Magico reinvents premium S3 floorstanders with flagship speaker technology that costs millions

Magico reinvents premium S3 floorstanders with flagship speaker technology costing millions
(Image credit: Magico)

Californian hi-fi firm Magico – maker of some of the world's most expensive loudspeakers – has reengineered its much-loved S3 Mk II speaker. The new and improved S3 three-way floorstander boasts some of the technical wizardry found on the company's flagship M9 speakers (which cost £1 million, around $1.2m / AU$1.9m).

This includes a newly engineered enclosure made from four separate aluminium panels that are up to 2 inches thick. Each panel is inspected using Magico's ultra-precise "3D laser interferometry system", which allows the company to tailor the internal damping to perfection. As a result, the new S3 enclosure is apparently "30% quieter than its predecessor".

Magico relied on the state-of-the-art M9 floorstanders to improve the S3's drivers, too, and both models now feature 28mm diamond-coated beryllium diaphragms in the tweeter. Magico has also combined the S3's tweeter with a new "acoustically improved back chamber" that promises to declare war on distortion.

Magico

A cutaway of the S3 MkII enclosure with aluminum honeycomb core. (Image credit: Magico)

The 5-inch (12.7cm) pure midrange driver cone is formed of a honeycomb aluminium core sandwiched with layers of graphene and carbon fibre, while the 9-inch (23cm) bass driver boasts the latest-gen Magico Graphene Nano-Tec cone. 

Fun fact: Graphene has 50 times the tensile strength of high-carbon steel, giving it an insanely-high stiffness-to-weight ratio. That should further enhance the damping.

The new 2023 edition of the Magico S3 speakers begin shipping in Q1 2023. There are two different finishes to choose from: M-Cast, a textured powder coat finish and M-Coat, a high-gloss paint finish. 

The UK price for a pair of new Magico S3 speakers in an M-Cast finish is £56,998 (around $70,000 / $104,000). M-Coat ups that to £66,000 (around $80,000 / AU$120,000). As ever, Absolute Sounds is exclusive UK distributor.

Oh, and you might want to hit the gym before you throw down any cash – each 1.2m-high S3 floorstanding speaker weighs 100kg.

MORE: 

Best floorstanding speakers: budget to premium

The 30 best hi-fi speakers of all time 

10 of the craziest-looking high-end hi-fi products on the planet

Tom is a journalist, copywriter and content designer based in the UK. He has written articles for T3, ShortList, The Sun, The Mail on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph, Elle Deco, The Sunday Times, Men's Health, Mr Porter, Oracle and many more (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialities include mobile technology, electric vehicles and video streaming.

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  • F8lee
    Well, I bet this investment will make my H.E.R. CDs sound super great!
    Reply
  • Gray
    F8lee said:
    Well, I bet this investment will make my H.E.R. CDs sound super great!
    She'd probably come to your house and sing live for less than the £57,000 cost of the S3.
    Reply