Magico Q7

**wizard** · 08-08-2012, 02:17 PM

Q7 with FMA at TAA show - sound was great in a small room.

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**mullard88** · 08-31-2012, 04:34 AM

I finally listened to a Q7 based system this Tuesday and Wednesday. The source was the new Spectral CD player, electronics were all BAlabo. The interconnects from CD player to line stage and from line stage to power amp were all Gotham. Speaker cables were Sensory Power. The power cords on the line stage and power amp were also Sensory Power.

I noticed that the Q7 are only about two feet from the back wall. This is a departure from the other speakers in the Q series which all seem to need at least six feet of space from the back wall. The sound of this system is simply so excellent that it nailed me for two straight days of listening. I would have returned to listen some more if I had more time. The thought that kept coming to my mind was "this sounds so alive". The Q7 sounds very much like the Q5 but everything is so much better by a very wide margin. The ease with which the Q7 can reproduce music is almost in the level of the Magico Ultimate. No listening fatigue at all. One of the cds "Joan Baez's Diamonds and Rust in the Bull Ring" which I recall to be just mediocre sounded fantastic on this system.

**microstrip** · 08-31-2012, 06:44 AM

Originally Posted by mullard88

(...) The Q7 sounds very much like the Q5 but everything is so much better by a very wide margin. The ease with which the Q7 can reproduce music is almost in the level of the Magico Ultimate (...)

I had the same feeling when listening to the XLF with my recordings - how could it sound so much better than the Maxx3 I had long experience? We all would hope that the law of diminishing returns would make the differences small, but they are really large. And you are spot on - the "easiness" is a key point.

**JackD201** · 08-31-2012, 08:15 AM

Unfortunately, I saw the Q7s but didn't hear them. They were on display at the front window of a store at Adelphi. Stranger still, at the MOD DAC show the Magico dealer had a killer system on display with Q1s, Q3s and a VAC Statement. They treated the room too but they were not cabled! How weird is that?!!!!!!

**lloydelee21** · 08-31-2012, 09:49 AM

Originally Posted by microstrip

I had the same feeling when listening to the XLF with my recordings - how could it sound so much better than the Maxx3 I had long experience? We all would hope that the law of diminishing returns would make the differences small, but they are really large. And you are spot on - the "easiness" is a key point.

I know a distributor who personally prefers the old Slamms to the Maxx3 for that reason. His view was that with the right setup and the right electronics, one could tailor the Slamm sound however you wished which mitigated aginst the newer tech/drivers of the Maxx3...but the effortlessness of the Slamms scale was something the Maxx3s could not match.

**NorthStar** · 08-31-2012, 10:12 AM

Originally Posted by wizard

Q7 with FMA at TAA show - sound was great in a small room.

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-----Those caster wheels are out of touch!
...I'm sure they are there only temporary though; for moving them easier.

If I'd have a pair of these, I would put hockey pucks under them (Canadian made).

P.S. Check that TT.

**mullard88** · 08-31-2012, 06:43 PM

The wheel casters are to make it easier to position such heavy speakers. Once the desired position is established, Magico has incorporated a system in which it is very easy to remove the wheel casters and set the speakers down. That was what I was told. The pair I listened to no longer had the wheel casters.

**Roysen** · 08-31-2012, 11:58 PM

I would like to bring the attention back to amplification. What amp(s) would suit the Q7 best. From what I understand Alon is using Constellation Audio Centaur Mono amps in the Magico showroom. One would think that the Hercules would sound even better. Personally I have heard great things from other Magico speakers with darTZeel NHB-458 and Soulution 700. I also notice that the Q7 has been auditioned with great results with BAlabo and FM Acoustics and with not so great results with Pass Labs and Spectral. Of course none of these Q7 auditions were my own.

Thanks,
Roysen

**lloydelee21** · 09-01-2012, 01:37 AM

Originally Posted by Roysen

I would like to bring the attention back to amplification. What amp(s) would suit the Q7 best. From what I understand Alon is using Constellation Audio Centaur Mono amps in the Magico showroom. One would think that the Hercules would sound even better. Personally I have heard great things from other Magico speakers with darTZeel NHB-458 and Soulution 700. I also notice that the Q7 has been auditioned with great results with BAlabo and FM Acoustics and with not so great results with Pass Labs and Spectral. Of course none of these Q7 auditions were my own.

Thanks,
Roysen

Good to know. I have heard that with FM Acoustics, one needs to ensure you get a big enough FMA amp. At least with the older ones, the Magico Minis were known for causing the 411's to go into thermal shut down...i have spoken with 2 owners and 1 dealer who confirmed this. I believe Magico Mini is one of the tougher loads within the Magico mini...but i believe many of them can present a difficult load. Not sure about the Q7.