Magico S5

Originally Posted by mwjw

Price increase on the S-5 Jan 1st. Get em while their hot!

+ 1!

Originally Posted by CLEE

I think the Q5 was the first Q series speaker, and possibly the most difficult one. It is notoriously inefficient. Magico probably learnt a lot from the Q5. The later Q3, has substantially higher sensitivity even with a smaller acoustic volume, and the sound is warmer and more mellow (relative to the Q5). I would not place the Q5 sonically below the S5, but it is easier to coax excellent sound from it.

Clee, on paper and certainly based on price point, I would have expected the Q3, and certainly the Q5 to be comfortably better than the S5's, but when you hear Rlacoste describe the Q3 and S5 as "close enough to be twins, albeit not identical", and Mike state "Both the S5 and Q3 are top notch speakers, you should be happy regardless of which you choose.", it gives you pause to think.

As for the Q5's, Jim stated "I only heard the Q5's on a couple of occasion and they were not very involving". Also Penthouse described his Q5/Spectral combo as "way too analytical and in your face. I'll give you my honest opinion. I'm hoping for something more "musical". Not a science project. The Qs did not have much "slam" or "punch". I need to feel it in the couch."

[willyjack]

Originally Posted by Bodhisattva

That is terrific praise for the S5's Penthouse I completely agree the S5's are the sweet point in the range. To me they are well balanced, coherent, a bit more relaxed and forgiving than the Q3's and also a bit warmer. The S5's have solid low and mid bass foundations, smooth intimate midrange & airy, fast and smooth highs. I agree they are much more efficient than the Q5's. I'm driving my S5's with 50 watts class A power @4 ohms with excellent results. My S5's also double as home theater speakers in my 2 channel system. Definitely no subs required!

Agree with these posts. Right amp that matches S5 brings all these qualities out. Wattage isn't key factor - current and impedance matching are key. Constellation really brings them to life.

[Blippy]

Originally Posted by mgbaron

Just curious... where did you hear this?

New pricing was released yesterday. S5 is the only model experiencing an increase for orders placed on or after January 1, 2014.

[CLEE]

Originally Posted by AMP

New pricing was released yesterday. S5 is the only model experiencing an increase for orders placed on or after January 1, 2014.

I would guess that the S5 is enjoying good sales. Given its sonic quality, it is kind of a bargain to me. Still, I would prefer Magico not to have the increase. Let more enjoy with less $!

[Penthouse-D]

S1Chen, you'll notice the S5 has the same midrange driver as the Q5. The Bass drivers are modified Scanspeak drivers which are notoriously good. What is the new MSRP on the S5s? Thanks

[mwjw]

M-CAST will be $32,400, M-COAT will be $35,500.

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by Bodhisattva

Clee, on paper and certainly based on price point, I would have expected the Q3, and certainly the Q5 to be comfortably better than the S5's, but when you hear Rlacoste describe the Q3 and S5 as "close enough to be twins, albeit not identical", and Mike state "Both the S5 and Q3 are top notch speakers, you should be happy regardless of which you choose.", it gives you pause to think.

As for the Q5's, Jim stated "I only heard the Q5's on a couple of occasion and they were not very involving". Also Penthouse described his Q5/Spectral combo as "way too analytical and in your face. I'll give you my honest opinion. I'm hoping for something more "musical". Not a science project. The Qs did not have much "slam" or "punch". I need to feel it in the couch."

David
Just to clarify by statement. I stand by the not involving aspects of the Q5 when I heard them. It could have been the room, associated gear or music selections. I have also stated that I think that both the S5 and Q3 sound very good with Constellation gear and MIT cabling. Off the top of my head I would probably lean towards the Q3 but if I was actually considering these two I would spend a lot more time comparing them with my own demo discs.

[mgbaron]

Originally Posted by Bodhisattva

Clee, on paper and certainly based on price point, I would have expected the Q3, and certainly the Q5 to be comfortably better than the S5's, but when you hear Rlacoste describe the Q3 and S5 as "close enough to be twins, albeit not identical", and Mike state "Both the S5 and Q3 are top notch speakers, you should be happy regardless of which you choose.", it gives you pause to think. As for the Q5's, Jim stated "I only heard the Q5's on a couple of occasion and they were not very involving". Also Penthouse described his Q5/Spectral combo as "way too analytical and in your face. I'll give you my honest opinion. I'm hoping for something more "musical". Not a science project. The Qs did not have much "slam" or "punch". I need to feel it in the couch."

David, I respect your opinion and the others you have shared, but IMO you are understating the differences between the Q3 and S5. That's not to say they are not both excellent loudspeakers, but I certainly don't agree that they are "close enough to be twins." I think anyone on the fence should certainly try both - you may find a more significant preference than these comments would have you believe. It's also a tougher decision now that they are so close in price point. Just my two cents...

[Elberoth]

Originally Posted by TOGA

SoundStage! Hi-Fi | SoundStageHiFi.com | Magico S5 Loudspeakers

As promised.

I'm curious about the tweeter level remarks. Most people (me including) found the speakers to be even a tad dark