Can Magico S7 Rock?

caesar

Well-Known Member
May 30, 2010
4,290
767
1,698
Simple question. Don't over-think it guys.

Step up and share your opinion.
 

BlueFox

Member Sponsor
Nov 8, 2013
1,709
406
405
I listened to a side by side evaluation of the S7 versus S5 at the Magico plant a couple of months ago. While the S7 is obviously better directly compared to the S5, I can say that later at home listening to my S5s I felt I was at Magico listening to the S7. Oh yes, the S5 can rock, if by that you mean play rock and roll music. Turn it up, and they will physically beat you with sound. Of course, if you go too loud they will break. :)

So, by extension, I ASSUME the S7 can rock even better, since it is a better speaker.
 
Last edited:

BlueFox

Member Sponsor
Nov 8, 2013
1,709
406
405
When I went there I bought a USB stick with some songs I wanted to hear for a demo. While Alon couldn't play it, he did have the Patricia Barber songs I had, along with similar material. Unfortunately, he didn't have any Marilyn Manson from The Pale Emperor. :)
 

MadFloyd

Member Sponsor
May 30, 2010
3,076
774
1,700
Mass
I was hoping to hear the S7 today at the Toronto audio show but I couldn't make it. Nonetheless I have no doubt that the S7 can rock. The S5 excels at Rock in my opinion (better than my M-pros) so I would be shocked if the S7 with its extra woofer didn't surpass the S5.
 

Rhapsody

VIP/Donor
Jan 16, 2013
3,366
6,277
2,535
Brooklyn NY
Rhapsody.Audio
100% YES, the S7 can rock, anyone in NYC feel free to come in and hear it do so. The S7 is a BIG TIME speaker.

IMO the S7 is a LOT closer in timbre, dynamics, resolution, naturalness and full spectrum presence to the MProject that it is to the S5.
 
Last edited:

Al M.

VIP/Donor
Sep 10, 2013
8,682
4,470
963
Greater Boston
Oh yes, the S5 can rock, if by that you mean play rock and roll music. Turn it up, and they will physically beat you with sound. Of course, if you go too loud they will break. :)

It's not just about volume and physical impact, it's about rhythm & timing. I have heard large speakers that could play loud, but which sucked at rhythm. So, no, these could not play rock & roll.

BTW, while I have not heard the S5, the M Prro excel at rhythm & timing.

On the other hand, I once heard a demo of the S1, and they were abysmal at rhythm -- disgusting. They made a great band sound like a drunken mess. But perhaps it was just a bad speaker/room interaction that day; they played in a small room. So I'll given them the benefit of the doubt, for now (and no, the problem had nothing to do with their limited bass output).
 

BlueFox

Member Sponsor
Nov 8, 2013
1,709
406
405
It's not just about volume and physical impact, it's about rhythm & timing. I have heard large speakers that could play loud, but which sucked at rhythm. So, no, these could not play rock & roll.

No, you are confusing Rhythm and Blues, with Rock and Roll. They are two different genres. :)
 

Al M.

VIP/Donor
Sep 10, 2013
8,682
4,470
963
Greater Boston

Jazzhead

VIP/Donor
Aug 26, 2012
1,466
108
985
Heard them today, connected to a humongous Constellation and let me tell u: they Rock:p

Heard them at The Munich show , with the new gen Constellation amps . They sure can get it "up" and effortlessly at that !
 

BlueFox

Member Sponsor
Nov 8, 2013
1,709
406
405
IMO the S7 is a LOT closer in timbre, dynamics, resolution, naturalness and full spectrum presence to the MProject that it is to the S5.

Which makes sense since they share driver technology. On the other hand, they are closer by $30k to the S5 than the M series by $60k. I guess that makes them a poor man's M. :)
 

Rhapsody

VIP/Donor
Jan 16, 2013
3,366
6,277
2,535
Brooklyn NY
Rhapsody.Audio
Just posted this on another forum where someone wanted to know how the Kondo Kaguras (50 Watt dual parallel 211 SET's) drove the S7's, thought it might be pertinent to this subject......

Music played was "Big Bang"/Korean Pop Music which has hard driving, riveting bass throughout the album.

The S7's now have about 250 hours on them. They surely are not totally broken in yet, but you would not think it if you heard them. We connected up the Absolare preamp and the Kondo Kaguras to the S7's today. The room size is 18' wide, 35' long with 11' ceilings. The overall sound is glorious. The bass is is tight, deep and mesmerizing just as it is with 400 watt SS amps. Not much difference, if any vs. the SS amps with the feeling of power and driving the S7's in either the bass or overall soundstage presence.

Playing at 90dbish with peaks around 95db with hard driving bass tracks the sound is "relaxed", but powerful, with illuminating textures throughout the spectrum, including the bass. The overall perception is a huge 3D holographic soundstage, extremely solid images. Width and depth of the soundstage are the same as with the SS amps, but the layering and space around individual instruments is more pronounced with the Kaguras. More holographic with the Kaguras vs the SS which you would expect.

The bass is possibly the strongest attribute of the overall sound. The Bass on the S7's is totally balanced with all other frequencies, never more pronounced than it should be. It is very full bodied bass, but with texture, clarity and transparency as well. Although the soundstaging and liquid midrange are hard to ignore.

Haven't run the Kondo Ginga TT or the transport, I'm addicted to Tidal on the Aurender N10 and it's pretty much all I listen to at this point, but that's just a personal preference. I understand that the Ginga and transport will be sonically superior but the overall experience of Tidal for me has changed my overall listening experience in a very positive way. I listen and enjoy music, not equipment, more than I ever have.....and that's with 50 years of listening experience

Anyway, the Kaguras drive the S7's with no "issues"......nice.
 
Last edited:

cannata

Well-Known Member
Jan 30, 2014
510
64
263
Italy
Just spent a glorious evening listening to them on the DMA- 260. Not a power house by any means, but they had no problem driving them.
 

mikem

Well-Known Member
Mar 11, 2014
19
1
298
I've had S7s in my home for almost 5 months now. They replaced Magico Q3s.

I find myself playing Rock almost everyday now, where I hardly played any when I was using the Q3s.

Three possible explanations occur to me:
1. Impedance curve of Q series was brutal, for just about any amplifier - even a D'Agostino
2. Definition, power and extension of low frequencies by S7 is amazing, far greater than Q3
3. Much talked about S7 tweeter does seem more forgiving than Q tweeter

I think the Q3 is a remarkable speaker, if driven by a neutral high-current amplifier, particularly for many genres of music.
However, for me, it's the S7 that Rocks.
 

Folsom

VIP/Donor
Oct 25, 2015
6,024
1,490
520
Eastern WA
Does The Who rock? What silly question... just get an amp to back them up and you'll be playing air guitar.
 

number95

Well-Known Member
May 14, 2014
384
7
250
Recently, I have had some experiences with both S7 and S5mkII at my dealer. I was curious to know how S7 sounded and if it was resembling M Pro in some ways. We also tried both speakers with different amplifiers and preamps. Although the tag says both speakers belong to S, it is hard for me to justify S7 and S5mkII share much in common when you compare them sonically. S5 is smaller in size but more forward and louder especially in bass region while S7 has a better but rounded bass definition. To those ears, S7 did everything better including lack of distortion, S7 was more musical in terms of involvement, pitch definition and deeper soundstage. Drivers were more coherent, integrated beautifully. That said, with some preamp/amp combo one might have preferred S5mkii over S7 at some recordings. When we had Constellation Inspiration+Centaur monos driving both, S7 sounded perhaps too flat relative to more exciting S5, especially for rock and R&B type of music. ARC Ref5mkii+ Centaur monos: S7 were shining in terms of 3d, vividness while lacking a bit of transparency and more realistic bass of inspiration pre. S5mkii was a bit more forward with that combo especially upper mids and highs were stretched while Ref5mkii+Gryphon Antileon combo was an overkill for S5.

As an M Pro owner, I found tonality of S7 closer to my speakers compared to S5mkii. Perhaps I am biased for that reason but I found S7 as a very good speaker considering its cost.
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing