Magico speakers - can we go to school?

[SilentButDeadly]

Have a squiz at the Magico Mini and the way that it is built. Unlike any other timber speaker cabinet I've ever seen http://www.magico.net/mini_const.html

Very clever - if somewhat fiddly but not out of the realm of DIY either. The stands that come with it are pretty flash looking too.

Then look at the price for the speakers and stands...............about US$24,000 :C

No question that the parts prices are top dollar (the tweeters alone are over AU$400, X-over components prices would be around AU$500 per x-over). The main driver is a custom bespoke unit based on a titanium cone which is claimed to cost 10 times the asking price of the equivalent Scan-Speak driver.....

But the box is a sheet of marine ply and two chunks of 75mm machine aluminium plate........surely we could do that!!

[lignator]

The Mini does indeed look doable. And room for cost cutting if needed.
A major portion of their price must payback the engineering effort. It looks like they really research their designs and think outside the box.
That cabinet looks soo solid once you see the cad drawings.

Thanks SBD for the heads-up. I've been out of the audiophile loop for many years. Very interesting company and website. Building my own speakers is on my To Do list somewhere. Unfortunately it is likely years away.

I did not see the prices. How much for the Ultimate?

[soundman]

Oh my god....... they'll do anything to seperate people from their cash.

I'm sorry I am very sceptical about this sort of rediculously esoteric design.

all the enginering in the world wont guarantee good sound.
It is my view that much of the design, engineering and cost of this sort of "product" is supurflous to achieving a result.
sure it may ( say may) sound good, but is it necessary to mill a horn flare out of solid aluminium to get a result or could you achieve the same buy moulding from plastic or fibreglass.

If these "impreseive products" were all that good they would be using them in all the top studios......are they...... no.

who needs a speaker that weighs half a ton anyway.

cheers

[SilentButDeadly]

Oh my god....... they'll do anything to seperate people from their cash.

.....but is it necessary to mill a horn flare out of solid aluminium to get a result or could you achieve the same buy moulding from plastic or fibreglass.



I note your healthy scepticism and heartily agree on most occasions. Although I happen to know of a gent in Melbourne who has a pair of these speakers and a number of independent observers who opinion I trust have suggested they sound rather fine........whether they sound US$24,000 fine is another question and, probably, a moot point since the choice is soooo personal.

Which is why I suggested the going to school idea in the first place. I just really liked the method of case construction....

As for you question about the 'necessity' of milling a horn flare out of alloy....I would argue that this is the far cheaper option for a short run or custom product than creating a moulding from plastic/fiberglass since that usually requires the creation of tooling to form the thing plus a machine to create the final product.

Machining from alloy requires only some time and skill with a CNC machine. From previous experience, I reckon I could get that entire front plate supplied & machined for a couple of hundred dollars.....why you'd bother is another matter entirely:U

[soundman]

fibregalss is a very easy medium to work in and requires very little in the way of tooling.

They'd want to sound very fine:D for $24000.
I'm sure given $24000 i could come up with something that sounded pretty damn fine too:D :D :D

cheers