Audiophilepure

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“The Spectral 40th’s midrange and top end were the best I’ve heard in my room. Focal’s ad copy describes the speaker’s sound as “vibrant” and “expressive,” and I agree. The midrange was quite forward but also impossibly smooth, and oozing with detail. Voices leapt from mixes, but never sounded edgy or irritating. There was an organic, reach-out-and-touch-it quality to the midrange that, though it may not have been perfectly flat, was intoxicatingly beautiful. I’d never quite heard this level of realism in my room before. Images of voices effortlessly floated in space with eerie palpability, with no hint of strain or cabinet colorations to spoil the illusion. I was in love”

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“The A3 is an important loudspeaker, and not just for Magico. In truth, the audio world already knows this… the lengthy hiatus between the A3’s launch and this, its first review in an English language high-end magazine, is simply down to the sheer number of A3s ordered every time they are demonstrated. There’s a reason for that. This isn’t ‘discount Magico’ or ‘Magico-lite’, and it isn’t even ‘Emporio Magico’: the A3 is a top-class Magico loudspeaker in its own right. It’s the one to beat at the price… and far beyond.”

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“This is a matter of personal preference, of course, but I think listeners with my taste in speakers may find the L100’s forward treble to be a mixed blessing. Yes, it contributes to that wonderful imaging and holographic sound staging mentioned above, but it also changes the sound of some albums I know like the back of my hand. I found the beloved (but less-than-spectacularly recorded) Rumours by Fleetwood Mac all but unlistenable through these speakers, mostly because Lindsey Buckingham’s tenor vocals sounded downright wrong to my ears, especially during the verses of “Go Your Own Way.” And I say this while also fully admitting that the jingle-jangle guitars and Mick Fleetwood’s pounding drumline sounded like a gift from the heavens.”

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“There is very good news afoot for those that aspire to join the Sonus faber family, or perhaps upgrade from a past model. The Olympica Nova line opens up serious high end sonics to a broader audience via accessible prices, while offering a sonically rich, musically balanced performance. Sonus faber has managed to capture some of the magic I heard in the Aida 2, and yet created a line of speakers that truly stand upon their own merits. Beautiful design through an edited use of material (the Olympica Nova come in matte natural walnut and a darker wenge wood) wins the day. A compact foot print making room integration a breeze—and did I mention those sonics?

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“I loved the Focal Spectral 40th. It exhibited the finest midrange I’ve heard in my room, and a near-perfect top end. Men’s and women’s voices were reproduced with a spooky vibrancy and presence and, more important, with no hint of glare or edge. I found its seemingly impossible marriage of a very upfront, detailed, and forward-sounding midrange to a buttery-smooth ease of sound absolutely intoxicating to listen to. The top end had superb “out-of-cabinet” extension, and delicate decay. On a few tracks that leaned toward sibilance, I did wish for 1-2dB less energy in the highest octaves, but this also reflects my personal preference for a downward-sloping response between 2 and 16kHz, a range in which the Focals measured essentially flat. But in this regard, my reference Bowers & Wilkins 705 S2 speakers, playing unequalized, are far worse. The Focals’ bass was tight, fast, ample, and completely satisfying, without ever booming in my relatively small room”

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“We could go on and on, with this track and that, but the bottom line with the Figaros is the level of music they reveal. While $7,500/pair can bring you a considerable glimpse into the upper strata of high-end speakers, Audio Solutions delivers a masterpiece. In the context of a $10k – $100k system, they’d probably be the last thing I’d upgrade if I did at all. The only key is that if you like this “sound” as much as I do. If you’re more of a mega detail person, these may not be the droids you want. I can’t think of a speaker in the last decade that’s delivered more sonic enjoyment than the Figaro Ms do for $7,500 a pair. Hence, I am happy to give them one of our Exceptional value awards for 2019. This is a lovely pair of speakers without fault, that could easily be the last pair of speakers you buy.”

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“In addition to the Revel models mentioned here, Philip Beaudette has reviewed many other speakers in the more than 15 years he’s been writing for us, so what he said in the “Conclusion” of his review speaks volumes: “The Revel PerformaBe M126Be is the finest speaker I’ve heard in my listening room,” and “a benchmark speaker against which others should be evaluated.” He leaves no doubt that Revel’s PerformaBe M126Be deserves a place on our list of Recommended Reference Components — and serves notice that its price of $4000/pair isn’t too much to ask.”