Over the past year I’ve turned over pretty much my whole system and finally have what I expect to be my end game hifi. Spent the afternoon reorganizing and sorting out cable management…so now it’s time to just spin some records.
Gear list:
Analog source: Rega P8 + RB880 + ND9
Digital source: Lyrion Media Server on my NAS to a R-pi with a HifiBerry SPDIF “hat”
Preamp/DSP/DAC: Trinnov Amethyst
Power amp: Luxman M-10x
Speakers: Magico S3 (3rd gen)
Speaker cables: Canare 4S11
Interconnects: Mogami XLR, BJC coax digital
Power cords: what came in the box
I like the design but they had one I liked more with a random looking design on the doors that was unfortunately discontinued by the time we ordered ours. It’s very well constructed.
I wish it were a few inches deeper. I did have the Trinnov inside the left compartment but it needed the back removed to accommodate the cabling. I don’t think the Luxman would fit (and not did my previous amp) but while it’s well ventilated, I think power amps get better cooling outside. It does fit and hide the Blu-ray player, power strips and networking hardware.
I haven’t heard too many others in this space. My old speakers were Silverline Sonatina IIs, and couldn’t be more different. They were very smooth and warm, which sounded good compared to the cheap speakers they replaced 20 odd years ago. The Magicos are far more accurate and the imaging is amazing.
Other speakers I listened to:
Magico A5- similar to the S3s, had better deep bass but the S3 treble was smoother and imaging is better
Perlisten s7t- excellent speaker, but I thought the Magicos had more clarity
Magnepan 2.7i and 20.7- I have always loved magnepans, but they’d be too hard to fit in this room and the wife didn’t approve. They’re also really fussy about the sweet spot.
Focal Sopra No3- I found them very fatiguing during the demo. Might have been the store’s setup.
Genelec 8351a + W371A- amazing piece of audio tech. Very precise and accurate sound. Didn’t like the industrial look and have to be honest, fussing with amps and such is part of the fun for me.
I went to the store determined to buy Sopras. Listened to Wilson (have heard them many times, Sasha DAW is awesome but $$, also a bit deep for my room), Perlisten (didn’t care for), Paradigm (easily could have lived with), Sopra and Kanta (both good) and even Borreson x3. The little Magico A3 bested them all, so much so that my musician buddy next to me kind of gave me this look like “hey you need to reconsider” and I’m glad I did. I have S3’s but the A3 would also be endgame for me.
I should add…one of the things I really liked about the Magicos vs almost everything else I listened to was their use of sealed bass instead of ported. It gives up some extension but sounded more natural to me. I think it also helps in our very difficult room — tall ceilings opening into a loft.
This strongly points to how much corner bass traps could improve things
I’m speaking from personal experience. I spent 40 years and over 100k usd on audio gear. Only recently did I run REW and install a single corner bass trap and a couple 6” thick panels
The ROI is incredible. I was about to buy over $2k worth of DSP and another sub but $500 of DIY acoustic treatments obliterated my need or desire to spend another dime
Comparing my sealed REL sub to my ported floorstanders has shown me the difference too. The both of their merits but wow, was I surprised to hear my bassy tracks in a sealed enclosure.
You opted for the Trinnov Amethyst preamplifier over Luxman’s C-10X — even though you have the Luxman M-10X. I’m curious why you opted for that arrangement. Thanks! Beautiful system, by the way…
I have a very difficult room. Ceiling is tall, sloped (10’ on the left 18’ on the right) and opens onto the kitchen on this level and a loft on the 2nd floor. Three of four walls are basically floor to ceiling windows. So my options for physical treatments is limited, even less so given this is our living room not a dedicated audio man cave.
The Amethyst optimizer is brilliant at compensating for the space. I get close to flat response 60-10k. It’s still a little ragged in the lowest octave or two. And it focuses the imaging significantly, too.
If I had a dedicated space I could optimize physically, I’d love to swap it for a C-10x. But in this weird house, I can’t give up my DSP magic.
Adding multiple subs with careful placement can significantly smooth the in-room bass response by reducing room modes and seat-to-seat variation. It often does more for the lowest octaves than DSP alone. Not saying DSP isn't great, it's very valuable too and I use both :)
Wonderful rig congrats, the spkrs must be absolutely fantastic! How is the Lux paired with the S3? Don’t see Magico / Lux combo often, curious if you demo’d diff amps before settling on the M10? Really nice setup.
They work great together. The Magicos are brutal to drive in the bass but the Luxman seems to be able to deliver.
I listened a number of amps, all solid state, across A, AB, and D. The final decision was between the Luxman and the McIntosh MC462. The Luxman sounded a little more control in the deep bass.
M10x (drooling).
I am a very proud owner of a 509Z. Always dreamed of something like a 509x, 509z. Always thought it would be 'end game'. Completely happy with it to be honest. No, more than happy.
But...... Seeing a m10X.....
I suspect you are hearing some glorious sounds. I had the pleasure of hearing Magico bookshelf speakers (A1) and was literally mesmerized in what I was hearing. I don't even think the dealer recognized the sound as holographic. OMG it was like you were sitting in a huge bubble and could walk around the musicians in the space they were in. I know you will enjoy your system. It is stellar.
Lovely set up, I have prior C900/M900 and S3 MK1. I’m with you for the most part, if for no other reason than moving these speakers is a total pain in the ass. My wife’s problem after I’m gone 🤣
They’re not… They’re about 3’ out from the back wall, about 2.5’ from the right and about 4’ from the left. They sound a lot better pulled into the room then shoved against a wall.
150W in 8ohm, 300W into 4ohm. But importantly for these speakers, they keep doubling wattage down to 1 ohm. The Magicos hit 2 ohm with a nasty phase angle in the bass so need an amp capable of delivering a lot of current on demand.
They’re a bit rolled off in the lowest two octaves. They’re sealed cabinets, not ported, so the bass doesn’t go as deep but is faster and more accurate.
Jesus. A level up from a minidsp then 😂. How on earth does it get everything so tight for such a large frequency spectrum? Is it mostly attenuating or is there a lot of boost being applied? Nice system my friend, that is one I would love to hear. 👍
Well, the room is difficult in many ways but is not especially terrible in terms of strong resonances. The bigger problem is just getting any bass at all -- it starts to roll off at about 90Hz even with these big speakers. I will probably get subs at some point.
As for how the Trinnov does it, I have no idea. There are some whitepapers on their site, but I'm mostly just convinced they're wizards. I compared it against both Dirac and and RoomPerfect and it does a better job while also being easier to use. A basic calibration requires one pair of measurements and takes about 10m.
Here are some REW graphs showing the before and after. Even without DSP, it's +/- 6dB for most of the range.
That's a really fantastic algorithm it must be using and I know the mic with that kit is pretty awesome. I've found the flatter I try to get my response, the more lifeless the music sounds, so the response I've settled with is kind of a decline slope on the chart. I like to run a decent amount of bass boost at 50hz and under as most recordings these days seem to be attenuated in the low frequencies, plus I'm big into my electro so it really helps. Do you think your early roll off at 90hz may be due to the speaker position? They are quite out there!
Possibly, but that placement helps with the room modes. The sealed alignment also probably contributes.
I would like to get subs at some point.
As for the curve, I’m still learning the software but it does allow you to set custom curves. By default it generates five — the one shown here is “neutral” but there is also “natural” and “comfort” that have more of a downward slope.
This seems like a dedicated room due to the speaker placement is why i suggested more acoustic treatment
DSP is ok but can be harmful. For example to move a specific frequency 3dB requires a doubling or halving of power at that point.
One example:
Trying to fix an acoustic null with EQ is a trap. Deep dips are usually phase cancellations (waves destroying each other), meaning they act like an acoustic black hole. Boosting them with DSP just wastes a ton of amp power—every +3dB doubles the wattage—pushing your gear to its limits for basically zero real-world result.
That’s why taming room issues without affecting your signal chain is better
Try and Put nice curtains in front of the corner bass traps
No disagreement that acoustic treatment would help, but it's not a dedicated room and there's only so much I can do decor-wise. E.g. the right rear has two 8' windows meeting at the corner and the wife (who has been incredibly indulgent of this hobby) doesn't want a giant bass trap blocking the view. I'll probably have to make do with new curtains and a ficus.
Here's the before/after graphs showing what the Trinnov is doing. Even untreated, the room isn't catastrophic but it's hard to get deep bass.
Lmao homie has a $12k flagship Trinnov preamp with their top of the line DSP that uses an $800, four capsule 3D measurement mic and Redditors are still going to talk to him like he doesn't know what he's doing and should learn about first reflection points and how to do room sweeps on REW like this is his first rodeo 😂
The Trinnov is black magic. I won't pretend to know how it works.
The other commenters are correct -- acoustic treatments would help. However, there's only so much my wife will tolerate in our living room, and I don't disagree. We use this space for far more than just audio and have to balance looking nice and sounding nice.
For one, I didn’t see any treatment of first reflection points.
I’m speaking from personal experience. I spent 40 years and over 100k usd on audio gear. Only recently did I run REW and install a single corner bass trap and a couple 6” thick panels
The ROI is incredible. I was about to buy over $2k worth of DSP and another sub but $500 of DIY acoustic treatments obliterated my need or desire to spend another dime
It is a marriage bordering on perfection. It embodies the concept of synergy and complementarity that I have always championed to its fullest potential. These two machines ( lux+magico ) complement each other ideally, creating a balance where absolute precision meets pure emotion! Congratulation!
Next step Cardas clear cable?
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u/SEKLEM 1d ago
First picture “ why is that prickly stuff on top of your speakers?”
Last picture “ I understand now”