Speaker Comparison: YG Acoustics Carmel/Magico V3

[Scott W]

On Saturday May 22nd(2:00pm), Dick Diamond of YG Acoustics will be bring a pair of their new speakers called the Carmel($18,000) and a pair of Magico V3's for a comparison/shoot-out to our store Advanced Home Theater in Plano . Guests will be asked to fill out short survey card on what they thought of the two speakers. If you can let me know ahead of time you are coming that would be great, but if you don't know until the last minute and show up that will be fine as well. The source gear will be; Playback Designs CD/SACD Player, Dartzeel Amp and Preamp, MIT cables. Our address is;

Advanced Home Theater
3209 Premier, Suite 112
Plano, TX 75075


Call Scott at (972)754-8359 with an questions.

 

[Steve Williams]

Looking forward to your overall impressions Scott. Should be fun. If Dick has any more of his great demo disks sign me up for one

 

[Scott W]

Absolutely will do Steve

 

[JackD201]

Hey Scott, when Dick's not looking can you throw a 5 Annie into the fray? I've been able to compare them with V3s but I've yet to hear any YG speaker.

 

[Steve Williams]

Hey Scott, when Dick's not looking can you throw a 5 Annie into the fray? I've been able to compare them with V3s but I've yet to hear any YG speaker.

Ok I'll bite. What's a 5 Annie

 

[JackD201]

VR-5 Anniversary Editions Steve. Basically Scott's VR-9s less the ribbons and the subs.

 

[es347]

VR5 Anniversary vs. the Magico V3. As an owner of the VR5s and having spent some time in the sweet spot of the V3s I can give a totally unbiased opinion I'd say that they are actually quite similar in the M/T and both image well. I'd give the nod to the VR5s regarding depth and width of soundstage. The low end of the VR5 Anniversaries is the clear winner here. They bass goes lower and is just as taut as the V3's bass even though the VR5s are ported. Many poo-poo a ported speaker as being less accurate than one with a sealed enclosure but Albert V. has cracked the code on the particular problem with his quasi transmission line design. I don't begin to know how he does it but it works and works quite well. The Magico V3 is a great speaker, don't get me wrong. It's just that, in my humble opinion, the VR5 Anniversary is just a little greater.

Given all that Scott, as Jack said, it would be interesting to get some customer feedback on this comparison.

 

[JackD201]

I like the V3 very much too Gavin. I've often wondered how they'd sound with the daddy Karans strapped to them.

YG and Magico. Battle of the Aluminum baffles. I wish I could be there to hear the shoot out. All the 3-axis vs 4-axis talk between the two camps tells us nuthin.

Lets get ready to Rumble! Please keep us posted Scott

 

[Scott W]

Unfortunately I don't have a pair of 5 Annies in stock to compare. Also this is being put on with the speakers being provided by YG so we are limited to the Carmels and Magicos for this comparison.

 

[Scott W]

Speaker Comparison: YG Acosutics Carmel/Magico V3

Just a reminder. It is going to be a fun day tomorrow

 

[Rutgar]

Interesting little meet yesterday. Scott Warren and Dick Diamond were both very gracious as hosts for this event. The front end was all top notch equipment (DartZeel Amp/Pre-amp, Playback Designs CD/SACD player, and some very expensive speaker cables & interconnects (MIT), and power cords (Sound Applications). Dick gave a nice talk on YG Acoustics, their design pholosophy, and their designer. For the shootout, it was pretty informal. Dick played 2 selctions of music, first on the Carmel's. After a couple of minutes of swapping out the YG's with the Magico V3's, we then listened to the same two tracks in reverse. The Carmel's were then placed back for one more listen to the same two pieces and then for listener's choice for those who had brought there own discs. We all filled out a survey which only asked about the event itself, and didn't ask for specific opinions about the 2 speakers.

As far as the differences in the two sets of speakers go, it was obvious and dramatic. One person remarked "Two complete different flavors of ice cream."

Disclaimer: below is strictly my opinion and impressions... your milage may vary.
Barring the 10K+ price difference between the 2, I thought the Magico's had a much overall 'darker' sound with a slight more emphisis on mid bass. Whereas the Carmel's were brighter, more 'open' and 'spacious' sounding. But both are great speakers and would really come down to personal preference on which one, one would prefer.

 

[es347]

The V3s being the more expensive of the two, right? Does the YG being bright equate to it being etched or fatiguing? Thanks.

 

[Rutgar]

The V3s being the more expensive of the two, right? Does the YG being bright equate to it being etched or fatiguing? Thanks.

Yes, the V3's being more expensive. When I say brighter, I meant as opposed to the 'darker' sound of the Magico's. I didn't find the Carmels either etched or fatiguing.

 

[JackD201]

I've heard the V3 but not any YG speaker. I've also heard the MM3. Where would the Carmel be in relation to your MM2s or your Unifield 3s when it comes to the upper midrange and treble? Just curious.

 

[Rutgar]

I've heard the V3 but not any YG speaker. I've also heard the MM3. Where would the Carmel be in relation to your MM2s or your Unifield 3s when it comes to the upper midrange and treble? Just curious.

Well... I don't think any of those speakers compare to my MM2's.

Funny that you mentioned the Unifield 3's. I mentioned to Scott during the shoot-out that the Carmels reminded me of the Unifield 3's in their overall tone and color (and they have a similar price point). I would have loved to have been able to throw a pair of the U-3's in the line up!

Last week, Scott had a room at the Lone Star Audio Fest here in Dallas. And he had set up a pair of the Unifield 3's. There was something magic about that Hotel Room, because the Unifield 3's sounded fanatastic. The bass response was incredible. It even prompted some people to ask if there was a Sub Woofer.

 

[Scott W]

Here are some pictures