Ultimate Speaker Quest: Magico Mini and V3

I will soon be turning 40. Unlike some, who contemplate a midlife crisis that involves extravagant cars, or extramarital affairs, my thoughts have turned toward speakers. Given that hearing acuity (especially in high frequencies) declines with age, if I'm ever going to own a pair of truly world-class loudspeakers, now would appear to be the time.

So I've embarked on a quest to find what will be the ultimate stereo loudspeaker of my lifetime. I've imposed some arbitrary restrictions on the quest:

1. My listening room is small (12 feet by 11 feet), so no giant, 5-driver behemoths (e.g., no Wilson MAXX).


2. I can live without lots of bass. The truth is, the big boom makes me anxious about disturbing the neighbors, and that anxiety ruins the listening experience for me. Plus, when I want to rock out, I have a fantastic headphone system for that.


3. My current speakers, Quad 988s, might be good enough. They set a high bar, and I'm willing to discover that, dollar for dollar, they might be all the speaker I need.

OK, so the first speakers I auditioned were the Magico Mini II ($29,000/pr, the small ones in the picture). Yes, I know, that's an insane sum. But these speakers have been widely hailed as a new benchmark in what's possible in a small speaker. So, courtesy of Audio Image Ltd., I spent an afternoon auditioning this remarkable speaker (and its big brother, the V3, which paradoxically costs $5k less).

I'm in agreement with what most reviewers have said about the Mini II -- they have powers of resolution like no speaker I've ever heard. For example, in Laura Veirs' "Galaxies," there is some pretty subtle processing on her voice. I've never really noticed it before. But on the Minis, it was plain as day. Similarly, comparing the Bach cantatas by Gardiner (on Monteverdi Productions) and Suzuki (on BIS), I've never heard the differences in the two recordings so clearly. And Tori Amos transfixed me with her cover of Famous Blue Raincoat, with every pedal, every breath -- far and away the best I've ever heard that track sound. The resolution and detail is not at the expense of the music, either -- no "spotlighting" or dissassembly of the overall sonic picture into constituent parts. Always musical.

If anything, I thought all of this amazing "see deep into the mix" resolution was accompanied by a slight roll-off in the highest frequencies (this could have been the fault of accompanying equipment, which was all VAC tube gear -- fantastic stuff, but tubes aren't known for extension at the frequency extremes). I never felt that the added resolution was fatiguing or unrealistic. Quite the contrary.

Shortcomings? Well, these speakers have remarkable bass for a two-way "small" speaker (down into the 35 hz range). But they can't perform miracles -- the very bottom octave is mostly absent. Remarkably, however, that's not necessarily a bad thing. When I listened (briefly) to the larger Magico V3 speakers, which have more bass, I found I liked the clarity and quality of the bass on the Minis better. The V3 has the same amazing resolution in the mid and high frequencies as the Mini, but the bass seemed to cloud things just a bit. Listening to Burial's "Archangel," the Mini gave me enough of the low bass to faithfully create the brooding, leaden skies atmosphere that drives the track, while simultaneously delivering an crystal clear window on everything going on, way deep into the mix. And, when asked to handle the first movement of Brahms Symphony No. 4, they delivered plenty of double bass and cello drama. So, while not bass giants, these have enough bass for me.

One further caveat: the Minis seem to "come to life" at higher volumes. Not unnaturally high volume -- just a realistic volumes. One thing I love about my Quads is the way they remain compelling at low volume -- as if it's the same orchestra, only rendered in exquisitely detailed miniatures. With the Minis (and many other speakers I've heard), below a certain volume, they lose the magic. Every song seems to have its "perfect" volume, and the magic doesn't really arrive until you get there. This is probably my greatest reservation about the Minis -- I don't always feel like cranking up the tunes. Hmm.

Verdict? I'm still thinking about it. I spent some time today with my Quads and was reminded why I love them so dearly. Yes, they lack the ultimate resolution of the Minis. When listening to The Arcade Fire "No Cars Go," the Quads really don't cleanly resolve all the instruments and effects in this (admittedly messy) song. But the Quads unfailingly communicate the musical message. Especially in the midrange, I don't think they give much up to the Minis. On the other hand, there is that addicting "clear window deep into the mix" that the Minis deliver...