Magico has announced its newest and lowest-priced loudspeaker yet, the S1. Following the introduction of the S5, its smaller sibling, the S1, offers Magico performance at a price point never before attainable.
The S1, priced $12,600/pr., uses the same 1-inch MB30 tweeter as the larger S5, a 7-inch M390 Nano-Tec midrange-bass driver, with dual-neodymium underhung motor system and titanium voice coil. The low end approaches 30Hz and 50kHz at the top.
Featuring a uniquely contoured cabinet drawing design cues from the MINI and M6, the S1 utilizes the world’s first monocoque 3/8″ thick, 12” diameter extruded aluminum loudspeaker enclosure, minimizing diffraction effects, internal resonance, and damping requirements. At less than 9” deep and available in over a dozen different finishes, the elegant S1 is designed to fit into a variety of lifestyles while delivering Magico’s legendary audio performance.
The floor-standing, two-way, S1 incorporates an entirely new 7” Magico Nano-Tec Midbass driver with the same beryllium tweeter featured in the S5, making it capable of astonishing output. The S1’s new 7” Midbass dual- neodymium underhung motor system with pure titanium voice coil-former is powerfully efficient and low in distortion. As with all Magico drivers, the latest custom computer simulations are used to optimize electromagnetic and thermal behavior.
Hanson Audio Video in Dayton, Ohio will be premiering the S1’s in their 6,000 square foot showroom on March 7th from 5:30PM-9PM. To RSVP and for more information, click here.
Audiogon Blog 
what are the dimensions? efficiency spec?
When spending this amount of $$$ why should you care about such minor details! Remember it’s at a “price point never before attainable!”. That should suffice for you picky buyers. Buy it and love it because “Magico” says so. But be sure to connect it to your equally pricey “Ritz” electronics and “Bellosonico” speakers. The sound will be, well, “magnifico”…..
$12k+ for a speaker. Has the audio world gone crazy. No wonder high-end gear is going away and getting less followers… Wish these manufactures would come back down to earth and start building real value based products…
We tried, Fred. CARNEGIE ACOUSTICS provided the world’s first Affordable Auidophile products but the store’s were happy being brainwashed by the likes of Paradigm and B&W and we now find ourselves selling the inventory however we can. If Magico can get that out of their speakers then more power to them. It’s obvious to me that it’s all bullshit anyway. You give people what they beg for and they respond by following the advertising leaders. http://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=337
Yeah, right $12.6 k is easily considered affordable. NOT!
$12.6k is hardly affordable. It amazes me that in a depressed national economy that many manfacturers keep offering products that few Americans can afford. This is why many potential consumers laugh at buying a high end system Yes, the sound quality is much better, but at what cost. You can’t drive this Magico S-1 model with a Marantz receiver. To accomodate this speaker, the system is going to be about $20,000-25,000 depending if the buyer wants to add a comparable turntable.
The sounds quality is not really “much” better. You just have to convince yourself it is because you squandered so much money on something that doesn’t truly make your life or the world a better place.
Hi Novelli, we are talking about Highend – not Hifi oder Mid-fi. Rich people buy also cars for 200’000 USD + and no one is arguing! Cheers
I guess your one of the rich people.
So tell me if you don’t mind, what do you use in your audio system?
You are without a doubt hit that nail on the head. I’ve been into audio all my life and for my two channel system I do use Krell components. That being said I actually use two Emotiva amps in my HT. Their is absolutely much to be said about value. In the past I’ve used Parasound, Rotel and Adcom amps and those inexpensive Emotiva amps are all around better. Their fit and finish is fantastic and their overall build and sound quality is fantastic as well. What I’m getting at is the fact that there are companies out their that understand what true value is and that they make true high quality components that are accessible to all
Considering the whole of one’s life, for most people with a normal array of expenditures, how much of one’s income would reaonably be spent on Hi-Fi?
I am not typical, I do not have a family or dependants, and relative to my income I spend much more than many of my audiophile friends on it but nowhere near this amount.
I have designed my own speakers which materially are at a cost without labour of about £2.5k, and that is a lot to me. There is an obvious increase in the presence of ‘obscene cost’ equipment which I presume to be being bought by the very wealthy, but what goes on in ordinary Hi-Fi seems to me to progress little and to be just re-packageing.
This is not helped by the paucity of profoundly good music, wel recorded and with soemthing to say, and in my opinion being in decline since the 90s. This fact alone tends to ensure that the average Hi-Fi is composed of two bricks placed either side of a plastic amp/tuner/CD player, costing about £200.
I am notorious for my audio excessiveness, but having invested in it I implicitly need good music well recorded to play on it.
This reflects the poitical obscenity of the increasing divide; the wealthy and the starving.
Russell, Got any specs on those bricks? Compressive strength? Dry-pressed or extruded? Common, jumbo, or Roman?
I think to 12k is to much considering you only have a mid and a tweeter,the industry is trying to amaze us with technology,it makes me think….ferrari,lambo,porsche,…etc they are all fast cars and exotic,but you can get a subaru sti for far less money and go faster…but less exotic.
thats why these company are exotic but in terms of sound its easily reachable for far less money.
Exactly! Exotic is way overrated.
Magico can charge whatever they wish for their aluminum offerings…a rack at nearly $50K. They’ve become the OPEC of audio and I have little regard for either..
I prefer the sound of my Martin Logans and other than them being a bit fussy at times,
I do not think to replace them. You could buy enter level M.L. and with the other $9600
take a 30 holiday this summer in Paris, Ste.Maxime, St Tropez, Barritz,then to Italy to Portofino,
then to Amsterdam, then catch a plane to Greece’s Islands finishing in London.
Wow, not sure who your travel agent is but unless your staying in the local parks that is a grand claim. I recently heard a pair of Martin Logans, at Best Buy of all places, they arent what they used to be
Gonna take alot to tear away my ProAc R2.5s which I got on the ‘gon in ’99. Sure I “only” spent $2,300 + shipping from first owner…and now I’m thinking dreaming on Dynaudio C1s….even those are a bundle at $5K used. How could I begin to think of anything Magico? Tell ’em to get price under 5 digits and we’ll tawk, maybe. From my cold dead hands these ProAcs.
The profit margin for the dealer ( not to mention the manufacturer) must be HUGE!
How can I become a Magico Dealer? If you can’t beat ’em, Join ’em, in the mean time
I’ll wait a year or so and get a used pair for less than half price. S1 $12K that HURTS!
Someone is buying them, but I suspect they are getting about $3,000 in parts and R&D and almost $10,000 in brand name (profit). A fool and his money. . .
Folks, I’m afraid we are, partially, missing the point. These prices are not absurd if the target audience these manufacturers wish to reach comprises hedge-fund traders, surgeons, attorneys, wall streeters, etc. It has seemed clear to me that both the magazines and the manufacturers have deliberately gone after these groups. Look at the ridiculous product reviews by Michael Fremer, before him, Jonathan Scull, before him, Jonathan Valin, etc. These product selections don’t just happen; the editor approves them. I am an older man who once flew private planes, back when an average, hardworking person could save up, buy a plane and take flight. Then the escalation started, and soon only the highest income brackets could know the joy of flight. For many years now, my observation has been that high-end audio is going the way of private aviation. Except it is no longer “going,” it is gone.
Folks, high-end audio is a class weathervane. Guess where the weather’s nicest, and where it’s not so nice? Look up “Gini coefficient” on Wikipedia some time. Then consult the Gini coefficient of the United States. This is an exercise that may take you a whopping five minutes, but whose benefits will last a lifetime.
If this is “affordable” I’m no longer middle class.
Considering that the Magico Q5 loudspeaker is $60,000/pr, $12.6k is very affordable, by comparison.
While affordable is relative, I can think of 10 other speakers new, or used, I’d rather have. It just seems silly.
Makes me wonder how companies like this stay in business. Sure the extrusion die cost a bit of money, but the rest of it isn’t really -that- expensive. Rather than making making a statement with their pricing, I hope some of these industry mavericks rethink their business strategy from their manufacturing processes from design, through manufacturing and packaging, to marketting. Let’s face it the lemmings who pay $500 for Beats head phones by Dr. Dre are getting nailed worse than the connoisseur who buys these speakers. At least he will do the homework.
There are many speakers that are great that cost a lot less,just as there are many cars that cost less than a Bentley or Ferrari.You can buy a Gibson Les
Paul Custom Reissue for $4k or an Epiphone for $200.There’s nothing wrong with people having choices on how to spend their disposable income.If you have never heard a great high cost, high end system then your opinion on things you have never tried is meaningless,If you simply judge things by price and not by quality you cheat yourself.Go to a Hifi show and listen to the
fine systems and your opinion of what things are worth might change.
It might not goes as deep but…spend $1500 on the Kef LS50 and don’t look back.
My income is $ 9,140 a year. Magico speakers start at $12,600. So by your standards I’ll never own any highend speakers. Who can afford speakers that cost a year and a quarter of income. Get real and review AFFORDABLE speakers.
I make that a month, things are relative. lots of people make much more than me. You are reading a HIGH END mag. It’s like going to a Ferrari store and complaining about the price of a oil change.
I agree with everyone here 12.6k is not affordable to most people. Audiophile fun for me is to put together a system that can blow these types of products away on half the budget. I have heard and own a system that might still be expensive but can compete with systems 3 times the price. It takes more time and effort but that is what a hobby is all about. I guess I should say thanks to these guys for setting the bar. Keep doing what you are doing Magico because there are a lot of companies on your tale. Making a true audiophile speaker for 3k is a lot harder than building one for 12.6k.
Theirs high end in Ohio?! that’s more shocking than the price of these speakers
If you can afford a pair, great, but if you can’t don’t whinge about it. What a person does with their hard earned cash is their own business. There is plethora of great sounding hifi kit to suit different budgets. Personally I’m glad that Magico and others exist as it raises the bar within the industry. And as the tech improves it has a trickle down effect, which is a benefit for all music lovers.
Affordability depends on income and desire. There are plenty of people for whom $12.6k would amount to pocket change. As we all know, approaching the ultimate in anything accelerates price at an exponential rate. Whether minor improvements are worth the cost depends very much on the buyer’s own standards and connoisseurship. But most successful people have at least one realm in which they are willing to pay top dollar whether it be wine, television, cars, houses, dogs, gardens, running shoes, hand tools, dishwashers, etc. There’s no reason to denigrate someone else’s choices in such matters.
Why even advertize this Crap? At $12,000.00——–WHO CARES!!!
Love the look and size for most rooms. Have been considering ths S5 as a replacement for my 800D’s but found their size and weight a concern. Would love to hear this new model.
I’d be more tempted by a Magico bookshelf-sized speaker, which is what got the company started, right?
ill bet my tecton speakers, jolida 302 b tube amp,vincent cd player.and furman line conditioner blow those 12500 speakers away. the tektons are 4 ohm 95 db efficient and have a range of about 37 hx -20khz.
This ad is the one percent saying, “Let them eat cake,” but the reason Audiogon exists is to let those of us who can’t afford the ilk of Magico (or speaking for myself, nothing even close to USED Magico) have our bite of the High End. If an ad from Magico aimed at the cakeeaters lets Audiogon allow the rest of us to buy, try, and keep or sell (relatively inexpensively, depending on the level you want to shoot for) quality audio products, albeit loved a little already, I’m happy enough to ignore the ads for new stuff aimed at owners of dream worlds I have no interest in imagining. I do wish they’d subsidize my hobby instead of just the means to participate in it – Oh Well (as Peter Green said).