“Le luxe est une affaire d’argent. L’élégance est une question d’éducation.”
English translation: luxury is a matter of money. Elegance is a question of education.
The above quote encapsulates the essence of the Magico A3 speakers. Its sonic elegance is a result of years of scientific research and technological know-how.
For their size and price point, the A3s encompass far more design details than meets the eye.
For their size and price point, the A3s encompass far more design details than meets the eye.
THE VERY FIRST IMPACT
I know of no other speaker on the market which has generated as much buzz as the 3-way Magico A3s. Amongst the myriad of controversial opinions, many of which were formulated before proper evaluations, a reviewer’s integrity rests upon an unbiased evaluation. I have had the opportunity to hear the A3s in a few different settings, though none can provide an environment as good as my own listening room for an objective assessment.
As soon as the A3s arrived, I couldn't keep my excitement bottled away. I immediately unpacked the speakers and installed them in their rightful position. My listening room has a few calculated and marked spots for speakers. To my surprise the A3s encountered no room acoustic issues and simply began to sing. I must have lucked out, because seldom would a new pair of speakers work so well fresh out of the box—and most certainly not with speakers of this size!? Not at all…
Right off the bat, the advantages of sealed box designs came to the fore, but I am sure it cannot be the only attribute contributing to the positive impact. The next big surprise was the A3's ability to deliver higher sound energy levels. I believe each audio system has an optimum sound level that optimizes their performance, and I often have to push the speakers quite hard in order to determine what that volume level is. As I walked over to touch the speaker cabinet, I detected almost no inertia or resonances even at very high volume levels!
Have you ever wondered why a loudness knob is found on a lot of the receivers from previous decades? That is because, as any audio professional knows, the human ear is designed in such a way that we simply cannot perceive the lower registers objectively at whispering levels. I was more than happy to hear how well the A3 speakers could lock and load at their needed gain momentum. Clearly, the A3s are designed from the ground up to handle proper energy distribution.
The most grand of all positive attributes is the A3's ability to deliver lower octaves while delivering high frequency extensions. This was consistent in all of the all of the events and closed listening sessions I attended. The Magico M3 and M6’s diamond coated beryllium tweeters have already shifted my paradigm on typical dome tweeters. Magico A3's price tag certainly doesn't allow the diamond coating, yet the stress-free higher notes can be easily recognized by the listener, as is the case of the M3 and M6s. The feather-like lightness of acoustical cues and focal points could also be easily recognized. This was once again confirmed with metallic percussions—where normal dome tweeters can easily distort when pushed to the extreme, this was not the case with the A3’s tweeter. Sadly, even some of the most seasoned reviewers have been accustomed to this phenomenon and have embraced it as an acceptable standard. I could never accept this irritation as the norm, which is why I generally prefer ribbon tweeters or compression drivers. As mentioned before, the M3 and M6 were the first speakers to exhibit stress free highs, and in some ways they might have transcended the performance of ribbons and compression drivers, which is quite an accomplishment.
Thankfully, the A3 speakers carry the same sonic characteristics equally as impressive as their bigger brother, though perhaps they are slightly less refined. Even with the simple test of replaying the hi-hat drum with increasing loudness, they exhibit their unique capability of delivering undistorted highs easily. The Magico A3s reflect the inner mechanics of real world aural densities that defines the timbre of an instrument very intimately. As sound level increases, the drumstick appears to hit the metal harder, yet it was rendered without the slightest hint of distortion. In my book, this is not simply an evolution, it is actually a sonic breakthrough!
THE SOUND
A number of manufacturers are advertising their loudspeakers as musical instruments. I do prefer musical instruments to sound lifelike, and in this regard, Magico speakers are as bold and as uncompromising as Alon Wolf’s personality is.
A year ago, when I was returning from a trip to Tuscany, Wolf invited me to stop by at Italian premiere of the M6 speakers at “Hi-Fi Tomassini.” What was supposed to be a short stopover turned into a two-day association with Alon Wolf. I truly enjoyed our conversations together. Through them I discovered that Wolf is fiercely complex, genuine, and has real passions for music, photography, cars, and life in general. Most importantly, I gained a much deeper understanding of Wolf’s mindset, as well as Magico’s design philosophy.
I consider myself a hard worker. Wolf and I share a similar 24/7 work ethic. It is a trait often found with the entrepreneurs of smaller boutique high-end manufacturers or startup companies. Yet what sets Magico apart from other companies is their technological assets, know-how, and contemporary approach.
As much as we want to perceive the audio industry as a gigantic global marketplace, it’s still a niche market compared to other luxury segments. And whether we like it nor not, we embraced the threshold of luxurious dealings in our niche industry a long time ago. We need innovative companies to push technologically barriers forward. Undoubtedly, Magico is at the very forefront of forward-thinking companies, always ready to explore new materials, new design approaches, and technological innovations.
Looking back in time, if there is one speaker that holds a special place in my heart, it would be the Magico V3. It has a beautiful, timeless design that distinguished it from its peers back then, and still sets them apart today. I wouldn’t dare play the V3s as loud as I have pushed the A3s. The A3 speakers are the end result of the many design concepts which Magico has explored over the years.
As with gourmet food, many chefs try to experiment with many kinds of artificial and exotic flavours. Yet, there are those who pursue and follow the path of purity, a quest for tasting and experiencing the real taste of ingredients. This is exactly how I feel about Magico. With each new iteration of speakers, they create musical projections that are closer to the reality, stepping closer to addressing the very essence of music itself.
Speakers are the most important part of any high-end audio setup as they are the only component which interacts directly with the listener. Yes, each and every component matters, but if the loudspeakers cannot act as a transparent medium to reproduce sound accurately, then why do we even bother with the pursuit of high-fidelity?
Magicos are not made different for the sake of being different, they are one of 21st century’s most potent transducers providing us with a an open window to an endless world of the music.
THE MUSIC
I've already addressed a few points regarding the voicing of the speakers in a paragraph above. One of the main goals of any competent 21st century high-end audio designer, regardless of product type, should be the quest to eliminate lower the level distortions.
This is also one of the Magico A3’s main advantages. With the most advanced technology in an era of proficient speaker manufacturing, Magico is capable of creating a speaker with the least amount of colouration; they impose no sonic signature of their own.
The Magico A3s are capable of portraying all kinds of music from various genres in their purest form. It delivers to the listener all the emotional triggers which are hidden within the compositions. This is only possible when the music's message is being transmitted in an unaltered way.
During my evaluation I've literally crawled through hundreds of albums once I've been captured by the A3's translucency. Here are a few examples:
Pedro Estevan/Jordi Savall - La Lira d'Esperia II - Galicia radiant focuses on the music from Galicia. Cantigas are carefully mixed in with tunes influenced by Galican folk music. I was mesmerized by the directness and copiousness of note overlays, which form an immediate and interactive bonding with the listener. The Magico A3 can also easily depict a non-misconstruing sonic scenery. The A3 projected tighter densities of acoustical anchor points, which rendered a crystal clear, unambiguous, and vivid reconstruction of the music’s atmosphere on songs such as "Alalà". 
This characteristic was further reinforced with Christos Tsiamoulis, Dimitris Psonis, and Pedro Estevan’s album Metamorphosis: Greek Musical Traditions Across the Centuries. The engaging straightforwardness and expansive soundstage of the recording demand a lighting fast transducer. Otherwise, the sound may be appear veiled or artificially slowed down, a trait quite common even with some top tier speakers.
There are many factors to consider when designing a well-balanced speaker, but at the end of the day, what matters most is sonic purity. Avishai Cohen, and the Avishai Cohen Trio’s album From Darkness pushes a bit more convulsion and muscularity. The track “Abie hypnotic piano riff” combines expressive drum battery with double bass. To properly project an enormous sonic canvas that extends deeply into the listening space is not a simple task, especially when the sound is to project proper horizontal and vertical spatial cues.
The Magico A3’s ability to refrain from sounding diffused and fragmented has furthered my understanding of a three dimensional soundstage. My reference listening room is rather large, yet the A3 loudspeakers easily filled the room with music, and the impact never ceased to impress, even with large scale theatrical performances. A3 speakers could easily transmit Toscanini's unabridged forcefulness and sense of time's perfection. Orchestra momentum travels as a giant bubble with an enormous kinetic energy. This is easily replicated yet A3s portraying of Tristan und Isolde was most impressive. The impact exceeded given size by far.
The Magico A3’s ability to refrain from sounding diffused and fragmented has furthered my understanding of a three dimensional soundstage. My reference listening room is rather large, yet the A3 loudspeakers easily filled the room with music, and the impact never ceased to impress, even with large scale theatrical performances. A3 speakers could easily transmit Toscanini's unabridged forcefulness and sense of time's perfection. Orchestra momentum travels as a giant bubble with an enormous kinetic energy. This is easily replicated yet A3s portraying of Tristan und Isolde was most impressive. The impact exceeded given size by far.
The song “Libar Od Mojega Duga” from the Gibonni's Mirakul performed by Vlatko Stefanovski and Miroslav Tadić is one of my favorite performances by two highly accomplished virtuoso guitarists.
A guitarist or a pair of trained ears can easily decipher the phenomena of guitar’s “acoustic power”. Our ears are most sensitive to sounds in between 1 and 4 kHz. Although the classical guitars’ frequency range is not exactly prominent in this spectrum, the sheer acoustical impact is manifested in the higher harmonics. Deciphering this information requires a truly high-end system, and most importantly, the speakers must be able to deliver a high level of resolution without being influenced by the enclosure’s vibration and resonances. In this regard, the A3 has the ability to convey copious amounts of harmonics decay at each of the individual frequencies. The A3's ability to handle high and low pitches is again unparalleled at this or even tripled price point.
Vlatko Stefanovski and Miroslav Tadić’s guitar mastery produces a complex web of overtones and harmonics, which cannot be reproduced effortlessly if the speakers are lacking in the acoustic foundation. The acoustic foundation sets the playground for the expansion and propagation of the soundstage. With the upper octaves, the harmonics gradually become denser Some speakers are only capable of delivering limited portions of the harmonics. The Magico A3s are capable of more information than the norm, allowing the resonance frequencies above the fundamental frequencies to emerge, which was totally beyond my expectations.
Al Di Meola's rendition of “Sarabande from Violin Sonata in B Minor” (Land Of The Midnight Sun), is harmonically less complex, and can be difficult for the listener to decipher musical information. Yet the Magicos open a whole new chapter on this recording, as if removing a few sonically veiled layers. If the A3s can perform this well, I do wonder how much further the M series take can take us. I've also noticed that the A3s are capable of delivering a clearer and more comprehensive distinction of the string vibrato. The A3s have made it far easier to decrypt the pace and rhythm of the performance, as well as the the the slower vibration of mass strings, which can often be difficult to observe.
Similar to the orchestra score, the speakers also demands "con amore." and as well as “allegro con brio.” A3 can be both tender and lively with full energy impact when needed. To achieve this, the technical ardency cannot be avoided on any turn, and the A3's lyrical part was easily displayed with "Libar Od Mojega Duga" and "Sarabande from Violin Sonata in B Minor".
The importance of properly reproducing the sound of a concert piano is too often overlooked. While a guitar has only 6 strings, a piano has more than 200! The piano also has a completely different set of sympathetic resonances, which makes their sound so difficult to reproduce. High-frequency notes are never a piano's forte. If the speaker’s tonal balance is off, the piano will sound as if there is a studio equalizer has being deployed, which is not the sonic purity we are looking for.
On Vladimir Horowitz’s albums, “Horowitz: The Historic Return; Carnegie Hall 1965”, and the “1966 Concerts”, especially “Toccatas, transcriptions for piano in D minor & C major” (BWV 564/565 BBGA 7/3),. The piece “KiV B29: 2. Intermezzo. Adagio” is amongst my personal favorites. With this piece, it doesn't take long for me to gauge the speaker or system’s performance level. The Magico A3s handled lush notes from forte to pianissimo impeccably.
Many composers and conductors see the piano as a script for an orchestral piece. While not as complex as an orchestra, the piano is still most highly demanding when it comes to replicating the original sound. Let us not forget that the piano is a percussive instrument at its core, yet the Magico's magic is to let you forget this particular attribute and enjoy piano’s true raison d'etre. Reason alone of all the high praise!
To my surprise, when driven properly, the A3s can portray velvety and rich tones across the timbre's complete spectrum. Furthermore, the chords’ inner notes are palpable, profound, and sonorous, accurately portraying the sound as originally record.
CONCLUSION
The name Magico has witty and enigmatic origins. Mágico, the legendary ECM album by Charlie Haden, Egberto Gismonti, and Jan Garbarek, is one of Wolf’s all time favourite jazz albums. Mágico is magic in Portuguese (as Egberto Gismonti is Brazilian).
In Mexico and Brazil, “Mágico” is also the name of a drug dealer. In a way, Wolf offers something similar to his clients, but his trade is in music rather than drugs—a clever implication of the speaker’s effects on its listeners.
In Mexico and Brazil, “Mágico” is also the name of a drug dealer. In a way, Wolf offers something similar to his clients, but his trade is in music rather than drugs—a clever implication of the speaker’s effects on its listeners.
I wish to close this review by pointing out that the A3s do require an amplifier with quite a bit of power and current to do them justice. They may be able to exhibit their virtues even with entry-level electronics, but with proper equipment they will magically disappear into the room. The A3s will tempt you to push them to to their volume extremes with the best of equipment. Paired with my MSB Technology Select DAC, the A3s kept up with the big boys without ever breaking a sweat.
There are loudspeakers, and then there are High-end Audio Loudspeakers. The Magico A3's laboratory-like precision and stand out organic potent nature allows for an extraordinary musical voyage. Right out of the box, they are capable of painting the mightier portion of sonic canvas with completely unexpected mastery. Calling them an entry-level speaker would not do Alon or his team justice. They may not sport the S series’ curved design cues, or the M series’ carbon side panels and other upper echelon paraphernalia, yet these are by all accounts, tried and true, full-blooded Magico loudspeakers.
The A3s offer so much more than meets the naked eye, reaping the full sonic benefits of “Finite Element Analysis simulations”, optimized acoustical, mechanical, electromagnetic, and thermal behaviors. They deliver a level of performance that could be easily be associated with speakers at the double the price.
Magico strongly emphasizes the importance of the structural rigidity of the speaker enclosure. The M3’s minimalistic aesthetics do not reveal the complexity of the internal bracing structure, which is made with 6061 T6 aircraft grade aluminum. The result is an extremely stiff enclosure that is well dampened and resonance free. It is almost as rigid as the enclosures found in the Q series.
The mid-range driver’s sub enclosure within the speaker cabinet has been designed with much thought. Unwanted resonances and energy are almost completely eliminated. The same can also be said of the bass driver’s sub enclosure; it is completely absent of cabinet resonances. This translates into an unrestricted, unveiled sound, projecting a proper soundstage that fills the acoustic space.
Yes, this is quite an enthusiastic sum up, but this should have been expected given the efforts Magico has put into A3s. The A3 speakers are completely sonically transparent, and free of colorations. It has turned many spontaneous listening sessions into sleepless nights. Few speakers have managed to captivate me as much as the A3s have.
At $12,000 dollars, the A3s are not exactly affordable by real-world economic standards, yet in our niche industry, they are of a mind-boggling value. Imagine a BMW M series car stripped away of all the unnecessary aesthetic clutter, with the price tag of the normal 1 series, but with all of the virtues of a premium sports car. Who could resist? At this price point, there simply aren’t many speakers that can compete with the A3s.
Wolf has always wanted to offer the Magico experience to as many people as possible—even though Magico does make some of the best speakers in the world, Wolf does not want Magico to be perceived as an elitist manufacturer. Yet, it was not until recently that he was able to lower prices, thanks to economies of scale, resulting in tremendous cost savings, and thus lower retail prices.
The Magico A3 speakers a true testament of 21st century’s exemplary high-end audio manufacturing and will surely be able to withstand the test of time.
The Magico A3s deserve only the highest praise. I will do something which Mono & Stereo has never done before, and that is to award the A3 with a triple award—the Mono and Stereo Best Buy Award, Highly Recommended Product Award, and Upper Echelon Product Award!
Claude Debussy was right— “Beauty must appeal to the senses, must provide us with immediate enjoyment, must impress us or insinuate itself into us without any effort on our part.” In absence of self imposing sonic signature, this is possible and it can bypasses our logical sensory-data collection. With the Magico A3 speakers, the emotional impact was beyond exceptional, it is never ending and the most intense experience I have ever had from the speakers of this size and this price! They could easily come with a two times higher price sticker without explaining!
Matej Isak
SPECIFICATIONS
- Driver Complement: 1 X 1.1” (2.79cm) Beryllium Dome Tweeter, 1 X 6” (15.24cm) Graphene Nano-Tec Midrange, 2 X 7” (17.78cm) Graphene Nano-Tec Bass
- Sensitivity: 88dB
- Impedance: 4 Ohms
- Frequency Response: 22 Hz – 50 KHz
- Recommended Power: 50 watt RMS (min) / 300 watts (max)
- Dimensions: 44”H x 11”D x 9.25”W (112cm x 27cm x 23cm)
- Weight: 110 lbs. (49.89 kg)
PRICE
- $12.000 without grilles
CONTACT
MAGICO, LLC
3170 CORPORATE PLACE
HAYWARD, CA 94545
TEL: 1 (510) 649-9700
Web: www.magico.net