Magico A3 vs. Joseph Audio Perspective vs. Spendor D9


Hi All,

I have been doing some research over the past while and am currently in the midst of a search for my next floorstanding speaker that costs around ~$10k. My other thread that I posted in this forum gave me a lot to consider. Rather than post there, I figured a most focused thread would be a good idea. Now, I have distilled my choices to these 3 choices... I think.

Power: I will be powering the speakers with a SET amp (48W per channel).
Sources: Most of my sources are digital (Roon/Tidal). I mostly listen to jazz, classical and female vocals. I would appreciate a speaker that provides that good, snappy bass where I don't need a subwoofer.
Room: Large room (will be in the living room that opens up to the kitchen and then the dining room). Aesthetics do matter here.

I have received a ton of help through the forums already during my search and have now narrowed down my speaker choices to (in no particular order):

  • Magico A3 - No issues driving these speakers with my amp. Tested and they sounded wonderful. Very analytical and super clear details. Tight bass as well but maybe more weighted in the clarity/details than warmth, even with my tube amp.
  • Joseph Audio Perspective - No dealers in WA or OR so no way to test these but have heard wonderful things about these speakers. Sounds like imaging/sound stage is a strong suit along with clarity. I wonder how bass performance is though as these have smaller woofers compared to my other choices.
  • Spendor D9 - Have not heard these speakers yet but am trying to find a local dealer that has them in stock.
Another one that I am still thinking about is the Daedalus Argos but I would like to hear some feedback on the top 3 at this time.

Thanks!
freesole
@ddafoe Thanks for those listening notes on the Magico S1s and the D9's! Another person I spoke to had heard the A3's and the D9's extensively and ultimately bought the D9's as well. He gave me his thoughts which ultimately led me to buy the D9's without listening to them (even though I had heard the D7's). I'm very happy with the choice already but suspect that I will enjoy them even more after some break-in. 
Congratulations on receiving your D9s. They will sound good out of the box but get better after a few hundred hours.  Mine even sounded a little worse around 50 hours but that could have been my over analysis.  They respond to room placement and some experimentation is recommended after they are more broken in.  I listen to mine daily and am never disappointed.  They only down side is they encouraged me to continue upgrading some of my source equipment as they only perform3d better with each positive change.   Look forward to your impressions as time passes.
Rick
@freesole Congratulations for your purchase! Please continue posting here about the break-in changes.I wonder how do these D9's compare to the Spendor Classic 1/2 and Classic 100...
@drrsutliff Interesting to hear about the experience you had with the speakers changing over the break-in period. Should be interesting to hear that as I break these in. After getting the D9's, I have been very interested in some of the incremental updates I can make to my system. Updated a bunch of power cables to Acoustic Zen's and Audioquest's. Made some changes to interconnects as well. The tweak's just don't stop coming :)