After many none-too-sutble hints to colleagues Harley and Valin and a few well placed words to Magico marketing guy Irv Gross, I’ve finally received a pair of Magico’s for review–the 2.5-way V2, a floorstander. They arrived as you can see in a single wooden crate where they stayed for a couple days while I waited to a friend to come by and help me hoist them inside. Each weighs 120 lbs, modest by Magico standards as Jonathan “Mini II” Valin will tell you.
A couple of very early listening notes: I’ve got a lot of listening to do but even after just a few hours break-in, unspiked, the V2 reconfirms my fondness for acoustic suspension designs. My reference two-way compact is an ATC SCM20-2, also a closed enclosure design. However, and this is a BIG however, without a good control amp and plenty of current it’ll sound ill-defined and mushy. So right away, the V2 establishes that it’s very finicky about power.
What I hear immediately is the lack of any cabinet signature. Zero. Nada. Every enclosure acts to some degree like a sponge, sopping up and absorbing detail, softening transients, attenuating decays and homogenizing harmonics. The V2 doesn’t seem to absorb a thing, rather it slingshots information into the room-where music simply materializes. As a result I’m picking up low level cues like never before. And information that is more focused, no longer blurred.
The V2’s also force you to rethink micro-macro dynamics, the entire relationship of even familiar recordings like Dire Straits’ Love Over Gold– each inflection of the nylon string guitar during “Private Investigations” the cascading toms of “Telegraph Road”, suddenly even the most pin-drop quiet passages are even quieter still. And the loudest cacophonous instances are –mercy– almost too loud. I found myself riding the volume control more than normal as a result. The outside of the envelope has been pushed just a bit more. What this also means is, that special amp that you once had so much faith in, suddenly can’t keep up with the broader demands and athleticism of the V2.
Interestingly, the Magico is no drama queen. With no port, acoustic bass doesn’t bloat. Yes it’s deeply resonant, yet exceedingly clean and under control. I still haven’t established the “voice” that the V2 presents nor gotten a handle on its overall character or sussed out any colorations, if any. As I said, it’s early on, but this is going to be one helluva ride. Price: $18,000/pr. magico.net
Tags: MAGICO
By Neil Gader
My love of music largely predates my enthusiasm for audio. I grew up Los Angeles in a house where music was constantly playing on the stereo (Altecs, if you’re interested). It ranged from my mom listening to hit Broadway musicals to my sister’s early Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Beatles, and Stones LPs, and dad’s constant companions, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. With the British Invasion, I immediately picked up a guitar and took piano lessons and have been playing ever since. Following graduation from UCLA I became a writing member of the Lehman Engel’s BMI Musical Theater Workshops in New York–working in advertising to pay the bills. I’ve co-written bunches of songs, some published, some recorded. In 1995 I co-produced an award-winning short fiction movie that did well on the international film-festival circuit. I was introduced to Harry Pearson in the early 70s by a mutual friend. At that time Harry was still working full-time for Long Island’s Newsday even as he was writing Issue 1 of TAS during his off hours. We struck up a decades-long friendship that ultimately turned into a writing gig that has proved both stimulating and rewarding. In terms of music reproduction, I find myself listening more than ever for the “little” things. Low-level resolving power, dynamic gradients, shadings, timbral color and contrasts. Listening to a lot of vocals and solo piano has always helped me recalibrate and nail down what I’m hearing. Tonal neutrality and presence are important to me but small deviations are not disqualifying. But I am quite sensitive to treble over-reach, and find dry, hyper-detailed systems intriguing but inauthentic compared with the concert-going experience. For me, true musicality conveys the cozy warmth of a room with a fireplace not the icy cold of an igloo. Currently I split my time between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Studio City, California with my wife Judi Dickerson, an acting, voice, and dialect coach, along with border collies Ivy and Alfie.
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