Review: Magico S3 luxury Hi-Fi loudspeaker is a spell-binding performer

A bewitching blend of science, engineering and art, the new Magico S3 is a premium Hi-Fi loudspeaker like few others. 

Californian-based manufacturer Magico specialises in ultra-premium audio solutions. Its M9 loudspeaker, launched in 2020 and hailed as a tour de force of acoustic engineering, sells for close to £1,000,000 per pair.

The S3, a new model in Magico’s mid-level S Series (which sits between the A and M Series), is an impulse purchase by comparison, priced from £56,998.

A replacement for the brand’s S3 MkII, the new S3 has been completely revised and re-engineered, using techniques and technologies developed for the aforementioned M9 flagship.

To discover just how sweet it sounds, The Luxe Review was invited to the first UK airing of the S3, held at KJ West One, the renowned specialist London Hi-Fi shop that caters for audiophiles.

Escorted down to KJ’s listening rooms, after a champagne reception, we were in for quite a musical treat.

Magico specialises in ultra-premium audio solutions. Its M9 loudspeaker sells for close to £1,000,000 per pair…

The Magico S3 looks suitably premium. Two different levels of finish are available: M-Cast, which is a stylish textured powder coat treatment, and M-Coat, a high-gloss alternative. The M-Cast colour options include black, pewter, silver and bronze, while M-Coat colour options include black, titanium, pearl white, orange, candy red, and blue. The sample we listened to was the latter, and it looked gorgeous.

Build quality is peerless. This new Magico benefits from an entirely new fabrication process. Out goes a single monocoque of the S3 MKII, and in comes a new enclosure assembled from four separate extruded aluminium panels which range in thickness from 13mm to 508mm. Artfully machined, these join to create an edgeless-shaped perimeter.  

Every element of the construction has been designed to improve audio performance. A hefty baseplate which incorporates a new foot design, lowers the centre of gravity of the speaker and increases overall stability and dynamics.  

The S3 drivers are the result of three years R&D, we’re told. Trickling technology down from the M9, the S3 tweeter uses a 28mm diamond-coated beryllium diaphragm, combined with a neodymium-based motor system and new acoustic back chamber.

The 127mm midrange driver features a cone material formed of a honeycomb aluminium core, sandwiched with outer and inner layers of graphene and carbon fibre. Said to be twice as stiff as the preceding midranger, with a substantially higher resonant frequency, this new driver boasts wider dispersion and greater midrange transparency. It also, apparently, has a shelf life of 25 years, so that’s reassuring.

Finally, the 228mm bass driver in the S3 features an enhanced version of Magico’s Graphene Nano-Tec cone, with an oversized Titanium voice coil and copper cap, for deep, accurate bass.

For our audition, the Magico S3 pair were partnered with a darTZeel NHB-18NS preamplifier, and two darTZeel NHB-468 mono power amplifiers. These Swiss-made behemoths prove to be an excellent match. The digital front end was a full Vivadi stack from dCS. The system was linked by substantial Transparent Magnum Opus cables.

So what of performance? As we hoped, the Magico S3 were characterised by glass-like transparency and accuracy. With no hint of distortion, they presented a soundstage of astonishing depth with acutely defined spatial placement.

It’s not easy to make the Dire Straits classic Brothers in Arms sound daisy fresh, but these formidable floorstanders managed it with aplomb.

Shut your eyes, and Mark Knopfler could well have been standing between the two towers. 

Transients are effortlessly fast, and bass notes solid and deep without unnecessary excess, flat to 26Hz. These speakers also know how to dance, sounding phenomenal when fed pounding electro pop from Boris Blank.

During our audition, I constantly hankered for more volume – what I didn’t realise, thanks to no hint of distortion or stress, was just how loud they were already playing. 

Another notable trait is that there’s no overt sweet spot. The listening window is phenomenally wide; you can effectively sit anywhere in a room served by the S3 and still enjoy sensational imaging. 

The Magico S3 M-Cast and M-Coat finish options are £56,998 and £66,000 per pair respectively. Undoubtedly pricey, but this is scintillating high-end audio, after all.

Given that the new S3 go quite a way to closing the gap with the phenomenally expensive Magico M9, some might even consider them something of a bargain.

Distribution is via Absolute Sounds.