To Jeff Fritz,
I was taken aback with your comments that the new [Magico] S7 is much better than the Q5 ["Sampling High End 2015's Best Loudspeakers"]. I haven't listened to the S7, but I'm in the market, potentially, for a Q5 and have my eye on one.
I thought the Q was kind of superior to the S in general. I also like the relatively smaller dimensions of the Q5, but your comment is making me think twice.
Have you listened to the S7 and Q5 back to back?
Thanks for your help,
Joe
France
I think most listeners will prefer the S7, and here's why: first, the new tweeter. If the diamond-coated beryllium tweeter in the Q7 Mk II is any indication, the new dome profile and material advances incorporated in the S7 will provide a clear upgrade over the older Q5's tweeter. When I heard the S7s in Munich, there was an ease in the treble that, when coupled with the incredible resolution, was impossible not to love. Second, three 10" woofers. The S7 will no doubt play lower and louder in the bass than the Q5 (which has 9" drivers). As I said in my article, the S7 had bass that started and stopped on a dime. The Q5 does that, too, but the S7 can simply move more air. Then there's the new midrange material . . . and the greater sensitivity . . . and on and on.
All told, the S7 represents the latest thinking from Magico. When you consider the aforementioned material advances, as well as their latest crossover technology, in this case newer is definitely better. The Q5 was a great speaker five years ago, but in the world of Magico it's yesterday's news. And, no, I have not heard them back-to-back in the same system. . . . Jeff Fritz
