To Jeff Fritz,
In the last few days I've read about the Magico Ultimate 3, and that this would be in a class of its own. If we consider its price [approximately $600,000 USD per pair depending on configuration], this must be a special speaker and the sound in a class above the Magico Q7. The drivers look like Western Electrics, or the technologies thereof. Are the drivers all their own design and made in Japan? So what do you think about this speaker?
Kind regards,
Jan
I certainly cannot comment specifically on the Magico Ultimate 3 because it is not a completed speaker at this time. Although I know it is under development -- in the final stages from what I understand -- you won’t find anyone who can tell you exactly how a pair of them will sound. Now, there are folks who have heard the original Ultimates as well as the second version, but from what I know the 3 will be a major upgrade in almost every regard. For instance, I know that the subwoofer driver is now an all-new Magico design that will mate with a 4000W amplifier. The original woofer was an Aura design. As for the rest of the drivers, I am told these are Ale drivers and are quite expensive (over $10,000 each).
How will the Ultimate compare with the Q7 is anyone's guess. The two designs are vastly different, with the Ultimate 3 being a horn-loaded five-way design that is driven through an active DSP-based crossover. The Q7 is obviously a passive affair with conventionally loaded drivers. The claimed sensitivity of the U3 is 116dB -- which makes it vastly more efficient than any dynamic-driver loudspeaker I have ever heard of. In fact, I know of no other loudspeaker that can claim that type of efficiency. How all of this will combine to create sound is conjecture at this point. A direct comparison between the U3 and Q7 would be fascinating to be sure. . . . Jeff Fritz
