Magico Q3 & Q1 revealed!
OU812 -- Tue, 12/14/2010 - 21:54
Check 'em out here:
http://magico.net/Product/Q3/Q3_01.php
Here we go again!
The whole website has been updated with some interesting new info as well.
Also, the Ultimate, M6 and Mini II have been removed from the Product page. The Ultimates are still in very limited production (and have just been upgraded to Version 3) but I know for a fact the M6 was discontinued about 6 months ago. And now it looks like the Mini II's have been as well. Hopefully their replacement ('Q2' or perhaps 'MiniQ') is right around the corner!
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1-6-11 Update :
The Computer Audiophile website is one of the first to post some decent (but not great) pics of Magico's CES surprise, their little secret weapon, the brand new Q1!
Check it out here:
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/CES-Day-One-Notes
I've updated the name of this thread to include the Q1.
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Great! I hope this speaker gets a fair review. No pre review half a - - leaks, biased reviews or wishy washy stuff....one day one the other day something else. The V3 was a very expensive speaker where one reviewer said it was equal to 100k speakers and another of the same magazine saying its not even good. I hope reviewers spend some good time with this or anyother speaker....testing it fully, and then if need be give the best ever speaker on the plannet of the month award. The dCs Puccini is a cutting edge player....almost all well respected reviewers will say its at the top....and if someone says its not even good....then Id be worried about credibility and be back to step one. And yes a Q2 should be around the corner....If magico have struck gold with the new milling machienes and technology it would make sense to apply it to the other older models/technology....as with most other products out there and move ahead to the future. I would guess that a Q2 is coming...
>best ever speaker on the planet of the month award
LOL
Very interesting! Elliot, are you watching this?
I think this is exciting news, and somewhat predictable. I like the 90 db efficiency spec. That is a bit of a departure. As an owner of the now discontinued Mini II, I'm curious about what will replace it, if anything. The aesthetics of an all aluminum mini monitor on a stand would make a very interesting design exercise.
It would be a very expensive upgrade in an aesthetic exercise.
Sam, that is an interesting point. I happen to really like the Baltic birch/aluminum baffle look of the older line, especially with my traditional decor. However, sonics trump aesthetics, IMO. Like the Q3, my former speaker, the Eggleston Rosa, was a 250 lbs, five-driver, black-granite monolith aesthetic which I also liked very much. If the Q5/M5 comparison is an indication of the future, Magico may be quite successful at introducing better sonics/technology at lower price points with the new designs. That is something even the skeptics should appreciate.
After so many years of great press Magico is not really a new company anymore. But their prices are totally random. It's like investing with Bernie Madoff, one day something is worth thousands and few months later less then half. The up and down keeps going. The Q5 was 60% of the price of M5. But with this Q3 they have added one more driver and increased it's price even more than the old V3. Which again puts the milling machines and cheaper manufacturing stories unreliable. If money is no object then those guys can switchout anything they like but for the rest of the 95% of Audiophiles where price does matter, one needs to be careful. The prices go up and down like crazy which is fine for those who could care less. Otherwise surely are great sounding products.
Will it be the Classic - 1, 2, or 3?
Hello: This is my first post on this forum. I am interested in magico of course and would like a feel for how those owners felt after Magico discontinued the Mini 2. Also why did the company discontinue the Mini 2?
I for one, would most likely been unscrewed with fury, learning that my 30K investment was nevermore. Please advise, perhaps I am missing something.
Why would it be nevermore?
Please see my post below. It did not come through in my intended location as a response to Rick D. Sorry.
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Hello Rick,
Yours is an interesting presumption. Perhaps more in line with the criticism of the M5, though JV has addressed your comments elsewhere. I own the Magico Mini II. I bought a very slightly used pair for 60% of retail. I love the way they look and more importantly, I love the way they sound. I'm sure that whatever speaker design replaces them will sound better, that's just the way Magico and most manufacturers develop products. It may even cost less. I tend not to dwell on such things. What happens to the value of a BMW two years later? What about the first generation of iPhone or iPad? I think my $20K investment is far from nevermore. I enjoy these speakers for hours each evening. I predict the Mini II will be considered a classic monitor and command a respectable resale value for years to come. This is the speaker that put Magico on the map and it still sounds great.
I know this sounds a bit defensive, and I don't mean it to. I do like the direction of the new Magico speakers. I have heard the Q5 and I'm sure the Q3 is superb and its efficiency is a big plus. I don't happen to like the look of the Q1, especially in relation to the looks of the Mini II.
Do other owners share Rick's sentiments?
Peter u r a smart man. Put some good use of the $15000 u saved. Your analogy to BMW is great. As soon as u unbox a pair of these the price plummets down. Just like driving a Beamer out the lot. BMWs and these speakers r clearly not for everyone. Just like $1000 shoes $500 jeans not for everyone. If u got the money u r free to use how u want. So in that sence bloomingdales......I mean Magico can continue as usual:) happy listening.
Thank you for your comments. I should have not used the term, "nevermore". I think it well stated that as long as the product is being enjoyed, it is not nevermore. My comments were slanted towards the decisions the/a company makes or made, discontinuing a product (the mini in this case) then quickly discontinuing the survivor model (MIni 2). I want to trust the company I do business with, to have that company show that it supports my decision to do business with them, by attempting to become a stable business that has at its main goal that goal being in business tomorrow. I would like to know the company rational for discontinuing this newly launched product.
I get a feeling that this company, with cheers from me for what evidently is a fabulous product, is not yet where I would like it to be, to invest in its future.
I think their goal is a simple one, to make the best loudspeaker possible. That means that as they improve the technology, they upgrade models. No different really than any speaker company, except perhaps that some of the changes have been pretty far-reaching.
The important thing I think is to keep in mind that the release of a new speaker doesn't mean that the last one is suddenly no good! It's like your computer -- Intel comes out with new chips all the time, a bit faster, a bit more powerful, but the computer you bought last year still does it's job. There's a certain temptation to have the latest and greatest, yes, just because it's cool -- but if you aren't enjoying what you have even if it's last year's model, there's something wrong.
Don't invest in Majico stock yet. Or I guess u should if it goes big. Right now not just this company but most ultra brands seem to be gathering the last of the kills. In the next five to 10 years as oldies die out this stuff won't be around cuz no one will buy it. The lower end segment may boom. And I suspect that it will have to be with Apple products in some form. When you know a disaster or storm is coming u gather things and run. Right now we r in gathering phase. In about 5 years it will be running phase. Although dealers are already in the running phase.
The fact that the Mini 2 is discontinued does not mean it that it has stopped being a fabulous speaker that can be enjoyed for years to come. The only problem arises if you try to sell it a few months after having bought it. Then you get a big hit. Otherwise, it really makes no difference. Hifi products get discontinued, so do cars, computers, cameras, clothes, TVs, dishwashers and anything else you care to mention. Every product gets updated in one way or another (looks, performance etc..) and, usually, you get more for your money in every generation of a product.
Sam,
I'm not aware that the public can buy Magico stock. (BTW, it's with a G not a J). Where did you hear/read that? Thanks.
Peter, it was a sarcastic joke. My bad... It is Magico.....they do magic....and ur money and their product vanishes in thin air. People can do as they please...my main point was that highend is on it's last leg.....shoddy Buisness practices will come to an end in many areas....I think high end will take a new turn in a few years. The good thing is that MIT, Magico, Wilson, TAS and etc... Will get a nice early retirement. It's up to the future companies and guys where they take this.
VPI isn't going anywhere! Despite the fact that you have yet to purchase one of Harry's "Classic" tables, because JV/Mikey haven't reviewed them.
No matter how much doom and gloom you post, Sam, the high end will survive.
I had a VPI HW 19 Mk IV, and wasn't too impressed, but that could of been the ET-2 tonearm, or Lyra Clavis De Cappo cartridge I had on it, you never know. I did choose an upgraded pump and filter for the arm, and of course used the VPI speed control box (synchronous drive system/sds), but to no avail at all. Perhaps there were other upgrades I could of tried before giving up on it. In retrospect, I should of probably started at the TNT, but I didn't have much 180 gram vinyl to justify a top-line rig. My old "hand-me-down" record collection hardly justifies the more than the little Sony direct drive / Grado MM cartridge found combo I've got going now. Of the contemporary 'tables, the Continuum line looks well designed and made for the 'phile, and up my alley. The Thorens TD-309 looks cute as well, as an everyday home use object, and am tempted to pick one up, in red, come to think of it.
Anyone had a chance to give the Magico Q3 a good listen, and compare it to any other speakers out there?
I listened to the B&W 802 diamond, finally, on upsampled CD (Classe CDP), in a well treated room, driven by dual Classe CT-M600's and it was bordering on spectacular: still 16-bit "hi-fi" effect sounding, but really suprising low bass delivery, and well-sounding, natural vocals. Not a revelation, but a step-up from what I'm used to hearing.
Also listened to the Wilson Sasha W/P, driven by dual McIntosh MC601's, and the sound was lively and quite fun. Much better than the last time I've heard McIntosh and Wilson together - McIntosh seem to have stepped up their game with the 601's quite a bit. Sound was completely sluggish before.
Next up is the Focal / JM Lab Scala Uptopia's, driven by Bryston 28B-SST2's.
The other local options are Ayre MXR's, and VTL MB-450II's for higher powered amps, and Avalon Indras for speakers.
If one of these options jumps out at me, I'll go for it, but still interested in the Magico stuff. Will hopefully upgrade my entire system.
Hopefully, I can choose models up the line, if what I listen to appeals to me, but doesn't say, have enough bass, or move enough air.