MACARIA Thermal-Treated Dark Ash – Grounded Base

The wait was so worth it!! The Macarias are the last pair of speakers I will own! They are a thing of beauty aesthetically and they sound incredible paired with the rest of my audio gear. I could not be happier! The team at Maco was a pleasure to work with and I highly recommend anyone in the market for new speakers to reach out to them. Thank you Maco!

The Macaria’s passed the 200 hour break-in process a week ago. Here’s my thoughts.

I am not a conventional 2-channel/2-channel subwoofer person. The first speakers I bought over twenty years ago were not traditional box speakers. They were Mirage Ominpolars.

The sound radiates in a 360 degree fashion, as opposed to box speakers which are mostly direct. This creates a massive (and I mean massive) soundstage. This is the type of sound field that I like.

While only two speakers, the sound is more akin to a multi-channel surround sound system. Enveloping. When it came time to replace my speakers after two decades, I decided not to look for another omnipolar speaker. The reason: although the soundstage is massive, the imaging suffers because of it; it’s more diffuse.

I realized that when I bought them, and that’s the trade-off I was willing to make. But now, I’d like to experience a wide soundstage AND pinpoint imaging, the best of both worlds.

I was willing to look at traditional box speakers and see if things had changed during the decades. My budget was up to $10,000. I auditioned several systems in my home. The imaging great, warmth great. But the soundstage was a third of what I was used to, it felt like everything had collapsed.

The traditional box speaker listener would not have noticed that sense of collapse. But in those two decades of listening to omnipolar, my brain had been rewired; almost every box speaker I listened to could not match that soundstage. I visited a number of stereo stores and listened to dozens of speakers. One box speaker actually did match the omni soundstage. Problem was that it was 350,000 dollars (they did have free shipping though, maybe I should have reconsidered).

Anyway, that’s when my internet surfing discovered open baffle speakers and Maco Macaria’s. This was a few months before they were set to launch, but there were already a bunch of pre-reviews. I looked/read all of them (many times). The main purpose was to see if there were reoccurring phrases between them. That would tell me it’s not just a subjective experience from a single reviewer, but a universal feature of the speaker’s sound.

The repeating phrases that popped up were “immersive,” “wide.” That told me they had the soundstage I was used to. Not being omnipolars, it would obviously have better imaging.

I finally had a chance to listen to them at Capital Audio Fest in 2024. Yes, they checked off all the boxes. The one thing that closed the deal: as I was listening, I suddenly heard music coming from my side. It didn’t sound like a reflection, but like a multi-channel 5 speaker recording. I looked at the wall, convinced there was a speaker hidden there. That’s how enveloping it was.

After purchasing and breaking them in 200 hours, that sense of envelopment is constant. The music has a weight and authority to it, the instruments play with a sense of solid foundation. The word that comes to mind is “presence.”

It’s as if they are saying, “We’re not kidding around here. The band has come over to your house, set up their instruments, and is now playing exclusively for you. No cover charge. Enjoy.”

Maco Sound has produced one of the best-designed open baffle speakers out there from what I've been able to tell this past year of researching them. Both Deborah and Armando's current status to have these speakers be the best as they could possibly be is accomplished I'd say. I'm happy to say they sound as good as they look without a doubt. The quality of materials of everything used for creating these speakers that you get, down to the wiring used, is outstanding, no corners were cut. The Macarias differ from anything I've owned in good ways. Once you have the right placement in whatever room you have them in, these speakers...are something else. They are fun, they are a piece of art, they have the soundstage, they have bass in its entirety that's not overpowering, but very present with quality and quantity, and they have treble and midrange that have no shrill sounds at least that I'm affected by. These can blare anything you want, and can play as quiet as a whisper when you just want to relax and it works. Out of all the speakers I've owned, everything I play on the Macarias is the best version of itself, and it's not even close. There were 3 types of speakers that I started looking for when I realized I wanted to build a 2 channel system. One type would be kept on a desk for near-by listening. A 2nd, larger type for more spacious listening, most likely a bookshelf speaker pair, maybe a tower speaker pair, but a little bit farther away from my desk. The 3rd type would definitely be a full tower or large-designed speakers placed out near the opposite wall for full-room listening for when I really want to hear something. The Macarias solidly fit 2 of those areas to the point of me considering this an 'endgame' speaker pair of at least one type, I am that pleased with them. I mentioned to Deborah and Armando that at least for the forseeable future, I really don't see myself not keeping these. The Macarias will be a fixture for years. If you, who is reading this, are seriously considering a pair of these, I don't really see you going wrong.

I just finished setting these puppies up & they sound crazy good. Note I have new; amps, processor, cable's, etc. I have not tweaked anything, straight out of the boxes . . . used my iPhone to do a quick sound chk (Dave Matthews - Say Goodbye) & WOW, just stunning.

As an audio enthusiast of more than 30 years, I have chased the ever elusive destination of what can only be described as dreamland, until now...
After roughly 150 hours on the new Maco Macarias I have discovered something that I have never experienced before in the world of home audio.
I could spend hours with trying to describe what I am experiencing for the first time ever with the Macarias, using every audiophile word we have all heard before in reviews of others. I won't waste your time, all that needs to be said about these must be felt as much as heard. I now enter a room that no longer contains objects that project sound. The room is now the speaker or driver itself...
A room in which there is music being made, and not simply played.
Again, without all of the technical jargon, I am hearing not only the vocals and instruments of recordings I thought that I knew completely, but I am also feeling the rooms in which they were recorded. There is a realism not only in dimension and tonality, but the ambient offerings contained in such recordings are finally being revealed for the first time ever in my audio journey.
I have quite a bit of experience with all types of loudspeakers, from boxed drivers to planar magnetic, electrostatic to various other open baffle offerings over the years. I can say without a doubt the Maco Macarias have transformed my listening room into a small club, large arena, concert hall or recording studio... all I have to do is step inside and enjoy any venue at a level never thought possible.