new Magico speakers the Q5

There's other speakers out there that sound just as good, if not better for way less (same goes for other audio stuff like amps and cables)

Whether I have the extra dough or not, I learned through experience.

I don't know about pricing as I have never heard magicos... but there are a lot of brands that are in the same price range (Kharma and Tidel to name a few) and there are not mass threads wining about there prices. Then there are other brand that spend far less time engineering and just use off the shelf drives that charge sky high prices... you know who they are...

Also what are the current prices of the V2 and V3? Some one above stated that the V2 was $32k (did you mean V3)? I thought they were $18,000 in the US.

"Sorry, it just doesn't add up."

Actually, it probably does.

Magico's appeal is its no compromise focus on quality. That does carry a price in terms of R&D and associated overhead costs. ANd their products do deliver sterling sound.

All I'm saying is that does not assure value nor does it mean that others cannot do similarly well for lower cost.

"nor does it mean that others cannot do similarly well for lower cost."

Indeed, but I have not seen or heard one. Since you have, and I am sure I will be in total disagreement with you, the only thigh that is left to argue about is "objectivity". You know like, built quality, measurements etc...

"Sorry, it just doesn't add up."

"Actually, it probably does.
Magico's appeal is its no compromise focus on quality...."

And 'there's the rub' - the price is more linked to marketing than it is to either cost of manufacture (surely a fraction of their price) or value for sound (purely subjective but to this day the Magico V3's stand out as the most disappointing 'high-end' speaker I've ever heard (and you can add the Minis to this viewpoint).

Magico find themslves in a circumstance where their speakers have received massive reviews and they need to 'make hay while he sun shines'. Release a new model at 30K less than the awesomely reviewed M5 and there's an instant market from those that couldn't quite reach the stratospheric price levels of the M5. I say good for them - if there are buyers, then they're satisfying a demand and the loss is to those (other companies) that couldn't meet that demand.

Bottom line is that I'm probably not qualified to comment on the sound of speakers priced at such levels, my system being as humble as it is. Nevertheless, I have spent several hours auditionong the Magicos (V3) at the same time as Avalon (Indra) and Wilson Watt Puppy 8's and the Avalons were in an entirely different league. All very personal, of course, but the Avalon Indra's put it all together - one of the best integrated and most persuasive speakers I've heard. The magicos were fine, but didn't seem to present anywhere near the musical landscape that the Indras put forward. To be fair, the Wilsons were also well behind the Indras. All in my subjective and humble opinion of course!

So, if Magico keep finding purchasers with deep enough pockets, then all to the good for them. As far as the advancement of speaker technology goes or the pursuit of the 'live sound', you can relax; it hasn't been found yet. I'm yet to be convinced that Magico are actually ven looking for it!

Apologies to those fans of Magico - ours is a hobby that is inseperable from personal tastes and listening preferences - mine just don't happen to favour the Magico. At least, not at their asking prices.