I am in the midst of trying to make a decision between the YG Acoustics Hailey 3 and Magico S3 (both the latest/current models) as my next speaker. I have a small to mid-size listening space. My equipment consists of the MSB Cascade DAC and S500 power amp. I have heard and auditioned the Magico S2, S3, S5, and M2 at a local dealer in Portland (Pearl Audio). They are a dCS house btw. The S5 was better than the S3 for sure, but it would be way too much for my space. The S3 definitely sounded better than the M2.
The only other speaker I am very seriously considering is the YG Acoustics Hailey 3. I am planning on flying out to Alma Audio in San Diego in a few weeks to listen to the higher priced YG Sonja 3.2 speaker with MSB S202 amp and Reference DAC.
If any of you have had a chance to audition Magico vs YG, please share your experience with me. Any insights and thoughts that could help me make a decision here would be much appreciated.
I had Magico S5 2024 for a while. Along with the Cascade and S500. Having listened to the Hailey 3 multiple times. I preferred the YG. It’s warmer and more musical than Magico. But Magico will find every last bit of detail that exists in the music to a fault. They are brilliant speakers, just not my cup of tea. No regrets and didn’t not enjoy my time with them, but they didn’t stay.
If you have hardwoods with a water based finish be cautious the feet will stain your floors.
So you have YG’s now? Which ones? And regarding hardwood floors getting stained, it wasn’t clear from your comment which speakers were you referring to… if you would clarify please. And by staining, you mean the weight of the speakers will leave an indent in the hardwood?
No YG at the moment, they are on the short list right now, I have something else on loan right now I’m evaluating. Hailey or Sonja would be my choice.
As for the staining it was the Magico S5 but they use the same feet pads as the S3 and S2 and I assume the S7. Not indenting, stains. Something in the rubber was interacting with the solid white oak floors unfortunately. You can see the silver dollar sized dots on the floor in this picture
Having listened to the Hailey 3 multiple times. I preferred the YG.
I can’t agree anymore. Magico brings out more musical detail, while YG brings more balance. Using the MSB DAC as the source is already of very high quality and density, in my opinion. I would suggest that the subsequent pairings could be even more balanced and musical.
If possible, listen to both before making a decision.
Alma Audio now carries Von Schweikert loudspeakers; you may want to audition both the VR.30 and the Ultra.7 while you’re there. I have the Ultra.9 and the VR.55 Aktive (priced below the Hailey 3), and I love them!
And the preventive measure is to use thin silicone pads under them. You can find them as kitchen pot holders and likely other places. Amazon would probably be a good start.
Wow… This reflects poorly on such a heavily engineering-focused brand like Magico… Are they aware of this issue? I am sure yours is not an isolated incident.
I flew out to @almaaudio in San Diego last Saturday and spent a few hours listening to the YG Acoustics Sonja 3.2. Luckily, they had just received a new Cascade DAC with the latest firmware installed. The amp was the MSB S202 which drove the speakers just fine, but I do wish they had the S500. This was set up in their smaller room for me; my listening space is even smaller btw. Per the recommendation of @QuadDiffuser and @ChoiceAudio (James), I also listened to the Von Schweikert VR.30 set up in their much larger main listening room. The accompanying gear in that room was a pair of Nagra HD Mono Amps, Nagra pre-amp, and a Bricasti DAC. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the time to move the VR.30s into the other room and do a proper side-by-side comparison with the YGs. Even though the VR.30s sounded really impressive, I will admit I felt a little bias towards the YGs because of how they were sounding with the MSB DAC and AMP. Not fair on the Von Schweikerts, I know. Still, I flew back home later that night feeling completely torn as to which way I should go.
I started my new-speaker hunt a few months ago and the decision part has been driving me absolutely nuts and I have been losing sleep over it During the past few months, I auditioned several Magicos (S3, S5, M2), Sonus Fabers (Amati Supreme, Amati, Serafino), Marten Mingus Quintet 2, VAS VR.30, and the YG Sonja 3.2.
Last night I finally told myself - enough… just make a frickin’ decision! I also had an epiphany of sorts that there is no such thing as ‘the perfect speaker’, and no matter what I’ll decide on, most likely I will get the bug to try something new in a few years time any way So why over-think this.
So… I have made the decision to go with the YG Hailey 3 in Black. I would like to give a huge shout out to Fabio at Alma for hosting me in San Diego and making it a wonderful experience all around. Alma happens to be a QLN dealer as well (my current speaker) and Fabio was able to make a nice offer on the trade-in as well.
Now the wait begins for new my new speakers to arrive!
Congrats on your speaker decision. I agree that it’s extremely difficult to make a personally optimal decision on an audio product. There are so many fine products out there. In a perfect world we would choose after listening to the component in our system and room. With speakers that is impractical. I know that I could easily live with many different options from your list. Enjoy
Honestly @Daniel_Francis I am just relieved right now… I actually slept really well last night after a very long time
But yes… I’m coming to terms with the fact that being an audiophile is an ongoing journey rather than a destination. The gear will inevitably come and go over time, but the enjoyment lies in the experience, the discovery, and the music itself.
My brand new YG Acoustics Hailey 3 arrived about 10 days ago. Fabio (@almaaudio San Diego) flew out to Portland last week to unbox them and set them up for me. Top-notch buying experience through Fabio - excellent service all around!
I had ordered custom flight cases from YG for my speakers, and they were 100% worth the additional cost. Not only do the cases look great, the wheels make the boxes so easy to move and store, and the fully-custom design made unboxing the heavy speakers virtually pain-free. I’d highly recommend going this route when buying heavy speakers.
The YGs look spectacular in black! Attaching a photo for all of you. I have only about 40hrs on them right now. I won’t even try to do any serious listening until after they have at least 200 hrs on them. One thing I am definitely going to order this week is a set of Stack Audio AUVA 100 isolation feet.
So many more upgrades in the offing - new cables, new wooden audio rack for my Cascade DAC, better acoustic treatment… The journey never ends, I guess
During the past few months, I auditioned several Magicos (S3, S5, M2), Sonus Fabers (Amati Supreme, Amati, Serafino), Marten Mingus Quintet 2, VAS VR.30, and the YG Sonja 3.2.
So why over-think this.
