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Follow Up: The Magico Q7 Loudspeaker

Follow Up: The Magico Q7 Loudspeaker

A reader letter suggested that the photography of the Magico Q7 in the January issue of The Absolute Sound was too stylized and didn’t convey what the speaker actually looked like, particularly in a real room. He made a good point. Because the Q7’s size and weight precluded shipping a photography sample to Austin, we relied on photography supplied by Magico. (In fact, Magico founder Alon Wolf, an accomplished photographer, created the shots himself.) The reader wanted a more documentary approach to photography in TAS, so I thought I’d post some images of the Q7 in my room, and encourage our writing team to regularly post in-room photos of the products reviewed in the magazine.

This is also an opportunity for us to provide additional comments on the product after the review period. More time with a product inevitably leads to deeper insights, or to new discoveries as the product is auditioned with different associated equipment.

Since writing the Q7 review my appreciation of this amazing transducer has only deepened. The sound keeps improving, partly through the Q7 breaking in (the crossovers in the review sample were fresh when I received them) and partly through the addition or upgrade of supporting products. Key among these is the Shunyata Hydra Typhon, an AC noise filtering device that connects to Shunyata’s Triton via an umbilical (or by plugging it into the Triton) and operates in parallel with the Triton. I didn’t notice the change immediately, but after a full month of listening I disconnected the Typhon and heard a step down in resolution, transparency, and the vivid timbral and spatial realism of which the Q7 is capable. Another important system upgrade was adding Stillpoints Ultra 5 isolation devices either in places where I had no isolation (under the Shunyata conditioners, for example) or by replacing the Stillpoints Ultra SS with the Ultra 5 (under the Constellation Centaur monoblocks, for example). I’ve also been buying lots of wonderful new vinyl, and listening to analog more than ever before.

When Alon Wolf set up the Q7 he left happy with the sound; the system’s performance today is significantly better in every way, and continuing to improve. I’ve recently started listening to the Absolare Passion Preamplifier and Passion 845 Single-Ended Triode Monoblock Power Amplifiers with Echole interconnects, and can tell you that these are very special electronics. The Passion 845 delivers 52 watts of single-ended triode power, which is plenty for the Q7’s 94dB sensitivity. I’ll save that story for another blog.

Here are some shots of the Q7 in my room. 

Follow Up: The Magico Q7 Loudspeaker

Follow Up: The Magico Q7 Loudspeaker

Follow Up: The Magico Q7 Loudspeaker

Tags: MAGICO

Robert Harley

By Robert Harley

My older brother Stephen introduced me to music when I was about 12 years old. Stephen was a prodigious musical talent (he went on to get a degree in Composition) who generously shared his records and passion for music with his little brother.

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