MAGICO M3

At the time of publishing this review the “M” range means four models: M9, M6, M3 and M2, all sharing the same know-how. The skeleton of the M3 is a complicated system of aluminum rods and braces to which the thick aluminum front baffle is attached. The cockpit, made of carbon sheets and foam core sandwich is, according to Magico, a better alternative to heavy and dense enclosures as it is relatively lightweight yet stiff and thus should not store delayed energy or contribute with its own resonances. The bottom and top panels are aluminum again. The fact that the whole assembly is bolted, not glued, asks for periodical check of whether all bolts have the right tension – for this very reason a precise torque tool is a part of packaging.

For Magico never looked at costs, at least not too much, for the M-series speakers they employed woven graphene for driver cones. This way the company claims 20% lighter and 300% stiffer cones than in any previous Magico speakers. There are four Graphene drivers: 1x 12cm midrange driver that operates its own dedicated polymer sealed sub-enclosure, and 3x18cm bass drivers that operate into sealed cabinet. This is pretty unique approach, however not surprising if you consider that the best subwoofers are all sealed. The absence of bass-reflex ports asks for very rigid construction and has some consequences, yet it was required to achieve tight and dynamic bass and articulation.

The midrange and bass drivers are complemented by another unusual driver, a 28mm diamond coated beryllium tweeter. By combining these two materials with a neodymium based motor system and a shallow waveguide Magico achieves low distortion and wide dispersion pattern for highs.

Please note that despite I used the word “lightweight” several times each speaker weighs 145kg; don’t expect you’ll be able to move them around easily.

The downsides: the Magico M3 does not provide a bi-wiring option, requires uber-expensive M-Pod feet that are sold separately (I will discuss them later in the review), and asks for a lot of power and control from the partnered amplifier. Though the manual states that “recommended power is 20 - 500 watts” I can say that a 20-watt amp is only good for testing that the M3s’s drivers are connected and can play.