Magico Ultimate 3

mauidan

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Aug 2, 2010
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IMO, not only systems but the room as well. I can kill the performance of a great speaker in my room by just moving tube traps around. I never render a negative opinion on a speaker unless I'm very familiar with the room I'm listening in. Too many variables.

I'm guessing that stereo's custom built listening room will be up to task of getting the best performance from the Magico Ultimate 3s.

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?9457-new-home-for-my-Magico-Q1
 

Frank750

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stereo

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Sep 1, 2012
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I agree

I would have to wonder if the steep increase in speaker price is related to import taxes in foreign countries

Don't know. But the XLF also costs 30% more than the X2, which was introduced 2-3 years before. At least in case of the Ultimate, there is major redesign vs. previous version to justify cost increase. Amortizing development of two completely new drivers on such a small series is tough.
 

stereo

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Sep 1, 2012
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Anyone who has heard these have any thoughts as to how they would compare to the Wilson XLF's at appx. 1/3rd the price?

I have compared both at audiophile friends, in fully treated dedicated rooms. If I would be in the market for a 200k speaker, I would rather take the Q7, or other very good speakers from different brands. We took measurements of my friend's XLF: the bass was starting to cut at 70Hz (no wonder people feel the need to add subs), level of lower mid was not aligned with upper-mid, highs were cutting at 16k. A bit disappointing, see attached! My other experiences with XLF were at CES, so not really relevant (all speakers don't sound great at CES).
XLF-L-T01.jpg

But at the end, at this level of investment, you shouldn't care too much about what you read on forums, just trust your ears. It is a matter of personal choice, and personal taste.
I will not comment specifically on Ultimate sound, except that what makes it really different (for me) from anything else is the sense of "immediacy" and the combination of very relaxed and extremely detailed sound. As I wrote before, anybody in the region will be welcome to come over and build his own opinion when they are installed.
 

Bruce B

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Apr 25, 2010
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I have compared both at audiophile friends, in fully treated dedicated rooms. If I would be in the market for a 200k speaker, I would rather take the Q7, or other very good speakers from different brands. We took measurements of my friend's XLF: the bass was starting to cut at 70Hz (no wonder people feel the need to add subs),

This is a room/placement issue.... not speaker problem!

I can make mine look like that if I improperly position them!
 

stereo

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Sep 1, 2012
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room placement shouldn't affect the 3dB gap between the 150-900Hz band and the 1k-10k band. This seems more a misalignment of drivers level in crossover. Anyway, it is not the topic of this thread...
 

rockitman

Member Sponsor
Sep 20, 2011
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Congrats on your speakers. They should provide many happy years of
Listening. Speaking for Wilson, X-2.2's, I have all the bass I need with no subs.
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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room placement shouldn't affect the 3dB gap between the 150-900Hz band and the 1k-10k band. This seems more a misalignment of drivers level in crossover. Anyway, it is not the topic of this thread...

Aren't all big Wilsons supposed to have their resistors adjusted if necessary as part of installation? By doing so, the band of each cone can easily be moved up or down a few db. When my older Wilsons were installed they changed the tweeter resistor and moved the treble response twice to suit my liking...eventually settling at 1.5db down. This is an intrinsic part of the Wilson speaker design and its in-room adjustability.
 

andromedaaudio

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Jan 23, 2011
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Cool choice the magico ultimate , you will also have unlimited amp choice for starters , SET SS whatever!!

Ps the xlf response aint bad , "" just the 1 khz bump "" but that can be the mike placement , regarding level adjustments , its not a bad thing although a well balanced design wont really need it in my opinion .
There is a danger however that without measuring /verifying your listening expiriences you end up with not a neutral design , but with some screwed up FR response
I have compared both at audiophile friends, in fully treated dedicated rooms. If I would be in the market for a 200k speaker, I would rather take the Q7, or other very good speakers from different brands. We took measurements of my friend's XLF: the bass was starting to cut at 70Hz (no wonder people feel the need to add subs), level of lower mid was not aligned with upper-mid, highs were cutting at 16k. A bit disappointing, see attached! My other experiences with XLF were at CES, so not really relevant (all speakers don't sound great at CES).
View attachment 10983

But at the end, at this level of investment, you shouldn't care too much about what you read on forums, just trust your ears. It is a matter of personal choice, and personal taste.
I will not comment specifically on Ultimate sound, except that what makes it really different (for me) from anything else is the sense of "immediacy" and the combination of very relaxed and extremely detailed sound. As I wrote before, anybody in the region will be welcome to come over and build his own opinion when they are installed.
 

andromedaaudio

VIP/Donor
Jan 23, 2011
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In my experience playing with the mike 20 or 30 cm up or down will/can give you 3 db bumps /gaps .

i am with bruce on this one

But its indeed not on topic ,sorry:D look forward seeing the response of the ultimate and the listening expiriences off course
room placement shouldn't affect the 3dB gap between the 150-900Hz band and the 1k-10k band. This seems more a misalignment of drivers level in crossover. Anyway, it is not the topic of this thread...
 
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LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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I imagine the measurements were taken surrounding the listening position and then averaged? Would the Wilson dealer be responsible for the poor room setup since they probably installed and setup the speakers? ]

Yes, Wilsons come with setup by professionals...if not satisfactory to Owner, then they should come back and redo it. I have had that offer from Wilson, and I was happy the first time they came.
 

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Best picture I've seen of the Ultimates yet and yet I have this sneaking suspicion that it still doesn't do the actual speakers justice.
 

audioarcher

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May 6, 2012
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Would love to hear this speaker but 600k is a crazy sum of money. To put it in perspective most people could live for close to 20 years on this amount of money.

I would personally try tube amplification with speakers this sensitive. Atmasphere OTL would be interesting.
 

stereo

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Sep 1, 2012
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So are they supposed to be tri-wired?

Everything is possible - you specify what you want. The minimum configuration is a bi-amplification: the internal amp for the sub and a separate amp for the 4 remaining drivers, with an active filter.
My pair will be either a full active system (5 ways active, which means 5 DACs sharing the same clock, 4 amps + the 4kW amp in sub...), or a 3 way active (tweeter, upper bass - low and upper mid together, sub).
Probably a 5 ways active, which will enable me to do time alignment and tailoring of amp for each driver....
 
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stereo

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Sep 1, 2012
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agree it is a lot of money. But you have in cities like Singapore thousands of Ferrari or Lamborghini owners who have bought a car to drive 1k miles per year in traffic jams in city center... and they pay much more than 600k when you take into account the crazy import tax on luxury cars. This puts things in perspective.
 

stereo

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Sep 1, 2012
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Those speakers are insane looking...In a good way.

yes, they are a real piece of art :)
Even more beautiful than the Ultimate 1 and 2- the back of the speaker (the white arches to support the big horn) is much better designed. The support pillars are also much more stable, which eliminate any source of vibration.
The Ultimate are so beautiful that I heard that the MOMA in NYC asked to have a pair.... for free hahaha
They are big speakers. 94" tall, 48" wide, 60" deep.
 

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