To Jeff Fritz,
I have looked at your Ultra Audio site for quite a few years and have enjoyed reading everything. It’s fair to say that your website has evolved for the better, as well.
I liked the Magico Q7 review -- I wish I was in your spot, being able to do reviews of Vitus, etc., while on loan. This audio thing can get a bit costly. I only have Wilson Audio WATT/Puppy 7s -- and these are still OK -- but Magico seems to be making some great progress. The only thing I've read about is the visceral slam that you don’t get from, say, the Q5s compared to the MAXX 3s. I’m tending to think Magico may be the way to go. What’s your view on MAXX 3s vs. Q5s? Do the Magicos have less grit than the Wilsons now? Keep up the great work and I hope to talk with you in the future.
Regards,
Analogueonly
Southern Hemisphere
Thanks for your kind words about Ultra Audio -- my writing assignments there have been a great passion of mine for many years. We continually strive to improve all the SoundStage! Network sites, and the feedback we're getting affirms it.
Regarding your question, in my estimation it is a fairly simple analysis: I've had the Q3s and now the Q7s in my system. I've also owned plenty of loudspeakers, including Wilsons. From these experiences I can say with confidence that the Magicos are among the world's great loudspeakers, and I believe the Q7 to be the absolute best. I've written a lot about the company over the past couple of years and I am more impressed by what they produce with each successive model. The Magico house sound is neutral, resolving, dynamic, and transparent to the extreme.
Regarding the comparison to Wilson, frankly I don’t think that's much of a battle. Overall, I do not believe any of the Wilsons are as linear (i.e., neutral) as the Magicos, and none of the models that I've heard has the resolution of the Magicos.
In my opinion, moving from your speakers to the Q5s would be like going from an old black-and-white television to the latest 1080p flat panel -- there is simply no comparison. My experience with the MAXX 3 loudspeakers has been at shows. There might be some marginal improvement over what you have in the ability to play louder, and there might be some more midbass punch (which is still not accurate, in my opinion), but they would still be lacking in the areas of neutrality, linearity, transparency, etc. I'd say moving to the Magico Q5, on the other hand, is probably the most significant sonic upgrade you could make to your system. . . . Jeff Fritz
