'Bargain' is probably not the word that springs to mind when considering a £180,000 speaker. But when said speaker uses the same tech as a model that costs close to £1 million, it does seem incredible value for money.
That's the promise of Californian brand Magico's S7 2026, the flagship model of its mid-range S Series, and the replacement for the previous-gen S7 which was retired last year after a decade of service.
Inside is the same treble unit with a 28mm diamond-coated beryllium diaphragm as the M Series, whose M9 model costs close to seven figures. This is joined by a 6in midrange driver and three 10in bass units, all of which feature Magico's Gen 8 Nano-Tec cones.
These drivers are made coherent thanks to Magico's Elliptical Symmetry Crossover. This maintains phase and frequency linearity while reducing intermodulation distortion.
Its R&D process used the same Near-Field Scanner (NFS) robot as used in the development of the flagship M Series. By creating a complete acoustic map, engineers were able to refine its performance with extraordinary precision to create a speaker with "exceptional accuracy, coherence and realism."
It's quite a beast, standing 4 feet 6 inches tall, and its curved aluminium enclosure has been refined through 3D simulation to reduce internal resonances. There's a curved front baffle to minimise diffraction, while Magico's damping is also on hand.
Magico used a Laser Vibrometer to forensically analyse and eliminate the tiniest cabinet vibrations to give, Magico claims, "no audible colouration". The internal volume has also been expanded from 135 litres on the last-generation model to 180 litres, extending the bass response by 5Hz while preserving the speaker's sensitivity. The result? Deeper and more authoritative low-frequency performance.
The S7's Nano-Tec Gen 8 cone has an aluminium-honeycomb core sandwiched between graphene-reinforced carbon-fibre skins. The promise is ultra low distortion, thanks to its low mass, extreme rigidity and superior damping.
The third-generation driver chassis was developed over three years of research, and improves force distribution, refines suspension geometry and balances dynamic wire tension using a dual-post architecture. That should mean exceptional stiffness, optimal damping, minimised resonance and improved airflow for a cleaner, more accurate sound.
Like the M Series speakers, the S7 has three woofers vertically aligned to mitigate floor-bounce effects for a more consistent bass response.
The tweeter also derives from the M Series, with a 28mm diamond-coated pure-beryllium diaphragm promising a great stiffness-to-weight ratio and a neodymium motor system offering low distortion and better power handling. It should also have more nuance, texture and transparency in the high-end frequencies, thanks to a back chamber that's been acoustically optimised using FEA modelling.
Its midrange driver promises clarity and realism, while its three 10in woofers claim to give it the best low-frequency production of any S Series speaker yet, and while preserving the integrity of the original recording.
Its ESXO crossover includes components made by renowned component maker, German firm Mundorf. It also features CAST PP Radial capacitors from Danish firm Duelund Coherent Audio.
The S7 comes in a choice of 12 finishes: six Softec (powder coat) options, and six High Gloss (automobile paint). Softec options are £159,000 (around $211,000 / AU$302,000) per pair, and High Gloss are £178,000 (around $237,000 / AU$338,000) per pair. It goes on sale in the third quarter of the year.
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