MAGICO S3 LOUDSPEAKERS 2023

Description

Magico S3 2023

Magico’s flagship loudspeaker, the incomparable M9, was as much a tour de force engineering exercise as a finished product. The knowledge distilled and technological advances gained in the M9 development have been applied to the new S3, which reaps the rewards of those monumental efforts. With new state-of-the-art R&D capabilities, we set out to redesign the S3 Mk II loudspeaker to achieve audible improvements in every parameter. With a new enclosure, drivers, and coupling system, the S3 accomplishes far more than the initial design brief. The technologies and construction techniques in the new S3 achieve a purity of sound and measured performance that surpassed our expectations. The new Magico S3 shatters the boundaries of performance for a speaker in its class.

ENCLOSURE TECHNOLOGY

The new S3 speaker has a sleek and sturdy design. It features an enclosure made up of four separate extruded aluminum panels that range in thickness from 1/2″ to 2-inches. The front baffle panel is also carefully machined to create an edgeless-shaped perimeter. The top plate is massive and curved with an upward pitch to minimize enclosure diffraction and break up vertical standing waves. The baseplate is thicker and more substantial and has a newly designed 3-point outrigger system with a new foot design that lowers the speaker’s centre of gravity and increases overall stability. This results in a lower noise floor and increased dynamics. To optimize the overall sound performance of the S3 in its finished form, Magico has developed a new in-house 3D laser interferometry system that measures each S3 enclosure panel, up to 1000 points per side, and calculates the aggregate SPL resonance of the entire enclosure. This highly accurate analysis enables the company to compare the enclosure resonance contribution about the acoustical output of the transducers and apply internal bracing and damping techniques strategically. The new S3 enclosure is 30% quieter than its predecessor.

 

ACOUSTIC DESIGN

The Klippel Near-Field-Scanner (NFS) uses a single microphone that rotates around a loudspeaker enclosure suspended in free air. The microphone analyzes the environment space first then takes fully automated 3D acoustic measurements (on and off axis) in a minimal amount of time without needing an anechoic chamber. The 360-degree sphere of measurement points is then calculated with the initial room measurements deducted from the equation. The Klippel Near-Field-Scanner provides Magico with unprecedented, highly accurate data and allows us to predict each loudspeaker’s in-room reflections and response in a standard listening room environment. The new S3 greatly benefitted from this uncompromised investment in measurement technology. The result is a speaker with clear technical superiority that results in unparalleled sonic performance.

DRIVER TECHNOLOGY

Three years of engineering research brings a new generation of transducer chassis designs that provide improved mechanical and acoustic parameters. New chassis profiles have been developed for the S3’s midrange and bass drivers, resulting in ideal stiffness and damping properties to minimize any acoustical contribution by reducing resonant modes and maximizing airflow. No aspect of the S3’s design was left to chance. Magico’s commitment to leveraging its R&D resources for the best acoustic performance is unrivalled.

TWEETER HIGHLIGHTS

The S3 tweeter has been designed using key elements of the M9 tweeter platform and features the highly-regarded Magico 28mm diamond-coated beryllium diaphragm. The S3’s high-frequency reproduction has been optimized using state-of-the-art Finite Element Analysis modelling tools to bring it closer to perfection. Beryllium’s physical properties have been leveraged to make the tweeter closer to the theoretical ideal without increasing its weight. This technology has allowed Magico to increase the dome diameter from 26mm to 28mm, resulting in improved performance, incredible power handling, and vanishingly low distortion. The neodymium-based motor system and acoustically improved back chamber have been combined with a customized shape to integrate into the curved front baffle. The S3 tweeter registers the lowest distortion measurements possible today from a high-frequency transducer, making it a technical and sonic marvel when coupled with even greater power handling.

MIDRANGE DRIVER HIGHLIGHTS

The 5-inch pure midrange driver in the S3 features an advanced cone material of a honeycomb aluminium core sandwiched with outer and inner layers of graphene and carbon fibre. This enables broader dispersion characteristics and results in greater midrange transparency. The advanced cone is supported by a customized basket assembly and innovative foam surround, which helps achieve ideal cone/surround integration, faster settling time, and impressively low distortion. The all-new underhung neodymium-based motor system uses two extra-large magnets to facilitate a super-stabilized magnetic field and a pure copper pole cap that minimizes eddy currents and maximizes efficiency. This development in midrange driver technology sets a new benchmark of measured performance in frequency and time domains.

BASS DRIVER HIGHLIGHTS

Magico engineers use Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to assess the acoustic, mechanical, electromagnetic, and thermal properties of their speakers. FEA testing helps minimize distortions in the frequency and time domains. The S3’s 9″ bass driver has greatly benefited from this advanced research. The bass driver features an improved version of Magico’s Graphene Nano-Tec cone. Graphene is a hexagonal lattice of carbon that has 50 times the tensile strength of high-carbon steel. The new cone is formed using a honeycomb aluminum core sandwiched by outer and inner layers of CF Graphene, resulting in the highest possible stiffness-to-weight ratio, ideal damping properties, and extremely low distortion. The new bass unit incorporates oversized components, including a 5-inch pure Titanium voice coil and a huge copper cap with 1/2″ of linear excursion. The super-stabilized magnetic field enables the S3 to reproduce superior low bass output (112dB @ 50Hz measured at 1 meter) while maintaining very low distortion and inductance below 0.25m. The new Magico S3 is a sonic masterpiece that delivers more listening pleasure than thought possible at this price point, thanks to an uncompromised commitment to the most advanced research and development techniques in the industry.

Driver Complement:

1 1.1″ MB5FP pure Beryllium, Diamond coated tweeter

1 5″ Gen 8 Midrange driver

2 9″ Gen 8 Bass driver

Sensitivity: 88dB

Impedance: 4 Ohms

Frequency Response: 24 Hz – 50 KHz

Recommended Power: 50 – 750 Watts

Dimensions : 44H” x 17D” x 12W” (17″ outrigger) Weight: 222 lbs

Reviews:

 

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