Magico S3 NFS Spinorama and comparison to Revel F228Be

[Ken Tajalli]

Agree it sure looks like it, but then Magico isn’t really comparing in the same price point. The A5 is $25k a pair. So if it’s better than the $11k Revel, then it’s like saying our speaker is better than one that is $14,000 less expensive than ours.

If I am not mistaken, the Revel in question is not just any 11k speaker. It is the best of them. To beat that you need to do some real home work. After 10k, I say the law of diminishing return starts to set in.
So if you want better than Revel, you need to spend a fair amount more. This section of the market is not based on competition on price.
If you got the dosh, at least you get the option.

 

[Drengur]

I had the opportunity to listen to their setup in München a few days ago. It was the S3 + the S-Sub MK II, I think.

It was far from the worst sounding room and far from the most expensive.

 

[Soniclife]

A good example of two phenomena:

a) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_causation
The difference of correlation and causality, as rather expensive loudspeakers will have such, see also

New evidence for the theory of the stork - PubMed

Data from Berlin (Germany) show a significant correlation between the increase in the stork population around the city and the increase in deliveries outside city hospitals (out-of-hospital deliveries). However, there is no correlation between deliveries in hospital buildings (clinical...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

b) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_illusion
People tend to notice something more often after noticing it for the first time, leading to the belief that it has an increased frequency of occurrence.

See also.

 

[Tovarich007]

Well, this thread is supposed to be a comparison between two models of these two excellent brands : the new Magico S3 (2023 version) and the Revel F2228 Be.

But to my great disappointment I haven't read in these 6 pages of comments any study about measurements comparison, subjective comparisons, etc., but lot of various chats talking about the Big Magico M9, the Genelec The Ones (excellent speakers too) including the massive new 8381 B and the advantage of multichannel vs. stereo (or reverse), all interesting in themseves but quite far from the subject of this thread, as often.

So please would you come back to the subject ? Can someone talk about his opinion about the respective measurments of these two speakers if he studied them ? Has anyone listened carefully to them in a real time comparision (with AQ level) ?

As for me, I've appreciated very much every Magico model I've listened to along the years (S3 former version, A3, M3) and I own an old pair of Revel Concerta F12, bought used at a very low price a few years ago. I appreciate them a lot, especially for their value for money and their rather neutral and precise, but not sterile, rendition. But Revel speaker are quite rare in France and Magico rather rare too, and it's impossible to get a direct comparison in the same acoustics, with the same electronics and the same musical sources.

Genelec are different kind of speakers, very precise and accurate, active and using DSP allowing room correction, thanks to GLM Genelec proprietary software). I've also appreciated quite a lot the different models of Genelec (old and new series) I've heard.
Obviously, they're all very good speakers made by 3 competent and serious companies, each one with different goals, technically and market-wise.

In absolute terms, active DSP speakers are more versatile and offer advantages vs. passive ones, but the build quality and the acoustic studies at Magico and Harman/Revel are second to none -in particular the Magico drivers are absolute SOTA- so I wonder what would be a full active DSP parametrable Revel or Magico, may be sorts of Genelec on steroids, at a very high price, of course.

 

[Lsc]

No one's talking about the fact
That all of Magico's speakers are made out of *Aluminum * and they sound very good
What a coincidence

The owner of Magico demoed me on the aluminum cabinet and its properties at Axpona. It’s definitely solid and is dead quiet. I still don’t know if it’s worth it but to some it is.

 

[GXAlan]

If I am not mistaken, the Revel in question is not just any 11k speaker. It is the best of them.

Agree. Just that Magico says “similar stature and price range” in the audio, when it clearly isn’t the same price range (if it’s the Revel).

They could have said similar stature. Revel is cheaper since it’s globally produced with MDF whereas Magico is US production with the last bit of rigidity and or performance costing more than 2x the price.

But once you say similar price range, a reasonable person would say that you have a swing of +/- 10% in price to be similar.

2.27x the price when that means $14,000 is not a similar price no matter how you look at it.

 

[Pearljam5000]

The owner of Magico demoed me on the aluminum cabinet and its properties at Axpona. It’s definitely solid and is dead quiet. I still don’t know if it’s worth it but to some it is.

It's better than MDF for sure

 

[YSC]

at least Tom Cruise have his money spent on something really SOTA then

 

[Pearljam5000]

at least Tom Cruise have his money spent on something really SOTA then

He bought the M9?
Since when scientology memberes are audiophiles lol

 

[RayDunzl]

at least Tom Cruise have his money spent on something really SOTA then

He's into aluminum antiques, too...

I had one, but it was plastic and a lot smaller.

 

[fpitas]

He's into antiques, too...

He needs that for strafing runs on Xenu.

 

[nerdoldnerdith]

Why don't they just release the data?

 

[Pearljam5000]

Some proportions on sizes

 

[ctrl]

It's too bad that one can't really see the details on the video.

This would make it possible to compare measurements of cabinet front baffle vibrations with the acoustic NFS measurements. It would allow a classification of how audible the cabinet vibrations might be compared to e.g. present drive unit resonances.

On the video one can see the strongest front baffle cabinet vibration of the F228Be. If I read it correctly, this is at 242.2 Hz (I might be wrong).


We have Amir's NFS measurements of the F228Be and can compare if there is anything significant at 242Hz (if we assume that the front baffle vibration always occurs at the same frequency):

At 242Hz is a small resonance peak. If we assume that the NFS measured resonance at 242Hz is completely due to the front baffle vibrations, then the effects are very small despite everything.
The F228Be has an unusual amount of resonance in the low-mid range, so the front baffle vibration does not seem to be a big problem compared to the driver resonances.

 

[pablolie]

He's into aluminum antiques, too...

I had one, but it was plastic and a lot smaller.

Epic.

My dad was a German solider in WW2. He shot down a P-51 that had strafed his regiment in Normandy commanding a flak in a suicidal way (which he clearly survived, even though he admitted he was entirely intending to die in that battle-lust moment). He lovingly built P-51 models for the rest of his life, I have vivid memories of assisting him - those were quality time moments between dad and son. It got him the Iron Cross first class, which he exchanged for 2 or 3 potatoes with a GI while on the POW boat to Canada. He never moved back to Germany after WW2.

Our P-51 models did win a prize or two in those model competitions. I don't know why but typing this made me shed a tear. Those guys were something else. He did meet the P-51 pilot (he did bail out and was fine, even though lost a foot - my dad lost an eye) after WW2 and they became life-long friends. RIP, guys. In a twist of fate, they died within 48 hours of each other.

 

[richard12511]

Agree it sure looks like it, but then Magico isn’t really comparing in the same price point. The A5 is $25k a pair. So if it’s better than the $11k Revel, then it’s like saying our speaker is better than one that is $14,000 less expensive than ours.

Agreed the price point is totally different, which makes the "similar stature and price point" claim a bit weird. I guess the similar stature part is at least true.

 

[Short38]

This is one fine thread: P 51 Mustang, lots of big speakers, confusion over what is being compared to that Magico, some guy who doesn’t review active speakers, Bose 901, multichannel (I’m old an lost track after 2 channel). Love ASR. BUT seems like a lot of noise. We’ll’ never get close to a live performance at the symphony hall of your choice. Small ensembles will sound good. Probably worth revisiting Dr Bose theoretical papers and give some thought to designing a modern 901. There are few threads here that cause me to wonder if we are in troll land. Some guy with giant house looking for something. Another guy with 3,000+ responses to a request for end game speakers. Follow the science for the electronics. Follow the science for speakers but pick something that makes you happy.

 

[kma100]

Funnily enough, a very succinct summary

 

[Tovarich007]

Yes, another promising but in the end pointless thread.

We've even got a heart touching story about two WW II veterans ; well, to tell the truth, it was the only post in all these 6 pages which raised my interest for human reason, though it was lightyears from the subject.

In 6 pages, we haven't got any valuable information on what should be the initial subject. Ah yes, I forgot : the Magico is more than 2 times expensive than the Revel.
Oh man, whaoo ! what a breaking news ! I urge you to call CNN, ABC, the BBC, Fox news and The New York times to pass them this fantastic info we all knew for long !

But Good Heaven, that is NOT the issue ! Magico and Revel have different sizes, different market targets, diffèrent components, so yeah, their prices are definitely a lot different. Nevretheless, the only question of this thread was : do they compare by performance, objective and subjective, or not ? That's not a question of price and market targets !

So go on bla bla, folks, but without me....

 

[Pearljam5000]

Yes, another promising but in the end pointless thread.

We've even got a heart touching story about two WW II veterans ; well, to tell the truth, it was the only post in all these 6 pages which raised my interest for human reason, though it was lightyears from the subject.

In 6 pages, we haven't got any valuable information on what should be the initial subject. Ah yes, I forgot : the Magico is more than 2 times expensive than the Revel.
Oh man, whaoo ! what a breaking news ! I urge you to call CNN, ABC, the BBC, Fox news and The New York times to pass them this fantastic info we all knew for long !

But Good Heaven, that is NOT the issue ! Magico and Revel have different sizes, different market targets, diffèrent components, so yeah, their prices are definitely a lot different. Nevretheless, the only question of this thread was : do they compare by performance, objective and subjective, or not ? That's not a question of price and market targets !

So go on bla bla, folks, but without me....