Delonghi Magnifica espresso routine, is it really just fill and press?

[Thomas Martinez]

Looking at the workflow to pull a basic shot with the Magnifica, it's rather simple. There's a single button for espresso and a 2x button to make a double shot (as opposed to two singles back to back). It's as simple as filling the water tanks, filling the bean hopper, placing a cup under the spout and pressing the button you want to start the shot. There's no tamping required and there's no need to adjust the grind since it's a fully automatic machine.
Does anyone else find that the 1-shot button and 2-shot button dispense different volumes of espresso? Or is it essentially the same coffee but taken twice in a row with the 2-shot button? Beyond the beans what do people feel is the most important parameter to adjusting when using these machines for espresso?
I ask because most discussions about espresso seem to be centered around the manual methods of espresso machines. The Magnifica, however, eliminates most of the technique required to extract espresso to fully automate the process. Therefore, does anyone have thoughts regarding whether the 1-shot button is well adjusted out of the box or do people find it necessary to adjust the programmable volume parameter on these models?

 

[Star]

The 2x button makes two singles back to back instead of a true double shot. You can hear it re-grind the portafilter during the cycle.

 

[Bewilder]

Mine has been running for about 4 years now and the factory setting for a single shot is far too short; around 25ml. I've had to adjust it to around 40ml to taste. Hold the button down while it's dispensing and release to control when it stops dispensing. It remembers your setting.