Magico S3 MK II – Magic for The Ears!
California-based speaker manufacturer Magico continues the overhaul of their S
Series line of speakers with the introduction of the S3 MK
II.
Company founder and seeker of sonic perfection Alon Wolf is
bent on continual advancements and improvements to the Magico lineup, and the
S3 is the latest model to undergo a major redux. The original
S1 and S5 models have recently achieved MK II status, and the MK II version
of the S3 rounds out the S Series lineup.
Exactly how has the S3 earned the MK II grade? After all, the original S3 was pretty darn
good…
At quick glance, the updated speaker could almost be
considered brand new. While fairly
similar in outward appearance, literally every facet of the speakers has been tweaked. Let’s start at the top and work our way down…
The 1-inch diamond-coated beryllium-diaphragm tweeter has a
new aluminum housing, along with improvements in the voice coil and other tweaks,
providing lower distortion and resonance, and optimizing dispersion, power
handling and blending with the other drivers.
One step down the frequency ladder is the 6-inch midrange
driver which Magico reports as being 20% lighter and 300% more rigid than the
previous S Series midrange. You can
thank a new cone material using Multi-layer carbon fiber and XG
Nanographene. This is high-tech stuff…!
The final rung of the frequency ladder is held down by a
pair of 9-inch bass drivers using the same cone materials and manufacturing
techniques as the 6-inch midrange. These
speakers have a full ½ inch of linear excursion courtesy of a pure titanium
voice coil in the magnet structure.
Nice…!
The speaker enclosure itself is formed from what Magico
describes as “a single piece of extruded aluminum that is 3/8-inch thick and
12-inches in diameter. The top plate is
convex for sonic benefits, and the base plate has 4 outriggers to increase stability.
I would be remiss if I failed to mention the crossover
electronics, as they have been massaged to coincide with the driver and cabinet
improvements. Components from the
crossover system come from highly-regarded Mundorf
in Germany and use Magico’s Elliptical Symmetry Crossover design.
The end result is one nice pair of updated speakers. The cabinets stand 48” tall and weigh in at
170 lbs. per. Don’t move them alone! Frequency response is rated at 24Hz-50 kHz
with a 4-ohm impedance.
Pricing is set at $28,000 for the standard M-Cast finish,
with painted finishes a bit more. The S3
MK II will be shipping to dealers in January.