Reference 3A MM De Capo vs Legacy Calibre

Enjoy Changeout and please do report back with your impressions.

I've owned a pair of DeCapo BEs for 5 years, I am quite happy with them and they check all the boxes based on the things you require in a speaker, I would add dynamic to the mix as well. They present a realism that is only limited by the upstream components.  Very natural sound resulting from the direct signal to the custom drivers originally designed by Daniel Dehay. There is a reason this design has been around for as long as it has. Of course it is ALWAYS wise to listen to as many speakers as possible before committing to anything. 

I have also listened to the Reflectors on several occasions at a local dealer. The cabinet is larger and heroic efforts are made in making the cabinet more inert to vibrations and resonance. The speakers weigh 75 lbs each! There is certainly a difference in presentation from the DeCapos, a greater sense of the cabinet disappearing and a somewhat more transparent presentation, deeper bass, a different animal from the DeCapo. I personally couldn't justify the price difference although the dealer did offer me an excellent deal. The DeCapos just suit me all the way around in my setup and room. 

FYI I am currently using custom Neotech gold/silver ics, Omega Micro Planer 2 speaker cables, all tube electronics, including a OPPO Modwright CD player and Oracle Delphi table and 2 Rel subs. 

Hi Changeout, 
First off my room is larger than yours, 20 x 28x 10' ceiling opening to an adjacent 9x12x10, essentially an L shaped space, excellent accoustically. Low powered tube amps work well with certain types of music and in smaller rooms. The DeCapo's as well as the Reflectors are reasonably efficient and easy to drive with lower powered tube amps. SET amps? depending on musical tastes and room size. My taste in music runs the full gamut from full orchestral to Rock to intimate jazz, Brazilian and latin music of all variety and vocal from solo to choral. For this music to be played with realism IME requires POWER. I am using a Quicksilver Silver 88 amp with KT150 tubes, very low distortion, low output impedance and without any question among the very finest, nuanced amplifiers I've persopnlly experienced  including numerous SET amps of many varieties. 

With you room size and possiby your musical taste one of your stable of low powered tube amps might work just fine with either of the Reference 3a speakers. In any case regardless of where you ultimately end up, enjoy your journey! The fun part of this hobby is the search for and anticipation of raising our musical enjoyment. Of the speakers mentioned in this thread, I have found the powered ATCs to be intriguing, love to hear them. 

Tomic601 said

"a bit off topic..i looked at website and the high resolution photo of the carbon fiber midrange looks pretty rough.....is that me ?.... or ???"

Smooth actually, with a texture not unlike snake skin, if you’re familiar, smooth but woven, NOT like woven fiberglass if you are familiar with that, which is definitely not smooth.

Sorry for the above spelling and grammar errors in my last post. I am not too good typing with one finger. I did want to clarify a few things. The Quicksilver mono amps are 90 watts with the KT150 tubes and Changeout the mono 120s replaced them, more power. They have similarities, low output impedance but the transformers are somewhat different, the Silver 88s a unity coupled design.

So far as the DeCapo, the BE tweeter I believe is where the real improvement is compared to some of the earlier Ref 3a designs I am familiar with other than the Episode and Grand Veenas with the Murata supertweeter. No harshness as is common with some if not all metal domes. Vocals and choral music on good recordings is just so realistic with great presence and pitch realism. I have read people comment that they like the old design better with the soft dome. I adamantly disagree with this conclusion, an area I am quite sensitive to is harshness, ringing, overhang or splash. There is none of that with the BE. One thing about the DeCapos that is worth noting is that they take time to break-in and initially I found them a bit bright although I was so taken in with their other virtues. I expected it would be a breakin issue which proved true but it did take time. I have heard them sound less than stellar during a few demos. Set-up is more critical than many.