MAGICO A3 Loudspeakers

Description

MY TAKE: MAGICO loudspeakers employ an impressive array of esoteric materials and manufacturing processes to craft speakers that are both incredibly accurate and immensely engaging on an emotional level. I have yet to hear a speaker that captures more of the subtly and nuance of the recording while at the same time conveying the intent and emotion of the music. Simply put, MAGICO speakers communicate the musical event without the addition or subtraction of information – exactly what a speaker should do. A3 introduces a new price point to the MAGICO line and brings with it much of the technology found in the rest of the line - a stunning value! - Galen Carol

Machined into the metal of every MAGICO loudspeaker is a subtle, yet permanent, “M.” Our symbol is a simple reminder to the owner of a MAGICO product that they have purchased a product born of an uncompromised, unapologetic pursuit of performance excellence.

The standards we have set for a product bearing our M logo are not without consequence. The push forward into the development of new, exotic, costly technologies and materials has meant that these products are accessible only to a fortunate few. While we have long wanted to bring a more affordable product to the market, and despite constant experimentation and testing of various methods for reducing costs to achieve this goal, the results have always fallen short of earning the MAGICO M engraving.
 

MAGICO is proud to launch the A series. At long last, a MAGICO loudspeaker obtainable for a wider audience; the A3 brings together a bevy of technologies unheard-of at its price point. A fully braced and anodized aluminum enclosure, beryllium tweeter, carbon Nanographene cones, neodymium-based motor systems and our renowned elliptical crossover, the A3 is the impossible made possible.


The A3 borrows heavily from the leading-edge concepts and technology found in the rest of the line, making the A3 an outstanding value. As an example, the A3 enclosure is made entirely from 6061 T6 aircraft-grade aluminum—the same material used by the enclosures of the Q Series. The simple rectangular shape and brushed, anodized finish reduces cost while optimizing performance and value.
 

The A3 is a three-way, four-driver design consisting of 28mm tweeter, 6” midrange and dual 7” woofers combine to produce an impressive 22Hz to 50kHz frequency response.
 

The tweeter uses a pure beryllium diaphragm and takes its basic design and geometry from Magico’s limited edition M-Project’s tweeters. The 6” midrange driver uses a carbon fiber cone coated with XG Nanographene and extra-large magnets to create a more stabilized field. The speaker’s low end is handled by two 7-inch woofers that incorporate an updated version of Magico’s Nano-Tec cones (also found on the M Project), which use carbon nanotubes in their construction.

High-Frequency driver
 

Extended high frequencies are provided by a newly designed MAGICO pure beryllium-diaphragm tweeter with an optimized 28-mm dome surface based on the fundamental design platform and geometry of the M-Project tweeter. The customized neodymium motor system is encased in an improved back chamber with our latest generation damping materials that facilitate ultra-low distortion, higher power handling, massive dynamic capabilities, and extended linear voice coil movement.
 

Midrange Frequency driver
 

The newly developed 6-inch midrange employs a Multi-Wall carbon fiber cone with a layer of XG Nanographene, providing optimal stiffness to weight ratios and an ideal damping factor. Overhung neodymium-based motor systems incorporate extra-large magnets to ensure a stabilized magnetic field in the 75-mm pure titanium voice coils of both the midrange and bass drivers.
 

Low-Frequency Drivers
 

Dual 7-inch woofers incorporate a version of the new Gen 8 MAGICO Nano-Tec cone. The same properties and materials that allow for the proper combination of stiffness, mass, and damping are carried through to the lowest frequencies. The chassis has also been simulated and tested for the optimal combination of stiffness and damping. Minimum acoustical impact is achieved by reducing vibration modes while maximizing air flow. A new overhung neodymium (N48) based motor system anchors the low-frequency reproducers to accomplish a super stabilized magnetic field. A pure Titanium, 75mm voice coils are consistent with the technology utilized through the midrange.
 

The A3 Midrange and Low-frequency drivers were optimized for minimal music related distortions in its bandpass, in both the frequency and time domains using the latest state of the art FEA simulation of acoustical, mechanical, electromagnetic and thermal behavior. All of this is now being done on a single platform, allowing Magico to take the next step in performance optimization.
 

COMMENTARY:
 

The Absolute Sound - AXPONA Show Report: "Best Sound (for the money) The “game-changer” cliché is overused but it applies to the show-stopping Magico A3."

The Absolute Sound - Best Sound (for the money) Munich Hi End Show 2018 - "Best Sound (for the money) - "The Magico A3 at $9800 per pair. Although not budget priced, the A3 establishes a new benchmark at the important $10k price point. A far better speaker than Magico’s $27k V3 of ten years ago." - Robert Harley

SoundStage! Factory Visit: "When Alon was giving me his shopping list of what the A3 had to have for it to “still be a Magico,” he added one thing at the end that I haven’t mentioned yet -- that it had to sound better than any speaker at that price from any manufacturer, no matter if that manufacturer happened to be five, ten, or 100 times Magico’s size. In many ways, this is a brand-new world for Magico, because they’re not just up against boutique speaker makers anymore -- they are competing against the world’s speaker-manufacturing powerhouses, many of which have been making sub-$10,000 speakers for decades and know how to make them sound good. Can the A3 hold up to that? That’s really why I went to California in the first place -- so I could hear the A3. That’s in the next article . . ." - Doug Schneider Founder, SoundStage

FULL REVIEWS:

SoundStage! Australia: "The A3s possessed some of the most surreal imaging ability I have heard from loudspeakers at any price, making their capacity to do so within their relative price bracket the first standout feat I’d like to mention. The A3 soundstage, although limited in absolute height, was curtailed in no other dimension and featured scale that was unexpected in speakers of this size. Music projected from the A3s far beyond the boundaries of my front and side walls, and they performed an impeccable job of layering the various instrumental lines in a given recording.

"Images were well-demarcated, densely portrayed and cast with commendable stability, creating a finely woven dioramic representation of the soundstage not unlike what I recall from my audition of the Yamaha NS-5000s. Set up in my room in the nearfield with a fair degree of toe-in, the slim, cautiously handsome baffles and stealthy profile of the A3s helped facilitate a literal disappearing act, divorcing entirely the impression that sound was indeed emanating from the positions of the speakers themselves. Kudos must therefore be again proffered for the integration of the A3 drivers and their ability to achieve such a standard of phase matching and musical coherence.

"In reviewing the larger S3, I was most awestruck by the finesse and transparency of the diamond-coated beryllium tweeter, remarking, “It was the most sonically invisible and musically satisfying dome tweeter I have yet heard”. Experimentation and further refinement of tweeter design for subsequent Magico speakers have clearly led to incremental gains in the units employed in the A3s.

"If the S3’s tweeter was sonically invisible, then the tweeter in the A3 was an auditory ‘black hole’. Following several hundred hours of burn-in and stabilisation of its capabilities, the A3’s top end was absent of nearly any character in as much as it seamlessly and completely assimilated into the musical mix. I know those who may perhaps prefer a little more ‘presence’ or ‘sizzle’ in their top end, but I can guarantee even the most air-hungry audiophile would be captivated by a tweeter that so masterfully eschews magic tricks in preference for absolute self-deprecation. I would add that anyone looking to remedy a system erring on the ‘bright side of life’ would do well to have a listen to these. Bravo (again) Magico!

"The bottom end of the A3 sound was weighty, extended, profoundly damped and relentlessly taut. The port-less cabinet facilitated a very even-handed and tuneful bass performance, right down to the lowest notes. Disciplined by an effortless and powerful amplifier like the Halcros, the A3s never failed to track the bass, however in comparison to the S3 (and my reference Evolution Acoustics speakers), I did find that the smaller drivers began to show some mild signs of compression and strain when played very loudly. At more civilised sound pressure levels, the A3’s bass performance was essentially peerless in comparison to their competition.

"Overall, I found the A3s to be fast, revealing, tonally neutral and invariably engaging. Their skills in the aforementioned domains are not to be underestimated.

Conclusion -

"A concession in the ownership of a small to medium-sized loudspeaker is an understanding of the absolute limitations to their performance parameters. In the absence of the ability to move great volumes of air with minimal excursion of the drivers, such loudspeakers best serve their purpose when played at moderate (and I would add, sensible) volume levels.

"While large floorstanding designs have fundamental limitations of their own, I have always found that such designs (no doubt in part due to their greater efficiency) are indispensable in the portrayal of absolute scale, presence, weight and macrodynamics. It’s no accident that the flagship loudspeaker offerings from any company are always the grandest.

"My experience with the Magico S3 Mk.IIs was indelible. Up to that point, I had not heard a loudspeaker design at that price bracket that captivated my attention and drew me into the musical performance in the way that they did. Their absolute lack of any overt form of colouration or compression rendered them a remarkable achievement, in my opinion.

"Though ultimately constrained by the size of their form factor and the cost savings that must be executed in the inception of a trickle-down design, the Magico team, have in designing the A3s met and likely exceeded their objectives. If the A3s were intended as a summative expression of the technologies that were so successful in imbuing the S3 with its remarkable sonic capabilities, then I can undoubtedly state they are a triumphant victory.

"Possessing a technologically-loaded and exceptionally integrated set of drivers, in a nearly acoustically inert and impeccably finished enclosure that would maintain pride of place in any high-end system, the Magico A3s are a veritable bargain at their price point and are capable of the kind of sound production also rarely encountered in this end of the market.

"For any audiophile or music lover who is looking for the Magico house sound without taking out a second mortgage on their actual house, I would thoroughly suggest an extended audition of the Magico A3." - Josh Givorshner

SoundStage Ultra!: "After years of making loudspeakers that most people can only dream of owning, with the A3 Alon Wolf has tried to deliver the genuine, full-fat Magico experience to a far wider range of audiophiles. Luckily, those who can afford $12,300 will find their investment handsomely rewarded. The Magico A3 offers sensational midrange clarity, and its beguiling beryllium tweeter proffered immaculate soundstages that extended well beyond the front wall of my listening room. Those qualities are married to taut, precise bass that extends below 30Hz, and it all coalesces into the kind of holographic, lifelike sound that should satisfy all but the most stubborn listeners.

"The finest loudspeakers don’t merely reproduce the music -- they transport the listener and transcend. In that respect, the nearly full-range Magico A3 brought me closer to my music than any other speaker I’ve reviewed in the last five years. The A3 is Magico at its very best." - Hans Wetzel

Read the Full Soundstage Ultra! Review

Mono & Stereo: "Make no mistake! These are no ordinary floor standing sealed speakers and calling them an entry level Magicos would probably offend Alon and his team. They might not sport the S series curved design cues or M series carbon panels and other upper echelon paraphernalia, but these are by all means full bloodied Magico loudspeakers. 

"Minimalistic aesthetics might not project the complex internal bracing structure and painstakingly well-thought enclosures made from 6061 T6 aircraft grade aluminum. There is so much hidden to the casual eye, but the sonic benefits of Finite Element Analysis simulations and optimized acoustical, mechanical, electromagnetic, and thermal behaviors deliver the aural impact that could be easily associated with the double the price. 

"The minimization of unwanted accumulated resonances and the absence unwanted energy dispersion shows just how well the calibrated sub-enclosure handles the mid-range drive behavior and in absence of multi crossing with the back wave pressure of the bass drivers. This translates into the stressless music rendition that removes the thick layers of typical enclosure's unwanted interactions that not only fatigue the atmospheric perception but also considerably slows down the music. 

"Yes, this is quite an enthusiastic first impression write up.  Magico A3 speakers managed to entrapped me with their character free nature into the instant and unplanned prolonged initial listening. 
There are loudspeakers and there are THE  high-end audio loudspeakers. Magico A3's laboratory-like precision and stand out potent nature allows an extraordinary music voyage. Literary out of the box they were capable of painting the sonic canvas with what a grander portion reality than expected!
Stay tuned for more in due time..."

"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.” Inabsence 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

Read the Full Mono & Stereo Review

HIFI+ - "Magico faces some tough opposition, both from similarly-directed high-end brands smart enough to recognise the high-end needs a shake-up and from upper-tier designs from well-established mainstream brands who can wield huge marketing budgets. Fortunately, it sees them off effectively by sounding damn good, making the A3 hit the ground running. It begins its life at the top of the tree of loudspeakers in the sub-£20,000 category. The A3 is an important loudspeaker, and not just for Magico. In truth, the audio world already knows this... the lengthy hiatus between the A3’s launch and this, it’s first review in an English language high-end magazine, is simply down to the sheer number of A3s ordered every time they are demonstrated. There’s a reason for that. This isn’t ‘discount Magico’ or ‘Magico-lite’, and it isn’t even ‘Emporio Magico’: the A3 is a top-class Magico loudspeaker in its own right. It’s the one to beat at the price... and far beyond." - Alan Sircom

Read the Full HIFI+ Review

Home Theater Review: "These may be the most detailed and coherent dynamic speakers I have reviewed. Magico's borderline fanatical obsession with controlling cabinet resonances and unwanted driver movement pays off with astonishing amounts of detail and clarity while maintaining musicality and without crossing over the line to being clinical.

"As I was listening to the A3s, I often thought about how I would describe their sound. I found my listening sessions growing to several hours in length as I was discovering new nuances in many recordings that the detail and dynamic capabilities of the A3s revealed, and even then, I was eager to listen to more.

"The A3s are not an "in your face" speaker; there is no forward, analytical treble, and the presence range and upper midrange is neutral, perhaps even a bit recessed in some case, but the A3s deliver copious amounts of detail, coherence, and frequency extension that makes for an involving experience that sucks you into the music." - Brian Kahn

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Frequency Response: 22Hz - 50kHz
• Nominal Impedance: 4 Ohms
• Sensitivity: 88dB
• Recommended Power: 50 Watts Minimum
• Dimensions: 44”H x 11”D x 9.25”W
• Weight: 110 lbs.
• Price: $9800

DRIVER COMPLEMENT:

• 1  1" MB7 Beryllium Dome (X1)
• 1  6” Midrange Graphene Nano Tec (X1)
• 3  7” Bass Graphene Nano Tec (X2)

Video - How to Build a Magico Loudspeaker

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

MAGICO A-Pod -

The APOD is based on the scientific design principles of Constrained Layer Damping (CLD) and provides an effective way to couple the A3 or S1 MkII loudspeaker to the floor while dissipating unwanted mechanical energy away from the enclosure. Demonstrable results include increased dynamics, enhanced focus, higher resolution, and a closer representation of the original musical performance as it was intended during the recording process.
 

The main structure of the APOD is formed from multiple machined aluminum sections which when assembled form a vertical stack. A solid pure copper substrate center round is sandwiched by a top and bottom layer of machined aluminum that when compressed together facilitates the Constrained Layer Damping (CLD) function. An adjustable spiked footer threads into the APOD base and when locked into position provides solid coupling to the floor.

Direct installation of the APOD is intended for the A3 and S1 MkII loudspeakers.

MAGICO Metal Grilles -

A great way to protect the drivers from accidents, large pets or curious children. Magnets embedded in the front baffle of the A3 hold the grilles in place.