While Magico's cabinet work is rather nice, I've not seen them measure any better than other well designed speakers in the few analyses I've found for them.
There is something that can be done in DIY for that kind of money but only if you know what are you doing.
How much do you think this cost to make ?
In DIY segment one can make rigid and inert multilayer box, but there's just not much off-the-shelf drivers suitable for closed box, and, for sure, good distortion is the thing that DIYer must find out himself.Nothing I have seen, with 8+ frq plots, come close. Certainly not for $3000
Take a look at the S5 THD measurements (https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/i...&catid=77:loudspeaker-measurements&Itemid=153). This is as good as THD measurements ever capture by SS in the NRC. And these are the old S5, still with a Scan Speak tweeter. Keep in mind these are sealed and pistonic throughout the entire audible range. Frq plots show only one part of the equation. The nonlinear distortion plots is what will separates the men from the boys. Nothing I have seen, with 8+ frq plots, come close. Certainly not for $3000 (or $30K).
Well, it also depends on how the measurements are presented...Take a look at the S5 THD measurements (https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/i...&catid=77:loudspeaker-measurements&Itemid=153). This is as good as THD measurements ever capture by SS in the NRC. And these are the old S5, still with a Scan Speak tweeter. Keep in mind these are sealed and pistonic throughout the entire audible range. Frq plots show only one part of the equation. The nonlinear distortion plots is what will separates the men from the boys. Nothing I have seen, with 8+ frq plots, come close. Certainly not for $3000 (or $30K).
Take a look at the S5 THD measurements (https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/i...&catid=77:loudspeaker-measurements&Itemid=153). This is as good as THD measurements ever capture by SS in the NRC. And these are the old S5, still with a Scan Speak tweeter. Keep in mind these are sealed and pistonic throughout the entire audible range. Frq plots show only one part of the equation. The nonlinear distortion plots is what will separates the men from the boys. Nothing I have seen, with 8+ frq plots, come close. Certainly not for $3000 (or $30K).
A few years ago , they would have been the stuff of wet dreams ...
Taking into account cost vs performance, I'm still not seeing a great value proposition in these - that may not be important to others, but it certainly is to me. While they're indeed very well engineered, we tend to rather immune to hearing distortion unless it's extreme. Therefore, I certainly wouldn't toss $38K USD at them for the privilege of knowing that nothing is there, in terms of distortion, that I most likely wouldn't hear from lesser engineered speaker with a bit more distortion anyway.
I see. So when I point out to a significant measurable data, like THD, you dismiss its value, yet you point out to “chewed up response at 100 Hz - 300 Hz” - in what looks like an unsmoothed response - something that for sure no one can hear (and probably a measurement artifact, since it is in a bandpass). I am afraid this argument will go nowhere...
In terms of value, to each is own. I own both the Revel (F228Be), and the Magico A3 (soon the A5). Measurements and SQ aside (Despite HK reports, it will take an experienced listener 2 sec to hear the A3 superiority), the quality of construction, and therefore pride of ownership is of a different league altogether. To some people, there is value in that as well.
Despite HK reports, it will take an experienced listener 2 sec to hear the A3 superiority
Harman Kardon?What are "HK reports"?
Oh, but they matter.
To make a wooden cabinet as acoustically inert as aluminium cabinet is extremely difficult. There are many speaker driver manufacturers out there but their drivers usually must multitask to adhere to the greater audience. Making your loudspeaker from scratch gives you the opportunity to specialize drivers for intended purpose only. Until someone points to a model of 3000 bucks/pair of factory made loudspeaker that can match in every way to Magico M6 "with a little eq", i think there is not much to say.
There is something that can be done in DIY for that kind of money but only if you know what are you doing.
How much do you think this costs to make ?
They matter to the extent that they improve performance that we can measure. Without better measurements, what use is all this "good stuff"?
Honestly if you show me spinorama data from the Magico stuff that beats the best Revel/KEF stuff, then I'll shut up. Until then, all the "nice stuff" that comes from Magico and other custom shops is just "nice to haves" or fluff that don't actually improve objective performance.
Spinorama is not the end-all.
The Spinorama doesn’t show you anything about nonlinear distortion, which is a significant part of the overall SQ (what happens when SPL increases, etc.).
The same speaker in MDF enclosure would sound completely different than if it was made out of fiberglass or aluminum, yet it would look the same on the Spinorama.
Knowing that your F228Be has similar or lower levels of nonlinear distortion to your A3, this is unlikely to explain your perception that the latter sounds clearly better. What in terms of objective metrics would you suggest distinguishes the A3?
Never seen a F228Be nonlinear distortion (Nor of an A3), can you point to them?