Reference 3a Dulcet

Hi,

Heard the Reference 3a Dulcet this weekend at a new local dealer, and thought I would post since few people seem to have heard them. The Dulcets were very open, detailed, great soundstaging, and had surprising bass response given the small size. As with the de Capos, they were very resolving and had a natural tone, which is where a number of speakers come up short. Having previously owned a pair of the original de Capos, I thought the Dulcet was possibly even more open sounding and neutral, though it lacked a little of the weight of the de Capo, as you would expect. Amps were a pair of $3000 single ended Antique Sound Labs putting out 40W, with their passive preamp. The dealer also had the Carolina Audio bookshelf speakers with which I compared the Dulcets. The Carolina Audios were a bit warmer and fuller, but not quite as open/detailed as compared with the Dulcet. However, I would not be disappointed if I had to live with the Carolina Audio speakers. I may go back and listen to them w/ my VAC in a week or two. Personally, I probably would wait until I could afford another pair of de Capos, which is still my favorite $2500 speaker, but I would like to do a side-by-side comparison.

TLH