Margules has a history going back to 1927. In Mexico, the Margules family has been instrumental in
developing and expanding radio throughout the country. I had a chance to speak with the fourth-
generation engineer and company owner, Julian Margules, about how we measure and hear audio. We discussed measurements and what they mean, how we hear both mechanically and psychoacoustically, the preservation of harmonic structure, and tube circuits, including biasing, local and global feedback and how they impact harmonics.
Julian Margules explained how their designs avoid these sonically damaging techniques using complex circuity. Julian talked about how the harmonics of the note can be more important to our perception of the sound then the actual note, and therefore preservation of the harmonic structure is a critical goal for Margules.
It was certainly tough to argue with Julian Margules design philosophy listening to the beautiful Margules Orpheo ($30,000) speakers. Besides having a wonderful tone and solid imaging. The stunning finish of the Tzalam wood front is oiled and amongst the best furniture grade speakers I saw at the show. The rest of the speaker is covered in an inert black material with a nano-repairing finish to fix any micro scratches to the finish.
Due to shipping challenges the i240 integrated tube amplifier ($6000) didn’t make it to the show, but
the Magenta Hybrid ACRH-3 ($4000) was covering integrated duties and did an admirable job showing off the Orpheo’s capabilities. I will definitely need to follow up with Julian Margules and the exciting mid-line Magenta gear.
Across the hall the Margules U-280SC ($10,800 as monoblocks pairs) tube amplifiers were driving Raidho speakers including the TD1.2 ($24,999) and the TD3.8 ($119,999), which also sounded fantastic. Both these great rooms were set up by the AV Luxury Group International, a group that is now representing Margules, Raidho, Scansonic, Brodmann and RSX.
If you would like to hear even more coverage from AXPONA 2022, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
