Magico Or Focal? Here's My Take!

Here's my opinion on these 2 fabulous loudspeakers. I hope enjoy part 1 which is focusing on the PROs of these animals. Enjoy!
here's part 1:
• Magico Or Focal? Here'...
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#jaysaudiolab
#highendaudio
#hifi
#audiophile
#gryphon
#homeaudio
#focal
#magico
#krell
#simaudio
#wilsonaudio
#sonusfaber
#boulder
#rotel
#aurender
#krell
#taiko
#magico
#audioquest

[@jaysaudiolab]

Please subscribe and like the video!

[@RCbra]

Thanks Jay, first class description. Focal Maestro's are wonderful speakers.

[@faysalriaz1312]

Great video and discussion points - look forward to part 2 - thank you Jay

[@jaysaudiolab]

Soon !

[@marclajeunesse9635]

Thank you Jay ! Very interesting and enjoyable .

[@alldhat-n-den-sum4190]

Exerllent Jay, Brilliant presentation review...You were clear open and honest... Looking forward to hearing your con's of both speakers... I do agree that the electronics do hold command of some speakers 🔊 and therefore you were right properly right to not dismiss previous speakers that you have had in your room... Hey you may have to bring some of your previous speakers back and link 🔗 them up to the electronics you currently have... Just saying, just suggesting... Keep up the good work Jay, bless you

[@jaysaudiolab]

Thanks you

[@peterkuntz6076]

Hi Jay - thanks for a detailed perspective on each one--- it seems like it's a hard choice for you to decide which one to keep (we're dying to know which one you kept!). I, and I'm sure, others, would appreciate hearing your view on how your current components contribute to the level of sound you're getting now (especially the Magico, as it seems to have been transformed when you inserted the REF 6 SE). I hope you do this video before you introduce another component---adding another component now before you delineate the drivers of the prior system setups' contributions will only confuse us and take away from what you've already achieved!

[@imlilchilywily]

Thnx again my friend, giving me the opportunity of speakers that I may never be able to not only see in person but also may not be able to have the opportunity to hear in person..also appreciate how u have shown me the quality of spending at LEAST the same amount of 💵 that I spend on amplification as speakers, to be able to allow your speakers to bloom!

[@Xiaoguan8845]

Need to borrow many different type of power cords for all your components. that will play the major part for the synergy of your system

[@jaysaudiolab]

@@Xiaoguan8845 agreed

[@datka3]

Both are really good !

[@francisdelacruz6439]

Ultra high end systems appears to sound like it here. Nice video specially those intent on perfectionist audio. Just a note with those with a much smaller budget Focals those in the

[@jaysaudiolab]

Interesting 🤔

[@capezyo]

Thanks for the nice tips and details...

[@jaysaudiolab]

You're welcome

[@imosolar]

Jay, keep up with the good work

[@jaysaudiolab]

Thanks man

[@j.m.harris4202]

I believe at this Level of Quality the Con's have to be Tolerable or at least minimal! Really want to know the Brutal Truth in your Humble Opinion! Your Presentations are the Highlight of my days! I am counting down the months until I get to Run Amuck on the Continent and Hit the Gulf Coast Again! After Hurricane Season though! 🌀 Thanks Jay you are the Best Thing Going in HiEnd Audio!

[@jaysaudiolab]

Thank you for your comment and support. Much appreciated!

[@mdjak3686]

Great job, Jay.

[@jaysaudiolab]

Thanks man

[@johannjohann6523]

Thanks for your opinion Jay. It's well respected. As "Sound Quality" is "Not" subjective! I find it interesting people who will purchase a pair of speakers this expensive rarely spend money on room acoustics which can help greatly how speakers function and sound. It sounds like at this price point it is unnecessary to worry about that.

[@BillyDrummondDrums]

I enjoy your videos. Wondering if you’ve ever considered the Vandersteen Model 7 ( latest edition) for a review/audition? Similarly priced I believe? Thanks again.

[@shaynakash4222]

i agree with you on the bass of the s 7 's its amazing ,i heard it in my friends home with pilium top amps and that was the best bass i've ever heard ,its a magic speakers ,you do need top amps like boulder or gryphon or pilium to realy listen to music flow .no stress no fatigue no harshnes in midhighs super smooth ,it brings you experiance that is awesome ,but i do think the m-6's on the boulder amps with that msb select 2 still would give more ''magic'' i can only wish to have the money

[@jaysaudiolab]

Thanks

[@stevenoconnor5693]

Have you demoed the new 800 series? Myself I demoed them I own the 805 D3 and love them. Run the rear with 705 s2 with a 2 subwoofer configuration. Excellent. My take between the 805 D3 and D4 I’d say is between 10-13% improvement in some of the sound frequencies. Just a very price investment at 8,500 a pair and 1,250 for the stands. I I’m very critical on my percentages as I feel. A speaker really has to earn those points. Good video as always.

[@Nightjar726]

As a musician I always felt like Focal had weird mids. Never was drawn to it. Magico is more to my taste. Analytical but still musical. But different strokes for different folks. Everyone has different tastes.

[@jaysaudiolab]

Agreed

[@michaellichnovsky8397]

What does “musical” mean?

[@johannjohann6523]

Musician's generally make the best "sound guys". As long as they are not in a punk band. lol.

[@datka3]

J love you Chanel and would love you to expend to more semi affordable gear , a lot of speaker manufacturers offer 30 day trail that way you don’t have to pay for it , or even demo stuff sent to them . I think that would expand your audience and give bette prospective . Otherwise keep up good work and enjoy your passion

[@osteoporit]

Dear Jay Thank you very much for the many exciting insights into your work. Would you recommend the isoacoustics Gaia Titan Theis for the Wilson Audio Sasha DAW? Thank you for your answer and best regards

[@turkandproud69]

I prefer the maestro evo. Magico S7 might have better bass response. But focal is known for pure musicality❤

[@stevenoconnor5693]

One positive that can be considered is if someone buys a high quality speakers and maybe not the highest level sound equipment to go with it and your satisfied. When someone does upgrade they will have something to look forward to. That’s a great thing the speakers are scalable.

[@perfectsoundpursuit007]

I think Focal Stella Utopia EM is the best in your room , because you have adjustment to angle of mids and highs , this can make direction of speakers to ears ( like some big Wilson Audio ) . Only if is for testing , but i think be worth . I think i have one year busy with that .. Of course i not have money for this speakers .. I keep it mine . BR

[@mikenorris812]

Which one leaves the Lab? As I said yesterday the Magico seems to shine in the room but the focal is also very very nice. It would be cool to see the M6 again with the new front end. Thanks Jay.

[@jaysaudiolab]

Thank you

[@hawkmoon369]

Totally agree with the height of the speaker for ceiling height.

[@wickedsiesta2860]

Hi Jay, great video, thank you so much! Can you test Sonarworks room correction in your setup? Kind regards

[@stevenoconnor5693]

Room understanding agreed 100%

[@lazo69er]

Jay would love to see a review and your thoughts on the Vandersteen Model Seven Mk II.

[@jaysaudiolab]

Almost got them

[@johannjohann6523]

I liked the part in the video speaking to amplification. (900 watts per channel class A amperage is also crazy. lol). People need to remember the amplifier does not send power to the speakers, the speakers "draw" power from the amplifier. Making what Jay said on point.

[@hansendy3708]

Disappointed that you still got those plastic wraps on the Maestro Evos. Mostly agree with your assessment tho. The S7 is also one of my fave Magicos - the “party going Magico” as I like to call it especially with a magico sub or two. :)

[@henriksrensen3220]

Great speakers Jay. Now you need to own the Audiovector R8 Arrete speakers. You might like them even better.

[@jaysaudiolab]

You never know..

[@Xiaoguan8845]

Keep the three major components and rotating all those speakers and more cables you will get the synergy suit your taste

[@svajunasramanauskas6136]

Exelent..

[@joeb4349]

Jay, another great review. But the video stopped right when you were to begin the negatives of the Focal and Magico. Is it on YT? Where is Part 2?

[@jaysaudiolab]

That would be part 2...

[@sergiubalaci1032]

Hi Jay, I would be very curious to hear a review of the new Dali Kore. I have listened to them at the High End Munich and was very impressed with the presentation. Their value is 80,000€ and they appear on the market in the autumn of this year. You do a great job every time, I appreciate your effort! Greetings from Germany!

[@jaysaudiolab]

Maybe some day. You never know!

[@themoistgreenorganic]

Still enjoying my S1 Mkii but I know I gotta update the amplification. I’m heavily looking into the Krell 300i, I need to save up!

[@klewja]

I used to own a pair of S1MKII. I powered them with a Hegel H360 to great effect. The K300i is awesome. The Audio Experience is actually selling one now for a great price.

[@mdeboer2669]

There's this brand from my country named Kharma, have you ever looked into or listened to them and if so what do you think of them? Their top models go for 650 a pair, and KHARMA Exquisite Classique which at least online sound and look amazing go for 100 grand a pair.

[@jaysaudiolab]

Maybe in the future

[@harrykurniawan5817]

Jay ,Have you ever heard the Zellaton speaker? What do u think about Zelks ?

[@jaysaudiolab]

No never

[@t.j.bennett6454]

The coherency of the magicos is seemingly well blended because of the abstract way that it images. But once you see past that you can hear a clear and distinct cutoff between the tweeter and the midrange. Imo all newer Wilson’s have better coherency as the timbre matching of tweeter and midrange spot on. Also the timing, if setup right is much better than the magico

[@mrhd5831]

I like your poetry ;) But Wilson speakers, especially the big models, are some of the least coherent speakers on the market. Always sounds like different speakers are playing. Measurements confirm my findings, a total mess.

[@t.j.bennett6454]

@@mrhd5831 if not setup properly but they’re modular for timing purposes.

[@LQ-gaming]

can you place the magico S series close to walls or furniture?

[@jaysaudiolab]

Not ideal.

[@datka3]

That ML like clarity is coming across KZbin with magicos

[@jaysaudiolab]

Interesting

[@nikospen1]

Ευχαριστούμε!

[@jaysaudiolab]

Thanks !

[@boseandfriends9284]

The magico very good looking speaker's

[@michaelsong8676]

How do they compare with the Alexia 2 sonically wise (no need to talk about the appearance for obvious reason :)

[@jaysaudiolab]

That's a topic for the future

[@michaelsong8676]

@@jaysaudiolab Thanks! Did you change your recording equipment comparing to when you have the Wilson Speakers before? There is a major change of quality and I doubt it's all from the electronics.

[@barkingpumpkin5693]

Why is the plastic still on the speaker?

[@jaysaudiolab]

Because they aren't mine to keep. Everything gets sold and if i could leave the plastic on everything else, i totally would

[@peter3728]

please run REW on all your speakers, you can easily qualify the bass differences your hearing

[@LuxAudio389]

I second that there should be no silver at all on any Focal with Beryllium Tweeters. I own Sopra No.3s and Kanta No.2s and tried this for myself early on.

[@user-tg4bn8ud9l]

Maestro Utopia EVO might be replaced by Stella Utopia EM EVO in the near future...

[@1crenshaw488]

Jay I am seriously thinking to purchase The new S5 Mk II silhouettes, 39k I can do that, and they have 10inch two of them I am sure I wont miss the 3rd 10inch.

[@jaysaudiolab]

Lol you better do a consultation before

[@1crenshaw488]

These should sound as good as yours correct, if you have them i should be fine.

[@allansh828]

no part 2?

[@jaysaudiolab]

Coming this week

[@m.j.s.3838]

Orange is a great choice!

[@-MarkWinston-]

Pro 3 for the Magico can be its downfall; over sensitive speaker that needs a very precise placement for optimal performance. If placement is so sensitive, listening positioning will be too.

[@jaysaudiolab]

Could be

[@samt1039]

For that amounts of $ they should provided some sort of trims to hide those speaker mount bolts - made the speakers look cheap and unfinished.

[@jaysaudiolab]

You clearly don't know what you are talking about. They have grills and I don't care to use them.

[@danguzman4676]

Yes good looking & then I think of Dr.WHO & those Robot Aliens the Dalleck. I forget what there called.LOL

[@ryanstanley2985]

Really like to see B&W 801 D4 in your room :D

[@jaysaudiolab]

Hard to get one

[@lausiv12345]

@@jaysaudiolab Jay we believe in you

[@manuelrico9455]

Both are excellent loudspeakers. Heard them both and in my opinion Magico are perfect for studio recordings, far too analith

[@manuelrico9455]

Both are excellent loudspeakers 👌🎼🎼🎼. Nonetheless, I prefer Magico for studio recordings, far too analytics for me. If the recording is perfect they sound fabulous if not, awful, exactly like the recording. Focal sounds completely different, even with bad recordings the sound is still ok, not too bad really. That’s my opinion and thanks for your efforts and page 👍 And Focal

[@hudiamichael2791]

30 ans de fidélité à Focal , je n’est plus besoin de l’avis de quiconque !!! Mais j’écoutes encore les sons des autres produits , car la hi-fi ne fait que progresser !!! Le design des Focal a été penser il y a plus de 20 ans sur un coin de tablé , aujourd’hui primée en Amérique Europe Asie et ne cesse de surprendre , même dans mes véhicules c’est focal qui m’accompagne sur la route (gamme Utopia) focal respect les voix et leurs timbres 👍👍👍🇫🇷

[@williamkobling8397]

I would take Focal over Magico everyday of the week. I think its funny that Magico doesn't offer grills (remember your other video?) and that they don't return repaired speakers to their owners (you pick them up at the dock). To me, Magico is a joke.

[@jaysaudiolab]

These have grills. I dont use them.

[@user-bq8rq8cv4g]

​@jaysaudiolab - I appreciate that Kef speakers are not even in the same league as Magico or Focal speakers, but do you have an opinion on them, specifically the Kef Reference 3 Floor Standing speakers? As well, could a Naim Supernait 3 power Kef Reference 3 stereo speakers?

[@dmark2639]

The fact that the Magico is so sensitive to placement seems to imply that it has a very narrow horizontal dispersion and may change drastically off-axis. Generally, speakers like this have a very small sweet spot and require you to keep your head in a vice to experience all their "Magic".

[@mrhd5831]

Magico speakers are known for wide smooth dispersion. You can look up their measurements, you don't have to guess. Any good speaker requires careful setup.

[@t.j.bennett6454]

Magico is a wolf in sheeps clothing. Good at appearing to play music but a shepherd can see that it doesn’t walk right, can see it’s eyes glowing in the night, it’s robe though made with the finest threads come from a place made rather than grown. Maybe this creative narrative would have been better had I used a robot trying to be a human but the wolves tale is more well known.

[@avneravi1927]

I did compare a side by side wilson alexia 2 and magico s3 mk2 which basically share the same tweeter as in the S7 - the tweeters in the S line is not that great and not transparent or detailed as in the alexia 2 - I think you over appreciate those S7. If you want the real deal is only the M series.

[@jaysaudiolab]

Ok boss. Thanks for letting the soldier know how to shoot his riffle.

[@jeanlouispicard9501]

Magico is good choice but focal just bright medium on is only good for rock. Magico are more musical. Close to Wilson alexx still the best for the price second hand. 😊

[@swinde]

At 76,000 dollars, I suspect which ever one you buy will be the "best".

[@jaysaudiolab]

Good point lol.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Wild guess... Magico

[@jaysaudiolab]

Sup man!

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

@@jaysaudiolab Whassssappaneeen ??

[@jaysaudiolab]

@@OCDHIFiGuy same old thing

[@jazzkatt7083]

Magico all the way! IMHO, with Focals I feel like I can hear the enclosure.

[@Xiaoguan8845]

Synergy is the key. need to try different cables especially the power cables

[@jaysaudiolab]

I can't hear 🙉 enclosure

[@user-xw2qp2qb3j]

Magico for my......greece.......

[@audiohertz2341]

9K footers , well alright ....! Regards

[@darkroom8317]

Click bait, which one is better? Then states this is my opinion, at this point in the game they are both good & just a matter of taste. Did I mention I hate click bait? You can do better jay.

[@jaysaudiolab]

Part of you KZbin. It happens to me when I watch other car reviewers..i am not a complainer though...thanks for the comment

[@darkroom8317]

@@jaysaudiolab I’m glad your not a complainer Jay, I was just making a point, & then hitting it home. The mere fact you mentioned it when you watch car videos is a form of complaint. I have commented on your channel on occasion, but not frequently. I just think you can do better. In my view it comes off as greasy used car salesman, which is not what you are, therefore I point out the incongrouancy of the clickbait title vs what I perceive you to be. I also know that my comments be they positive or negative help your algorithms, so I helped you out willingly while “complaining” as you so eloquently insinuated. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy 70-80% of your videos. I appreciate what you do, but that doesn’t mean I can’t give you my two cents worth in order to help you get better (in my mind). If I didn’t care I wouldn’t have posted, be safe & ☮️

[@burtonwhiteside1240]

They look scratched

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

90 dB sensitive not efficient.

[@jaysaudiolab]

I said over 90 db...pay attention 😊

[@finvarg2]

Focal is bright, not musical and looks outdated with those screws, chrome parts and total feel of clumsiness. This Magico also looks little bit cheap, but they also have amazing looking M6. Didn't heard them.

[@louv4437]

To me Focal does not compare to Magico, Focal is a step down

[@jordenb9469]

I have to day this... Why do you have such cheap subwoofers? You have power cords that cost 10x the price..... Makes zero sense.

[@jaysaudiolab]

Because I don't care about home theater...I like cars and don't care about bikes...i love planes and don't care about boats. I love the ocean and don't care about rivers... I hope this explanation helps

[@jordenb9469]

@@jaysaudiolab Interesting way of putting it. But you were saying the Magico had bass like your Rel. Imagine if you had exspensive subwoofers they might make you take that statement away.

[@jordenb9469]

You need to take them out. They do not match the room. I bet your room treatments cost more lol. Just saying as you don't care about home theater.

[@jaysaudiolab]

@@jordenb9469 i need it to watch movies with my family. We enjoy the home theater.

[@timschutte3961]

Audio is 70% and looks 30% and Wilson Audio looks the most horrible and hate them and Dali and Focal would be my choice.