Magico plus Supratek preamp- a match made in heaven!

Jono

Well-Known Member
Oct 27, 2017
61
30
123
I do not own Magico speakers but several friends do so I am very familiar with them.Mostly S5s .
I have always admired them more than really loved them but have heard them sounding very good-mostly driven by Accuphase and Audia Flight [Strumento] amps and preamps but a good range of other components too.
Last weekend I got to hear them with a Supratek Cabernet 300B preamp and was genuinely shocked by the improvement I heard.I have been in this hobby for 35 years and owned and heard all sorts of gear and thought I was past being really moved and excited by any component but what I heard with the Supratek was very special.Profound even.
The room literally filled up with beautiful music.When we swapped out the Audia Flight Strumento preamp [about $20,000 worth] and plugged in the Supratek the sound went from a bit dry,dull,choked up,compressed,small,stilted,lacking in fluidity and general musical engagement to glorious ,huge,rich,open,airy,dynamic and liquid sounding.From "hi fi" to real and meaningful.
This was not a small difference.I have heard a range of different preamps and sources in that system and the differences were always quite small but this was HUGE!
The power amp used was the Audia Flight Strumento 4.A very good power amp but obviously one deserving a really top rate preamp .Perhaps it is just a magic synergy thing going on between the Supratek and The Audia Flight power amp but the speakers still have to be very good to reveal it.


I really did not think the Magicos could sound that special.
Now I want a pair.
 

christoph

Well-Known Member
Dec 11, 2015
4,659
4,058
825
Principality of Liechtenstein
And now imagine what would happen if you also swapped the poweramp for an excellent tube amp :rolleyes:
 

bonzo75

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
22,442
13,471
2,710
London
I do not own Magico speakers but several friends do so I am very familiar with them.Mostly S5s .
I have always admired them more than really loved them but have heard them sounding very good-mostly driven by Accuphase and Audia Flight [Strumento] amps and preamps but a good range of other components too.
Last weekend I got to hear them with a Supratek Cabernet 300B preamp and was genuinely shocked by the improvement I heard.I have been in this hobby for 35 years and owned and heard all sorts of gear and thought I was past being really moved and excited by any component but what I heard with the Supratek was very special.Profound even.
The room literally filled up with beautiful music.When we swapped out the Audia Flight Strumento preamp [about $20,000 worth] and plugged in the Supratek the sound went from a bit dry,dull,choked up,compressed,small,stilted,lacking in fluidity and general musical engagement to glorious ,huge,rich,open,airy,dynamic and liquid sounding.From "hi fi" to real and meaningful.
This was not a small difference.I have heard a range of different preamps and sources in that system and the differences were always quite small but this was HUGE!
The power amp used was the Audia Flight Strumento 4.A very good power amp but obviously one deserving a really top rate preamp .Perhaps it is just a magic synergy thing going on between the Supratek and The Audia Flight power amp but the speakers still have to be very good to reveal it.


I really did not think the Magicos could sound that special.
Now I want a pair.

Hi, what music was used for auditioning?
 

Jono

Well-Known Member
Oct 27, 2017
61
30
123
And now imagine what would happen if you also swapped the poweramp for an excellent tube amp :rolleyes:

Possibly better again I suppose.
Although I have found that using a Directly Heated Triode preamp like the Supratek in combination with a SS power amp that will let the [ 300B meshplate in this case] qualities through can be a very effective approach.
 

Elberoth

Member Sponsor
Dec 15, 2012
2,007
253
1,170
Poland
I'm using Lampizator Golden Gate (direct to amps) with pretty much the very same effect you are describing.
 

Jono

Well-Known Member
Oct 27, 2017
61
30
123
I'm using Lampizator Golden Gate (direct to amps) with pretty much the very same effect you are describing.

Interesting.Obviously a really good source is needed too.
The Suprateks are about a third the price of the Lampizator Golden Gate.Which I guess gives you plenty of money left to spend on a really good digital source like a Lampizator or Accuphase.
 

Audio Revelation

New Member
Apr 18, 2015
8
0
0
S. CA
Vac

I've owned Mini's to M3s and have always found VAC to bring out their musicality like no other line - and I've tried plenty. I (90%) retired and no surprise VAC is what I kept for myself to bring out best in Magicos. I never tried Supratek however so can't comment on that one.


I do not own Magico speakers but several friends do so I am very familiar with them.Mostly S5s .
I have always admired them more than really loved them but have heard them sounding very good-mostly driven by Accuphase and Audia Flight [Strumento] amps and preamps but a good range of other components too.
Last weekend I got to hear them with a Supratek Cabernet 300B preamp and was genuinely shocked by the improvement I heard.I have been in this hobby for 35 years and owned and heard all sorts of gear and thought I was past being really moved and excited by any component but what I heard with the Supratek was very special.Profound even.
The room literally filled up with beautiful music.When we swapped out the Audia Flight Strumento preamp [about $20,000 worth] and plugged in the Supratek the sound went from a bit dry,dull,choked up,compressed,small,stilted,lacking in fluidity and general musical engagement to glorious ,huge,rich,open,airy,dynamic and liquid sounding.From "hi fi" to real and meaningful.
This was not a small difference.I have heard a range of different preamps and sources in that system and the differences were always quite small but this was HUGE!
The power amp used was the Audia Flight Strumento 4.A very good power amp but obviously one deserving a really top rate preamp .Perhaps it is just a magic synergy thing going on between the Supratek and The Audia Flight power amp but the speakers still have to be very good to reveal it.


I really did not think the Magicos could sound that special.
Now I want a pair.
 

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