Magico S5 Review

[Elberoth]

Another rave S5 review has just appeared in Polish AUDIO magazine. The review contains a full set of measurements.

It is interesting to compare them to B&W CM9 S2 measurements published in the same issue:



True, the CM9 is a $3000 speaker, but B&W's top of the range models do not measure that much better ...

Anyway, the S5 measurements are absolutely textbook.

[TWiiii]

I just listened to some S5 driven by MC601 and Mc 275 and the 275 won. But in either case wher was the bass. They sounded like a pair of La Scalas with nothing below 60 Hz. My M&K 150's have better highs and better imaging, and compared to my Concert grands with Celestion super tweeter ad being tri- amped they sounded like wimps. Where's the beef!!! Opps I meant where's the bass. Try ing to produce 32 hz from E Power Biggs was a jole. The Carmels I had over 50 years ago did a better job. I admit the mids were nice , but the tweeters are a joke, with more HF out put above 6 khz slighty off axis than on is a real puzzle. I had to back them up agains a wall to get any thing below 50 Hz. Their imaging was soft and fuzzy, give me a line array or a horn. Magnaplanar's 3.7 were much superior at a fraction of the price. To say the least I was very dis-appointed.

[imprezap2]

great review

[marsalis]

Originally Posted by TWiiii

...and compared to my Concert grands with Celestion super tweeter ad being tri- amped they sounded like wimps. Where's the beef!!! Opps I meant where's the bass...

Is that the Concert Grands you are talking about...

courtesy of SP

[TWiiii]

I went back and listened to the S5's today using the same amps and preamps but with my own source material. The highs were great even though the off axis problem was still there. We moved the speakers to with in 18 inches of the rear wall and the bass below 60 Hz appeared and was nice and tight. My Only issue then as shown on the graphs was the area from 100 hz to 400 hz. While brass instruments and upper strings came through very accurately alto clarinet, bass clarinet and cellos and violas were a little suppressed, but that could be easily corrected with a MEN 220 or more time reorienting the speakers. One issue though that isn't going away is the fact a point source speaker just doesn't have the perceived definition of a line array.

As for the curve on the Grands, thats why I added 4 Celestion super tweeters crossed at or around 9600 Hz with the system tri amped. Using a parametric eq and measured in sixth octaves my Grands are flat from 25 to 4 khz +/- 2 db extending up to 8 khz and then rolling off 6 db at 18 khz, +/- 1 db. As good as the S5 sound, they still aren't quite right in the space I auditioned and my Grands are very fast. tri amped. And when there is percussive bass its tight and will move your body while the bass from the S5 had an initial impact with a very reverberant after life. I would be happier with XRT 28 even though they don't extend much past 16KHZ. But then again with a parametric eq I'm sure all would measure equally, though the XRT 28 would win with its line array and low distortion woofers. I have heard them sound right with MC 1.2K. We didn't get around to using the 275 today, but from what I heard the other day it probably would fix the deficiencies I was hearing from the 601's in the 100 to 400 hz area.

[marsalis]

I was trying to be polite, but now you bring the XRT28 into the pictures (low distortion woofers ), what is next the 901's?
Your comments make little sense, unfortunately. The S5 has been reviewed and measured by many. Have a look at SS S5 measurement from the NRC. Probably the lowest THD they have ever measured from a speaker. They also extend, very nicely, and linearly, at least one full octave, both on the lows and the highs, then any of the speakers you have mentioned. You are used to a very tailored sound, most of the XRT’s I have heard were heavily boosted on the bass. If that is what you are after, you came to the wrong party. And BTW, point source speakers do have a MUCH better perceived definition than a line array, due to the lack of comb filtering effect, unless you seat at least 20 times the height of the array away from a line array, were they will act as a point source. That is why they can be good for PA systems, or VERY big rooms.