of the XL line. It starts at 57K and goes up depending on color choice.
On to the sound:
Very similar sonic signature to the Alexx, so this description is somewhat brief. Big, but smaller image compared to the Alexx. Placement of instruments was actually better in my opinion, I’m not sure why. Bass was not as stellar as in the Alexx but still unbelievable. I found the dynamic range to be quite good. The dealer actually told me that speaker is the sweet spot in the Wilson range. You get 80% of the Alexx for about half the price, and I believe it.
Conclusion: This in every way possible, a mini Alexx; slightly less majestic in presentation, with the bass being a touch softer (or should I say less great). In my humble opinion, if someone is between Alexx and Alexia 2, get the Alexia 2 and put the money saved on better electronics! Sadly enough, this wasn’t the speaker for me, although I really, really wanted it to be.
Sonus Faber Il Cremonese and Lillium
I’m pairing these together, because although they are great speakers, I knew that SF right off the bat would not be for me. I only listened to these for about 10 minutes each. Both speakers were run with McIntosh electronics C52, 601’s and MCD550 for the IL and C2600, 1.2kW’s , and D1100 for the Lilliums. I believe the Il is around 45k and the Lilliums are 70-100K.
These speakers are very musical and warm. Very awe-inspiring looks. love the violin finish and the leather grill. This is great as you can listen for longer with less listeners fatigue. The Il Cremonese was actually my preferred speaker as it presented a tighter image and was more tonally balanced. McIntosh electronics paired well with these, although too much warmness from electronics and speakers was not my cup of tea.
Conclusion: Warm speakers, probably great for people who listen to a lot of classical and jazz music. Il Cremonese > Lillium, more tonally balanced with a tighter image. Plus it is cheaper!
Magico S series:
I will focus on the Magico S7’s. This is a 300 pound speaker. Magico makes these with full aluminum bracings. Two 10 inch bass drivers, a midrange and a tweater. I believe that the tweater incorporates a diamond coated beryllium material just like the M project/M series. The midrange driver is made of a graphene material, which is a very expensive material, which makes these ultra stiff and resilient. These start at 58k and go to 64K depending on the finish you choose.
I listened to these with several electronics.
Boulder 2150 Monos with the 2110 Pre. dCS Vivaldi.
All Nordost Oden 2 cabling (SC, IC, PC, digital)
Nordost power conditioning with two of their new ground filtration systems.
Quadraspire rack.
Spectral monos, cd player, preamp.
MIT cabling
McIntosh 601’s
MC C2600
Aurender N10
On to the sound:
Boulder setup:
The boulder monoblocks are freaking beasts. These things are about 18 inches wide, 31 inches deep and 8-10 inches high when put on their feet. 220 pounds each. They fire 1000 watts per channel at 8 ohms, double to 2000 at 4, and go to 4000 at 2. They have a 30 Amp IEC connector on the back! Simply beautiful amps. Boulder just recently came out with these, updating from the 2050’s. The main change is a additional gain stage and a different appearance of the chassy. If you read the press reports of this release, it seems as if Boulder released these almost out of necessity to keep up with competition, not because they thought there was a revolutionary change in audio performance between the new and old lines. I think this company speaks for itself, keeping the same 2000 series for almost 17 years without significant changes. A real statement to the build quality and engineering from this all American produced amplifier in Boulder, Colorado. These guys just don’t mess around, they do it once, and it’s done right. The 2100 series amps aren’t cheap by any means; The 2160 stereo amp is around 55k, the 2150 mono’s are 98K for the pair. The stereo amp sends out 600 watts in 8 ohms and doubles down into 4 and then again into 2.
By far and away, the best sound I have ever heard anywhere in any system. Even though I’m not a dCS fan, this system was incredible. Nordost Odin 2 cables are so transparent, detailed, open and have awesome bass. The power cords are just fabulous and add so much dynamic range and detail.
The bass from the S7’s is a HUGE punch with the boulders in the cockpit. I felt my heart racing listening to these. Very intense and detailed sound. Imaging was not as great as I wanted and the speakers did not disappear like I am used to and expect. Still, best sound I’ve ever heard. The room I heard these in was on the small side (12 by 17 x 10), and these are meant to fill a large room. Room was well treated with Vicoustics, however, and I think that this helped a lot.
Spectral Electronics:
So I know very little about this company. I do know that they pretty require networked cables, almost always recommend MIT cables.
This was a great setup, but too bright, even for my taste. Magico is a bright, but tonally balanced speaker. However too much brightness contributes to listener’s fatigue very quickly. After all, we are in this, so we can have those nice, long listening sessions, right?
Magico M3.
M series was created after Magico released their M-project line. If you don’t know much about the M-project line, they only created 50 of these 100K+ speakers and Magico invited their loyal-most customers to purchase them. The M-project series has received many positive reviews in the usual magazines. M series by Magico is a trickled-down line from the project. Much of the technology from the M-project has been incorporated into the M series. The M series is the most technologically advanced speaker that Magico has created. It has a relatively small footprint, just an inch taller than my B and W’s at 48 inches tall. They are deceptively heavy, at 320 pounds. An all aluminum bracing has been used and the side panels are completely made out of carbon fiber. Only one color is available. There isn’t a corner on this speaker, it’s been rounded out all around; this has sonic benefits, reducing friction that reaches the cabinet. The top of the speaker is also completely rounded out with no corners. Alon Wolf claims it takes three hours on a machine just to weld it to perfection!
There are two bass drivers in this speaker, each of them are 7 inches in diameter and they are composed of graphene material.
The midrange driver is composed of the same graphene material as well.
The tweeter is engineered the same as the S7, with diamond coated beryllium.
They have stock feet which can be spiked.
The M-pod isolation feet are a separate option that have to be purchased. The bottom of the speaker has an aluminum tripod that needs to be screwed on when you get the m-pod package. It is best if the M-pods are purchased when the speakers are produced. Installing M-pods on your own after the fact, is labor intensive, as you are wrestling a 300 pound speaker and risk damaging the carbon fiber side panels. If your dealer is comfortable putting these on for you, then adding the m-pods at a later point is certainly an option!
The m-pods add considerable sonic advantages by decoupling the speaker from the floor. We all know the advantage of Stillpoints under speakers, and M-pods have been created just for this speaker. You can also deploy M-pods on the S7, other speaker brands, and of course the incoming M6. For the smaller speakers in the S line, Magico has created the Q line. For the S7, the Q pods are too small.
Soulution is the most common line of electronics utilized to drive the M3’s. If I am not mistaken, Magico uses these in their own listening room in their California headquarters. Most videos I’ve seen in shows, have utilized Soulution. I have not heard them with the M3, but they are assuredly on my list to audition. MIT cables are commonly utilized at shows and in Magico’s own room.
Ok, on to the sound:
Electronics:
D’Agostino Momentum M400 amps and D’Agostino Momentum preamp
Transparent Opus cabling
dCS Vivaldi
Aurender W20
Stromtank power conditioner, I think it was the S5000?
Room was 16 x 20 x 10. Speakers placed on the Short wall. Listeners position is 12 feet away from the speakers. Room heavily treated with Vicoustics and ASC tube traps.
Wow. These speakers are special. I have never, ever heard this level of clarity from a loudspeaker, and I’ve heard many, many speakers. Dynamic range-large as can be; Imaging-pristine and intensely focused; HUGE soundstage, up to the ceiling, wall to wall, front to back. Instruments were so accurately placed that I felt like I could go out and touch the performers. I could hear every imperfection in a vocalist’s voice. At times I felt like the sound was recorded in Dolby atmos. I heard sounds 3-4 feet to my side, behind me, just in front of me. This speaker excels in the area of finesse and refinement.
Specs:
Sensitivity: 91 dB
Impedance (nominal): 91 dB
Frequency response: 24 Hz to 50,000 kHz
I listened to the M3 at a friend’s recommendation, I knew the price of them, and already determined that they were way out of my budget. However, after listening to them, I thought about every which way I could swing these, and although I am really stretching it, I ordered them the same day. It was that quick. I simply can’t imagine a speaker sounding any better. Sometimes I felt that the M3 was created precisely for my taste.
The best sound I heard in this journey was still the S7 with Nordost and Boulder but the M3 is the better speaker. I look forward to audiotining electronics for these speakers, but at the top of my list will be boulder, soulution, Nagra, and multiple others that people have listed on this thread.
I don’t know what electronics I will pair with these speakers, but I know three things:
1. I will have these speakers for a very long time.
2. It’s a great time to be an audiophile with so much great gear out there
3. It’s great to share these things with people like you!
I apologize that this review was so long; further if there are inaccuracies in anything, please bring them to my attention and I will amend it. Thank you for reading!
10-16-2017, 05:18 PM
Linear Mode
