The best speaker you ever heard?

Am I the only person who doesn't "get" Magico speakers. I have heard them in a number of top flight systems, with Dartzeel and Constellation amplification amongst others. Dynamic, neutral, transparent, yes, yes and yes, but just to dry and sterile for my tastes. I am sure it is a defect in my ears and character, not to think Magico are unbeatable, but I suppose it takes all sorts of enthusiasts in our hobby/obsession.

The best I have heard and it suprises me to say so, is the Wilson Alexias. I have never liked Wilson, until I heard them with sympathetic amplification, in the first instance, ARC tube amps. The best though, was the Alexias with D'Agostino pre and Monoblocks, just magical. In fact I couldn't really find any fault in the system, except the insane cost. Almost as good at a mad, rather than insane costs, was the same room and speakers with the Dartzeel integrated amp

David, i'm not sure which Magico speakers you've heard, but from your description it sounds like you've heard Q series speakers which do lean in that direction, and with poor amp choices for synergy imho. The S series are warmer and more full bodied sounding speakers. They should still be matched with warm, tube-like ss amps or powerful tube amps for best synergy, but because the S5's for example are warmer sounding than the Q series, Vitus Signature series (ss) amps a perfect match imho. With that said, Magico are not unbeatable because audio is completely subjective. We all (literally) hear things differently, so the old adage "One man's trash is another man's treasure" holds true.

As an example, I heard the Alexia's in a treated listening room with top range ARC amps and was underwhelmed. The bass was slow and flabby, they were not as coherent or well balanced as S5, and are not as warm, full bodied or intimate sounding. Sound stage depth was good though. The Alexia's have airy mids and highs, though I didn't equate that with greater accuracy. The S5s are definitely more accurate and have better image specificity. Another punter might walk out of the same room with a completely different view. Incidentally, I heard the Alexia's with D'agostino mono's & a full DCS Vivaldi stack. It was a better demo, but the sound was fatiguing and walked out of that room after 20 minutes.

Tom, the Twenty upgrades are the most important upgrades in a component that I've ever heard and I am close with two dealers who have said the same. Many of us feel this is the best set of amps that we've ever heard. I haven't heard the newest production example of Richard's amp, but I'd love to hear them on the MKII's with the Ayre ref/20 pre. The more high end speakers I listen to in the right surroundings (non show), the more I appreciate a properly set up pair of 7's. There are some great speakers out there right now, but most leave me cold after listening. Not all, but most.

I own the Q5's and Vitus combination. I have no idea what you guys are talking about. I was not a Magico fan until the Q5's. I have owned much more expensive speaks. Many considered to be the best money could buy. I will stick with the Q5's. They are a bargain. Especially second hand.
I'm just sayin ✌️

@Whatthe, congrats on your Q5's! If you're running the big SS-102 or SM-102's your Q5's will have enough juice to properly control them. Because the Q5's are more neutral, I would (personally) lean toward the SS-102 which sounds a bit warmer than the mono's, but that's a matter of personal taste.

In general, Vitus pairs extremely well with Magico & is one of the few amps which makes the Q series sing. I've also heard good things about The Gryphon, Pass XS series & CJ Art/Gat amps.