No screws on the front, but torque set bolts on the rearš
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My listening room is just over 42m3. The Magico S5s work very well in this (treated) space, disappearing completely.
You are close to the performance, stereo expanse is way outside the speaker position with real sound stage depth from behind the speakers to behind the listening position at the sweet spot. Depth is the first thing to go as you sit away from this position, usually only have to give up the seat for guests, so all good!
Magico S5 are sealed cabinet, so not especially sensitive to being close to the front wall. From memory they are about 80cm out and can go further back without much compromise.
Distance from side wall will be dictated by the room. Right speaker is closest at ~1.2m out, not ideal, but no choice due to room layout.
Power and room are fundamentals. I put a lot of work into treatment (constrained layer damping with up to 5mm 10kg/m2 MLV between acoustic plasterboard on the partition wall). The results were transformative, given itās underlying (UK) standard construction.
M series are objects of beauty.
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I would definitely have a good long listen if youāre thinking S2 vs. A5. The bass WILL be different. 7 inch vs. 9 inch drivers. Not good/bad etc . . . just different.
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Hi @dunc (et al), actually I should add that room correction systems (as opposed to room treatment) cannot solve a fundamental issue in acoustics:- only peaks in amplitude vs frequency response can be reduced, nulls in the amplitude vs frequency response (at measurement position) cannot be filled in.
So I suspect your lack of trust in software correction systems stems from this aspect, rather than the specific implementation of those systems.
Recent enhancements to room correction systems, based on the better understanding of how humans perceive sound, have been introduced by Linn into Space Optimisation since 2019, and DiracLive with ART as examples.
Room treatment on the other hand, can have a good go at some of the problems of being in a small domestic living space/room vs a specifically designed concert or music hall (or studio).
Nevertheless, the āfinding the right speakersā for the room approach can and does work. Many/most loudspeaker designers and manufacturers consider the room placement issue as part of the design brief. Kudos, YG Acoustics, Focal to name some common examples. However, if one steps away from this limitation, what you get is closed box products taken to the extreme such as those designed by Magico.
There are so many topics of interest for the technically minded amongst us. Perhaps discussing the validity and relative merit of time alignment of wavefront (cf Wilson WAMM/Chronosonic or Linn Exakt correction) from the loudspeaker at listening position vs broadband linear phase alignment of the acoustic wave launched on and off axis from the speaker (Magico).
Perhaps Iāll shut up now and listen to some music!
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I made the mistake of listening to the new S3s this morning. I should have let myself be happy with the decision to buy the A5s, but no ā¦
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Be careful, be very very carefulā¦ā¦ what if Alon introduces an M5 while you are thinking about your A5 vs S3 purchase?
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I am extremely happy with my S3mk2, though I havenāt had the opportunity to listen to the updated version, as Iām not in the market for a change.
I also auditioned Wilson Sabrina (pre X), Sasha and Alexia and found that although I thoroughly enjoyed the Wilsonās, they sounded like Wilsons (especially the low end), whereas the MĆ”gicos seemed to take on the character of the electronics feeding them. I donāt think many will argue that Naim is particularly neutral sounding and since I like the presentation of Naim (classic) electronics, I went for the speakers I felt best conserved it.
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The problem may be that they can take also the drawbacks of an all Naim system.
For me itās some brightness or edginess.
So in my case I tend more to take speakers that will compensate these drawbacks.
But itās me. My ears.
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I agree, they will let you hear whatās going on upstream. My preference is to try to address the root cause of any shortcomings I perceive, rather than trying to mask them. Different ways to skin a catā¦
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But in that case the root are Naim themselves 
But you may disagree.
If your system is bright and edgy, that is what you will hesr through Magicos. I find Naim to be extremely sensitive to setup and an edginess can certainly manifest if something isnāt right.
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Elfer, itās probably a language not understanding. I have always, but itās me, found an all Naim system sounding a bit edgy, be it in different set ups, with different speakers, at different levels. I had different all Naim systems through years and heard many others at different dealers places. No system or brand is perfect.
I am not the only one to think that. But others donāt, as you apparently.
The 500 series however is less concerned by it.
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Whatās this threadās perspectives on Naim amplification to drive the new S3? 350s or 500DR?
Personally, I might chose a pair of NAP 350s.
For your information I have not heard the NAP 350 driving Magico S3s, but I have heard a 500DR (driving previous Magico S3 model) and Naim Statement (driving current Magico S3 model).
In each case Naim did not impress when it was being compared to other high power delivery and high linearity amplifiers.
There are technical reasons for this. The Naim NAP 500 design is a bridged amplifier design which doubles the available voltage swing but does nothing to increase the potential current. The Naim NAP S1 (Statement) tries to address this limitation - but at a cost!
The Magico loudspeakers are very linear and fast, so do show up differences between amplifiers at this performance grade quite readily. Unfortunately, Magico speakers present some quite difficult electrical loads to amplifiers (see my comment re available current above).
For this reason I would choose the dual mono approach of the NAP 350s and perhaps have a listening test (if possible) with Naim 350s and a competitive amp that the dealer might recommend.
PS: At this price point, and given you are in USA, I might consider comparing with Sanders Magtech Monoblock which i think is available direct from manufacturer on 30 day? money back guarantee?
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I agree. Magicos really do reveal a lot. I think itās overall just a very strong lack of coloration. We listened to other speakers during the audition process, and there certainly are many other great brands, but none were as neutral to us as the Magicos.
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I have no idea. Iāve been driving my Magicos (A3ās and then S5mkIIās) with the 500DR and am quite happy. I have no real motivation to bring home a pair of 350s . . . but it would be an interesting comparison for sure.
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Hi @Bart , you are probably fine with the S5s and the NAP500DR. It is the slightly lower sized Magicoās that present more severe āreactiveā electrical loads to the amplifiers. M2s are very very difficult. S3s are less reactive and hold a slightly higher min impedance (than M2s). For your Magico S5s - I cannot locate the measurements info just right now - but I am confident they will be easier to drive still than the S3s.
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Interesting that the impedance curves are a little more forgiving with the larger speakers.
Some companies manage to produce nice sounding speakers with āeasyā impedance curves and indeed this is probably the no. 1 criticism of Magico. Avalon speakers are an example, but we auditioned them and just liked the Magico sound better.
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Dealer told me that magico speakersļ¼ floor standers) can be placed almost to the wall (15 cm away ) cos I asked him due to my space , speakers have to be that close . He told me yes it can be .even w M2s
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The sealed box design generally makes them easier to place close to a rear wall. Itās always the case that ideal locations can be found by moving the speakers around . . . but sometimes practical constraints get priority over ābest soundā speaker placement.
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