Magico Synergy

[Penthouse-D]

I truly think there is something to be said about using the correct gear to get the best out of these and probably most Magico speakers. I orginally had McIntosh MC601's which were not dynamic at all. I replaced them with Pass Labs X600.5's, a much higher current amp. MUCH better dynamics etc. I was using Shunyata Zitron Anaconda speaker cables with fairly good results. I just replaces the shunyata's with MIT Oracle HD90 rev1's. These cables require a 2 week break-in. Right out of the box they sound MUCH better. I can't wiat for the break-in. All these little mods really make a world of difference.

[Still-One]

I agree with you in general. I have always thought you should choose speakers you think will meet your sonic and visual desires. Then find the amps that get them to sound their best. Tweaking the sound with cables should be next in line.

[jfray]

Originally Posted by Penthouse-D

I truly think there is something to be said about using the correct gear to get the best out of these and probably most Magico speakers. I orginally had McIntosh MC601's which were not dynamic at all. I replaced them with Pass Labs X600.5's, a much higher current amp. MUCH better dynamics etc. I was using Shunyata Zitron Anaconda speaker cables with fairly good results. I just replaces the shunyata's with MIT Oracle HD90 rev1's. These cables require a 2 week break-in. Right out of the box they sound MUCH better. I can't wiat for the break-in. All these little mods really make a world of difference.

What is the ohm rating on the Magico's??? Seems hard to believe the 601's had difficulty driving them......

[Penthouse-D]

They are 4 ohms. The Macs were slow , muddy and quite dull to tell you the truth. There is something to be said about Class "A" power. I've been to blue meter rehab. It's a 12 step process, but the rewards are quite sastisfying. It's a big new world out there.

[jfray]

Originally Posted by Penthouse-D

They are 4 ohms. The Macs were slow , muddy and quite dull to tell you the truth. There is something to be said about Class "A" power. I've been to blue meter rehab. It's a 12 step process, but the rewards are wonderful.

Hmmmmm . As long as you are happier with the Pass Labs that is all that matters.

[Penthouse-D]

I must admit, the meters on the Pass Labs are blue, but at least they are round.LOL Nelson Pass is a genius with so much "cred" in the business. Read about him, he is brilliant and passionate and his amps are some of the best. He is so passionate he even helps out DIYers on the DIY audio website. No quality control and firmware issues here.....

[jfray]

Originally Posted by Penthouse-D

I must admit, the meters on the Pass Labs are blue, but at least they are round.LOL Nelson Pass is a genius with so much "cred" in the business. Read about him, he is brilliant and passionate and his amps are some of the best. He is so passionate he even helps out DIYers on the DIY audio website. No quality control and firmware issues here.....

I will check him out, sounds very interesting.....

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by Penthouse-D

They are 4 ohms. The Macs were slow , muddy and quite dull to tell you the truth. There is something to be said about Class "A" power. I've been to blue meter rehab. It's a 12 step process, but the rewards are quite sastisfying. It's a big new world out there.

The Pass 600.5 are not Class A amps. I believe they output Class A for the first several Watts like several other hybrid or A/B amps.

Questions
Amplifiers
What is the difference between the XA.5 and the X.5 amplifiers?

The XA.5 amps are Class A (low rail voltage and high bias current) and the X.5 amps are high bias AB (high rail voltage and lower bias current).

That does not make they any less great sounding. I like them too.

[Penthouse-D]

They are class A up to 80 watts, then class B for the next 520 into 8 ohms, and the magico's are 4 ohms. You should see the "guts" of these amps when you take the top off. Unbelievable components and build quality. X amps are class A/B . XA are full class A. That's why an XA160 costs the same as an X600.5. If you do some research on Nelson Pass and his amps, I think you'll be impressed. It's nice to buy from a man who has spent his entire life building gear he is proud to put his name on. The customer service is second to none. Very helpful and polite, even with my stupid questions. No arrogance at all. Very refreshing. I chose the X600.5's for the reserve. If I had to do it again, I may have done the XA160's. But the difference between these and the Macs is astonishing.

[jazzman]

I am not surprised you hear so much difference between amps. the Q5 are very fast and transparent... the limiting factor is often the amp, not the Magico speakers. I don't believe the McIntosh were not working well with Magico because the Magico are difficult to drive. it is more than McIntosh are very sluggish amps: slow, fat bass, muddy. They enjoy great brand equity, but far from what you can achieve with more modern amps. Of course, there are still a lot of McIntosh fans, like there are also a lot of big Wilson fans.... this is the weight of history, even if a lot of newer brands are doing much better products these days.
I am a bit surprised that you find the Pass as working great. My experience of the Pass with Magico speakers has been nothing to mention. For example, I heard the S5 at Tokyo audio show last weekend, driven in the same room by both the Hegel amp and a pair of big Pass. The Hegel sounded so much better I was shocked.
From my experience, amps which work great with Magico are amps which work great with any great speakers: Constellation audio, Vitus Reference serie, the big Dartzeel, Soulution (but a bit too cold to my taste), Balabo, and in a cheaper category: Devialet and Hegel.