Magico S5

[Portugal]

[ame=http://youtu.be/Hhuqgl-G6OE]Audioshow 2012 Best Of Show Constellation Magico - YouTube[/ame]

Playing at the Lisbon Audio Show.

Only listened for 10 minutes (big show and I was in a rush) but was well impressed.

Already requested a private audition.

Hi guys, i'm interested to ask some of you folks who have had a play around with setting up S5's if these beasts would be too big for my listening room & if there is enough room for them to throw a good sound stage and coherent image?

Here is some info on my room -

- Room size (approx) - 7.0 meters long x 4 meters deep (at edge of timber landing) or 5 meters deep to back wall behind stairs

- Floor - Tiled over a concrete slab. Unsure if suspended, but standard apartment building construction.

- Walls - Plasterboard

- Drapery - large carpeted rug in front of the speakers & a 3 meter long soft apolstered sofa on the rear wall/

Cheers guys,

[asiufy]

S5 too big? No, not at all.
I've got a Q3 running on a room similar to yours, and it's wonderful.
Go for it
Read the setup instructions, it'll give you a good idea of how to place them in your room. Basically, divide the length by 14, and place the speakers at position 3 and 11. Then toe-in to taste.

alexandre

Hi Alexandre, thanks for your feedback, though the S5's are quite a different speaker..especially in respect of bass dynamics. My concern is in an untreated room my size they may sound too boomy? I know someone who is having the same problem (boomy bass) with S5 in a 4 x 7 treated room

[asiufy]

I've heard the S5 in the same room I heard the Q3 and Q7. I'll go as far as to say that, with the right gear, it's nearly impossible to get boomy bass out of these things. The bass is so tight and controlled that even in the smallest rooms they'll sound good (and yours is not a small room by any margin!)
I understand the S5 is optimized for "more bass", but it's still miles ahead of traditional cone/wood speakers.
What you should worry, instead of the room, is the gear you plug them into. No need for monster amps, though... What are you going to play it with?


alexandre

Originally Posted by asiufy

I've heard the S5 in the same room I heard the Q3 and Q7. I'll go as far as to say that, with the right gear, it's nearly impossible to get boomy bass out of these things. The bass is so tight and controlled that even in the smallest rooms they'll sound good (and yours is not a small room by any margin!)
I understand the S5 is optimized for "more bass", but it's still miles ahead of traditional cone/wood speakers.
What you should worry, instead of the room, is the gear you plug them into. No need for monster amps, though... What are you going to play it with?


alexandre

Hi Alexandre, thanks for your advice. I think my friend's room has issues with thin plaster walls. His room is enclosed also, whereas my room is has a bit more soft furnishings & has an open atrium to the right of the rh speaker, so there is more room for the speakers to breath, albeit they will be closer to the rear wall. I'll be driving the S5's with my Boulder 1060. And i've decided to put my Boulder 1010 pre up for sale & will be buying an ARC Ref 5SE to add some warmth/dimensionality and slightly soften the sound. What do you think of this combination?

Cheers,

[asiufy]

Plaster is a sure fire way to kill the sound of any room. Tell him to play with adding some wood accents to that plaster wall.

I don't have a high regard for ARC gear, so I'd stick with Boulder if I were you. I've heard that pre you have, paired with the Boulder 2060, and they were great! I'd wait until you try your current setup with the S5, and see how it sounds.


alexandre

Hi Alexandre, as an alternative to wood accents, my Dealer uses professional room treatments which I think have been fairly successful.

Re: ARC, have you had a chance to hear an ARC Reference 5SE? That pre took a big leap forward in design and sound from the previous Ref 5. Every review including Stereophile, Hifi Critic & Jonathan Valin's blog comments suggest it slightly pips the CJ Gat, which is big praise indeed. I know ARC (or tubes for that matter) are not everyone's cup of tea. With that said, the input impedance of the 1060 is 100k ohms (balanced) which is benign to even the weakest tube preamps. I've also received great feedback from another 1060 owner who tried this combination. The 1010 is certainly an excellent solid state preamp & would have obvious synergy with the 1060, though the S5's do tend to sound better with either tube, or tube-like amps (examples being all-tube Vac amps, Vitus & Dartzeel). So I guess it is a matter of taste

[turntable]

IMO, If all you play is audiophile jazz and female vocals the ref5se might be a good fit. It is quite grand sounding, however I found it a bit slow, laid back and dark sounding. The cj GAT is quite a lot better.

Cheers

Hi TT, I was scratching my head a bit trying to see how you found the Ref 5SE a bit slow as you described. Yes, it's a bit laid back & a bit on the dark side which can be a good thing with some amps & speakers. I don't know much about your Premier 8A amp, though I can tell you the Boulder 1060 is a fast amp, so the ARC would provide a nice balance.

I did a search online along the lines of "Audio Resarch Reference 5 SE" "slow" and I was struggling to find any such similar commentary. I even searched the Hifi Critic & Stereophile reviews and could find no supporting views. On the contrary, in Stereophile's lab report, John Atkinson summarized by saying "Audio Research's Reference 5 SE is a superb-measuring preamplifier".

The CJ Gat probably should be a bit nicer given it's $20k price tag. I think the key is optimizing the Ref 5SE. I plan to install faster matched 6H30DR tubes & place it on a HRS M3X iso base with Jorma Prime xlr's & a Prime pc. Ultra Audio reviewed the earlier model HRS M3 iso base and had this to say - "The M3 Isolation Base increased resolution, focus, pace, and reduced the noise floor dramatically". Could be just what the Doctor ordered. Then let's see what it can do!