I was quite happy with my A3’s for the years I had them! Only traded them towards S5MkII’s when we moved to a bigger home with a much bigger room for the hi fi.
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I had a listen to the A5s today at a very good local dealer. Powered by McIntosh’s big MA12000 integrated, so not the most Naim-ish sound. I still had a good listen to the speakers though.
Fantastic speakers. What I heard, and acknowledging that this is partly the product of the electronics feeding the A5s:
- Deep, tight, really well controlled and musical bass. Tremendous ability to separate out percussive elements and hold each of them in service of the music.
- Broad and deep soundstage with strong layering and instruments and players presented as distinct, separate entities.
- Emotionally involving music presentation while retaining high resolution. E.g., hearing Anner Bylsma, in that first Bach cello cycle he did in the late 1970s, really fighting the instrument in order to present his vision for the music.
- Dynamics presented naturally and, again, in the service of the music.
Vs. the A3, the bass was both “more” and “better”, in terms of being tightly controlled and well integrated into the music even at low, 55-65dB volumes. The midrange was a bit warmer, which I liked vs. the more clinical A3 midrange, although that could have been the McIntosh-A5 vs. the Luxman-A3 combination. Both are great amps, but I found the A5 to be more special.
On the other hand, the “front edge” of the notes from the A5 this afternoon seemed a bit softer than I would prefer, less attack and energy. This may be due to the McIntosh’s tube preamp stage rather than to the A5s themselves, though. The activity and control of the A5s made me think they would do PRaT well if so powered. I really am curious to hear them with Naim gear.
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These are really fast speakers, so I think you’re being let down by the amplification here. Given the price of the speakers, your dealer ought to let you audition different amp options. Definitely worth trying the Chord Ultima 5 as it’s extremely fast: transients are its forte. Have fun!
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Hi,
I have a slightly jokey, but at the same time serious, thread running re how to choose amplifiers to drive difficult loudspeakers. It is the English Premier vs International (HiFi) thread. FYI I own a suite of Magico S series loudspeakers, and I am currently concluding the purchase cycle of the winning amplifier. For Magico S series I have tried both Naim 500 series and also Statement in dealer trials over the last 5 years.
I have not heard the new NAP 350 though. On paper these are very good amplifiers and could be worth a try if the Statement level is out of reach.
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But as Magico and Chord tend to sound a bit lean, it’s not a combo for all tastes. Naim OC , more. Gryphon, Vitus also.
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… and have you heard a Chord Ultima 5 for yourself FR, in order to say that it is lean?
Before buying ours, we auditioned it against our much loved, serviced NAP135s. There has been no sense of the Ultima 5 sounding lean to us.
Best regards, BF
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I’d agree with Bluesfan here, but would question what we really mean by generic terms such as “lean”. Is this lack of bass, or lack of “warmth”, or both?
In terms of bass:-
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The Magico A5 will give the B&W 802d4 a good run for its money (whilst offering lower distortion, faster transient attack - and much-smoother frequency response).
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Meanwhile, the new “Ultima” series of Chord amps aren’t lacking in the bass department either, though I found that the Ultima 5 had significantly-better low-end “grip” than its less-expensive brother, the Ultima 6.
In terms of low-end “warmth”:-
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Guilty as charged! Magico speakers are specifically designed to be as neutral as possible; they don’t have low-end bass resonance, but aim to provide a more honest reproduction which may take a while to get used to.
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The “Ultima” amps are claimed to offer extremely-fast (and linear!) transient response with minimal colouration. In that sense, they make ideal partners to the fast, neutral, Magico range - providing one has sufficient power to drive that array of aluminium-honeycomb/graphene bass drivers.
Some of us would argue that “warmth” should come from the recording - not an external “filter”. But if one wants some added flavour, there are plenty of other options out there (Sonus Faber does this beautifully - perhaps the musical equivalent of rose-tinted glasses, only one can’t take them off…).
One needs a sympathetic dealer who can arrange auditions (ideally home demos, if possible) with different equipment combinations. That’s the hard part!
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I heard a Chord integrated once, but don’t remember which one.
Then it’s my ears. Like for instance the Naim NC, I find them lean sounding. But other ears here don’t.
I understand your response vs the term « lean ». It’s not a question of lack of bass, more a contrary of organic and textured sound. Lean is not a criticism.
I prefer much better the OC vs the NC, because I found the Naim NC sounding a bit lean. But more detailed, transparent, and a bit faster.
It’s just a matter of taste.
I don’t see how one can judge all products within a brand having a certain signature based on having heard one integrated amp not knowing which one. I mean, even SN2 and SN3 have very different presentations where one is more organic and the other more neutral.
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Not wrong, but half.
Each brand has its sound signature. SN3 and SN3 have much more common characteristics than minor differences.
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Fair point FR, not least because they are the same product… 
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Well, I put down a deposit on the A5s. I couldn’t get the sound out of my head. Will take a few weeks for them to get to the dealer … and then up the 5 flights of stairs in the brownstone of course … will report back as the saga unfolds!
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Have you listened to Pilium?
I have S5 on S-Pods and recently upgraded to a Pilium Leonidas, I’d definitely recommend one of the range be on your list before making any decision.
I’ll check your thread out, hadn’t come across it thanks.
Hi @Protegimus, thanks for the tip about this brand of amplifier. I had not come across them before. I can see they have a UK distributor as well. Unfortunately, it is too late for me to try these now. But I can see that the Pilium amplifiers would be very very good for Magico! Also, seem good value for money compared to the EMM Labs I had been listening to in my amplifier trial on my thread.
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So what are your choices, or quite final choice?
Soulution? Dagostino? Gryphon? Boulder? Emm Labs?
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Take a look at the international football/HiFi competition thread!
As your profile is hidden, it’s not so quick to search your activity.
You are in Essex. Maybe Audiobarn is your dealer?
Soulution or Dagostino?
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Linn Solo 800 pair.
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PS: I don’t know if the image you posted was what made you think Soulution was amongst the amp choice for me?
Soulution amplification was in the qualifiers competitions in my international HiFi tournament, however those other amps in the picture are CH Precision.
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