These speakers look and sound a million dollars, but they don't cost quite as much…

1 week ago 3

(Image credit: Magico)

Ten times cheaper than Magico's mid-range floorstanders
Three-way, four driver speakers with a relatively small footprint
From £41,500 to £49,998 a pair (so from around $53,000 or AU$82,300)

If you've spent any time around high-end audio kit you'll know that some of it is hilariously expensive. But by God, it sounds good.

Some of the most expensive audiophile speakers are by California's Magico: the company's flagship M9 floorstanders come in just shy of a million dollars; the M7s are just north of $550,000 and the 'mid-range' S3 we heard in 2023 come in at around £60k, $71,330 or AU$106,860, depending on the finish you choose. So by comparison, the new Magico S2 floorstanding speakers are an entry-level bargain: in the UK they cost from £41,500 to £49,998 a pair. That's roughly $52,990 to $63,840.

So what do you get for around £50k? According to Magico, something amazing. And given their track record – we've also heard the same brand's M7s and can't save $560k quickly enough – we're inclined to believe them.

Magico S2 floorstanding speakers: key features

The new Magico S2 floorstanders are three-way, four-driver speakers designed to deliver maximum performance with a minimal footprint; according to Magico you'll get "unprecedented performance for a speaker that can fit almost anywhere".

The sealed enclosure is made from Magico’s largest-ever single-piece aluminium extrusion (Magico doesn't do wooden enclosures) and features a full-length vertical brace that Magico says maximises rigidity, stiffness and damping.

Each speaker has a 8mm pure-beryllium, diamond-coated tweeter, a 12.7cm mid-range driver and twin 18mm bass drivers. The mid and bass drivers have Magico's Gen 8 Nano-Tec driver cone, which is made from an aluminum honeycomb core with carbon fibre skins; that's designed to reduce weight and deliver more effective damping.

There are a dozen finishes to choose from, six in a "Softec" finish and six high gloss shades. The Softec finishes have an RRP of £41,500 and High Gloss are £49,998, and are being distributed by Absolute Sounds in the UK. All will be available for shipping in early 2025.

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Contributor

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.

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