To Jeff Fritz,
I read with great interest your review of the Magico Q7 and also about your trip to Rockport Technologies. Could I kindly ask what the room size was in which you listened to the Q7? Also, any thoughts on how the Rockport Altair would compare with the Q5/Q7? My current speakers are Ascendo System M-Ses and my room size is 22' x 16' x 9'. Many thanks for taking the time to read my note. Happy listening.
Kind regards,
Ash
Your question is a very hot topic these days -- everyone seems to be wondering the same thing. I believe this to be the case because these two speaker companies represent perhaps the two top choices in the superspeakers sweepstakes right now. That certainly doesn’t mean they are interchangeable, however, even though I think any audiophile in his right mind could live very happily with any speaker in each respective line.
My room is 23' x 20'. I think your room would work with any of the three speakers you are asking about. As to how they compare, one obvious difference is that the Rockport Altair II will sound fuller and richer in the bass while maintaining excellent fidelity and displaying striking articulation. The Magico Q5, on the other hand, will sound lightning fast and ultra-resolving, while still playing with great depth and power in the low end. The Q7 is simply unmatched, in my experience, with visceral bass power and control married to electrostatic-like speed. (I've yet to hear the Arrakis II with active bass.) The highs will be a matter of taste, with the Rockport sounding extended but meaty and Magico sounding ultra-high-rez yet utterly smooth.
I could go on with general descriptors, but at this level I think it best to listen to these two brands yourself, preferably side by side. You can do that at Goodwin's High End in Boston, Massachusetts, or Ears Nova in New York City, New York. To say you can’t lose with either would be an understatement. . . . Jeff Fritz
