To Jeff Fritz,

First of all, congratulations on your review of Magico Q3 loudspeakers.

I am from Slovenia and I am intending to replace my Cabasse Kara loudspeakers with new loudspeakers. I have a Gryphon Mikado CD player, Accuphase C-2410 preamplifier, and Accuphase A-45 power amplifier with only 40Wpc in class A. My listening room is 50 square meters and the distance between loudspeaker and listener is 3m. I prefer to listen to acoustical music, cool jazz, vocal jazz and radio.

I am in doubt which loudspeakers to buy. My candidates are: Magico Q3, Sonus Faber Amati Futura, Franco Serblin Ktema, Marten Coltane or Bird. I like the character of my Karas. Before Karas I had the Sonus Faber Cremona (the model before M). Cremonas were too slow and sweet for my taste. Would you be so kind and propose to me which speakers according to your opinion would be the best for my system? I am also worried if my Accuphase amplifier has enough power for the Magico Q3s?

In advance, thank you very much for your answer.

Best regards,
Darko Hrastnik

The key to your decision is determining what type of sound you're trying to achieve. If you're after the most neutral, resolving sound imaginable that is also transparent to the extreme, then the Magico Q3 is the speaker I'd buy hands down. If, on the other hand, you're trying to make your system sound a certain way, with a specific character or coloration, then avoid the Q3 altogether. When you say, "Cremonas were too slow and sweet for my taste," I'm led to believe that you would enjoy the neutrality and speed of the Q3 immensely.

As for your amplifier, I do know the Accuphase amps are quite powerful and yours would almost double in power into the Magico's 5-ohm impedance. Still, if you could drag your amplifier along to the audition you'd be wise to do so. That way you'd know for sure and wouldn’t be in for any surprises. . . . Jeff Fritz