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Old 11-30-2013, 04:52 AM
Bodhisattva
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Default Magico S5's update

Hi folks, my S5's clicked over the 100hr mark today, so I thought i'd re-post this email I sent to one of my audiophile buddies stateside marking the milestone...

"Hi mate,

As promised I am getting back to you to share my thoughts on my system. My S5's now have around 100hrs on them & are starting to open up nicely. Last night I ended up crashing with my system left on, so by the morning it was well and truly warmed up! I have been listening to cd's all day today, and switched the Vitus over to Class A mode to do some semi-critical listening. I quite enjoy world and meditation cd's, and was listening to a Tibetan meditation cd which featured chanting and percussion instruments such as Tibetan singing bowls, the ragdung, cymbals, gongs & the Tibetan thighbone. What I love about these speakers is how engaging and musical they sound in synergy with the rest of my gear. Even the Taoc racks contribute a bit of body and touch of warmth.

The S5's are chameleons in the way they present music, or a better way of describing them is great "all rounders". First thing this morning I listened to Pink Floyd - Pulse. The S5's don't hold back and give you concert level energy when the music calls for it, whilst their fast transients, rich textures and speed provide plenty of detail and information and an emotional connection to the music. Delicate bells ring with an echo which floats in space, cymbals and brushes on a snare drum have bloom and fast shimmering decays. Listening to Nora Jones on the S5's is a delight as the S5's warmth, body, speed & solid low and mid-bass foundations give a warm, intimate sound to her voice and give brass realistic color and body, with airy, fast top end. Of course, some credit needs to go to the Vitus SIA-025 running in Class A & terrific Jorma Prime cables. Even small details like my Oyaide R1 twin outlet matter imho.

Coming back to the Tibetan meditation cd I listened to, that showed me the other side of the S5's; their delicacy, body and speed. Tibetan singing bowls and flutes truly sound transcendental and the S5's almost disappear. Not bad for speakers with 100hrs sitting flat on pieces of carpet not even on their factory feet!

When discussing the S5's however, it's impossible not to mention the Q3's. In response to a letter, Jeff Fritz had this to say about the the two speakers - "As for sound quality, the Q3 is going to be the more transparent, more neutral loudspeaker, with greater resolving capability from the lowest bass to the highest treble. There are several reasons for this superiority: the Q-series products have less-resonant cabinets, Magico’s Nano-Tec drivers for the woofers and mids, and more advanced beryllium tweeters. The sound of the Q3, which I had in my room, is outstanding in every regard, but there is one reason a listener might choose the S5: voicing in the bass. The S5 is richer and more fulsome in the lows and some might prefer that type of sound."

Picking up on one point Jeff raised, the best way imho to reduce cabinet resonance and substantially improve the sound of the S5's is by replacing the factory feet with Stillpoints Ultra 5's and Ultra bases which add height adjustment and further improve the Ultra 5's performance. That removes one advantage the Q3's have over the S5's, bringing the S5's closer to the Q3's. I think Jeff didn't give the S5's midrange/mid bass coupler enough credit. It is basically the same Nano-Tec midrange as the Q3's with dual-neodymium underhung motor system and titanium voice coil, only tuned for the S5's greater power handling. As for the tweeter, it uses the same Berylium diaphragm and surround as the Q series, Magico design (which is again tuned for the S5's), though assembled off-site by one Magico's partners.

Once my S5's reach 500hrs and we've installed the Stillpoints Ultra 5's and Ultra bases, I expect the speakers to sound overall more transparent, attacks and decays to further improve, the bass to open up more & highs should lose any residual edge from new. I already sense at 100hrs the speakers are starting to disappear a bit more, and there should be a dramatic improvement once the above milestone is reached.

As for the Wilson Alexias, I would definitely recommend listening to them with different amps in a treated listening room, and if possible in different setups to see if you like them. But you already know my view about those speakers

Anyway, hope that provides some insight!

Regards,
David."
  #2  
Old 11-30-2013, 05:13 AM
4RE 4RE is offline
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It is 'just' these nuanced experiences shared at AA which made membership a natural step, thank you for sharing! My V2's coming in soon, so very exciting times ahead and never a dull moment here :-) must be crazy bought them blind.. would you call me crazy?
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Old 11-30-2013, 05:26 AM
Bodhisattva
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 4RE View Post
It is 'just' these nuanced experiences shared at AA which made membership a natural step, thank you for sharing! My V2's coming in soon, so very exciting times ahead and never a dull moment here :-) must be crazy bought them blind.. would you call me crazy?
Thanks for your kind words 4RE Also congratulations on your purchase of the V2's! As I recall the V2's sound smooth and serve both jazz and female voice well. Anyway it's great to see your excitement, and no I don't think buying on impulse is crazy. If you're heart was telling you to go for it, the chances are happy times are ahead. Fortune favors the brave as they say! Be sure to post a thread after your speakers land in chez 4RE

Last edited by Bodhisattva; 11-30-2013 at 06:18 AM. Reason: spastic typing :D
  #4  
Old 11-30-2013, 06:21 AM
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imprezap2 imprezap2 is offline
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Hi David,

Good to hear you enjoy your set, but I think that the stillpoints will not influence the cabinet resonances, they will still be there as this is the energy coming from the cabinet itself when playing, here the Q3 has the advantage and will color less. (meaning less sound from cabinet, only from drivers)

How hot is the Vitus getting when running in Class A, I am wondering as I am a class A adict, my E-560 is getting up to 53 degrees celcius when fully warm (at the hottest point, inside on the aluminium fins)

Would love to hear your set up

Olaf
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Old 11-30-2013, 06:44 AM
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CLEE CLEE is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bodhisattva View Post
Hi folks, my S5's clicked over the 100hr mark today, so I thought i'd re-post this email I sent to one of my audiophile buddies stateside marking the milestone...."
Good post! Congrat on reaching 100 hrs. As I approach 600 hrs on my S5 I observe the bass is even more at ease, with fuller bloom when called for, but with no loss of definition. Many speakers have good definition in the mid range but cannot maintain it in the bass region. Magico speakers has high resolution across the entire sonic spectrum, greatly contributing to their coherent presentation.
  #6  
Old 11-30-2013, 09:10 AM
Bodhisattva
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Originally Posted by imprezap2 View Post
Hi David,

Good to hear you enjoy your set, but I think that the stillpoints will not influence the cabinet resonances, they will still be there as this is the energy coming from the cabinet itself when playing, here the Q3 has the advantage and will color less. (meaning less sound from cabinet, only from drivers)

How hot is the Vitus getting when running in Class A, I am wondering as I am a class A adict, my E-560 is getting up to 53 degrees celcius when fully warm (at the hottest point, inside on the aluminium fins)

Would love to hear your set up

Olaf
Hi Olaf,

Thanks for your advice. Yes I agree the S5's extruded cabinet will be more resonant than the Q3, hence using the Stillpoints. I guess experience is the best test of whether a product is going to work. The Vitus SIA-025 suffers some cabinet resonance due to the amount of gear Vitus stuffed into that thing. I originally set up my amp on a set of 4 FE Cerabase Classic feet on the floor, however when I installed the amp on my Taoc rack with a set of 4 Stillpoints Ultra 5's, the background became blacker and bass improved, Then we added an Ultra LPI on top which cleaned the last bit of hash away, and brought the sound stage into clearer focus. I couldn't believe the difference. It was in the order of magnitude of a component change...and I already had the amp on good feet!

I haven't measured the temperature of the SIA-025 running in class A. After being on all day in class A mode, it only gets very warm to perhaps mildy hot. At full tilt it can get a little uncomfortable to leave your hand on the top of cabinet, but i'd be confident it doesn't get as hot as the Accuphase. In class A/B the Vitus only gets warm.

It's a shame you live in the Netherlands, however if you one day Visit Victorian where I am from you're welcome to drop in for lunch & a listening session.

Cheers,

Last edited by Bodhisattva; 11-30-2013 at 09:17 AM.
  #7  
Old 11-30-2013, 09:25 AM
Bodhisattva
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Originally Posted by CLEE View Post
Good post! Congrat on reaching 100 hrs. As I approach 600 hrs on my S5 I observe the bass is even more at ease, with fuller bloom when called for, but with no loss of definition. Many speakers have good definition in the mid range but cannot maintain it in the bass region. Magico speakers has high resolution across the entire sonic spectrum, greatly contributing to their coherent presentation.
Thanks for your encouraging feedback Clee. Yes the mid bass/midrange coupler & tweeter I noticed are opening up and smoothing out a bit quicker than the big bass drivers which seem to require more time. With that said, straight out of the box the S5's already sound very good. The easiest way to describe the burn in process is the speakers disappear more and more each week
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Old 11-30-2013, 11:04 AM
mgbaron mgbaron is offline
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If I were you I would just go ahead and install the feet now. I would think the benefit would still be noticeable and you'll get 400 hours more enjoyment out of them.
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Old 11-30-2013, 12:22 PM
rlacoste rlacoste is offline
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Originally Posted by mgbaron View Post
If I were you I would just go ahead and install the feet now. I would think the benefit would still be noticeable and you'll get 400 hours more enjoyment out of them.
Indeed. Feet on all Magico acoustic suspension design speakers are a MUST. Magico can’t emphasizes it enough. As was told here before, you should NOT use the Stillpoints, these are not the proper coupling devices for these speakers.
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Old 11-30-2013, 03:24 PM
A.Wayne A.Wayne is offline
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Now we need an Alexia vs S5 update ......
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