Magico, a leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance loudspeakers, is pleased to announce the new S3
Magico’s flagship loudspeaker, the peerless M9, was as much a tour de force engineering exercise as it was a finished product. The distilled knowledge and technological advances gained in the development of the M9 have been applied to the new S3, which reaps the rewards of those monumental efforts. With new state-of-the-art research and development capabilities, we set out to redesign the S3 Mk II loudspeaker to achieve audible improvements in every parameter. With the new chassis, drivers and docking system, the S3 achieves much more than its initial design.
The technologies and construction techniques harnessed in the new S3 achieve a purity of sound and measured performance that exceeded our expectations. The new Magico S3 breaks the limits of performance for a speaker in its class.
enclosure technology
The new S3 presents a look that is both refined and fortified. Featuring a newly designed enclosure assembled from four separate extruded aluminum panels ranging from 1/2″ to 2″ thick, the S3’s case is ambitious to say the least. Each panel, including the front baffle, is carefully machined to adopt an overall borderless perimeter. A massive machined top plate is curved and has an upward step to minimize diffraction from the enclosure and break up vertical standing waves. A thicker, more solid base plate incorporates a newly designed 3-point stabilizer system with a new foot design that lowers the speaker’s center of gravity and increases overall stability, resulting in lower noise level and a greater dynamics.
Magico’s new in-house 3D laser interferometry system measures each panel of the S3 cabinet, up to 1000 points per side, and calculates the aggregated SPL resonance of the entire cabinet. This highly accurate analysis allows us to compare the contribution of cabinet resonance to the acoustic output of the drivers and strategically apply internal bracing and damping techniques to optimize the overall sonic performance of the S3 in its final form. The new S3 case is 30% quieter than its predecessor.
acoustic design
The Klippel Near-Field-Scanner (NFS) uses a single microphone that rotates around a speaker box that is suspended in the open air. The microphone first analyzes the surrounding space and then takes fully automated 3D acoustic measurements (on and off axis) in a minimal amount of time without the need for an anechoic chamber. The 360 degree sphere of the measurement points is then calculated with the initial measurements of the room derived from the equation. The Klippel near-field scanner provides Magico with unprecedented and highly accurate data and allows us to predict reflections in the room and the response of each speaker in a standard listening room environment. The new S3 benefited greatly from this uncompromising investment in measurement technology. The result is a loudspeaker with clear technical superiority that translates into unprecedented sonic performance.
speaker technology
Three years of engineering research provide a new generation of loudspeaker chassis designs that provide improved mechanical and acoustic parameters. New chassis profiles have been developed for the S3’s midrange and bass drivers, resulting in ideal stiffness and damping properties to minimize any acoustic contribution by reducing resonant modes while maximizing airflow. No aspect of the S3’s design was left to chance. Magico’s commitment to leveraging its R&D resources for the best acoustic performance is unrivaled.
Tweeter Highlights
Using key elements of the M9 tweeter platform, the newly designed S3 tweeter features the Magico 28mm diamond-coated beryllium diaphragm. The optimized geometry, created with state-of-the-art Finite Element Analysis modeling tools, takes the S3’s high-frequency reproduction one step closer to perfection. This was achieved by cleverly taking advantage of the physical properties of beryllium, bringing the tweeter closer to the theoretical ideal without gaining the additional weight normally associated with a material with the specific gravity of diamond. This applied technology allowed Magico to increase the dome diameter from 26mm to 28mm, improving many aspects of performance and allowing for even greater power handling and very low distortion. Combined with a neodymium-based motor system, a new acoustically enhanced rear chamber, and a custom shape to blend into the curved front baffle, the new S3 tweeter records the lowest distortion measurements possible today from a high-frequency transducer. When combined with even greater power handling, the S3’s tweeter is a technical and sonic marvel.
