Enjoy Changeout and please do report back with your impressions.
Reference 3A MM De Capo vs Legacy Calibre
I am starting the process of putting together a new system. An important design goal is the speakers will be stand mounts. I have heard the De Capo's but not the Calibre's. I am most interested in others opinions on monitor/stand mounted speakers. I am attending RMAF in two weeks and hope to check out ideas while there.
My budget could go as high as 12K for the Reference 3a Reflector.Yet, the less expensive monitors may be good enough.
Please share your ideas and impressions.
30 responses Add your response
tubegroover, Pitch and timbral accuracy are important to me and the De capo's are the only speakers -listed so far in this thread- which I have heard and I liked them. The DeCapos are the least physically impressive in the posted photos. The ATC and the Alta both command a physical presence at least in the pictures. I can hardly wait until next Friday. All means and methods set aside this is going to be crazy fun for me. I have never attended an event like this one. |
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. |
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Yes, Joseph Audio has a demonstration room at the RMAF.I will stop in to check them out. In the last ten years I have had two speakers in my system the the four way horns and Lowther Opus One with PM4A drivers. I want / need to listen to several different speakers. All of your ideas are helpful and refreshing. |
In all honesty, these queries always leave me wondering how the person asking could possibly make a good decision. The two speakers come from radically differing design perspectives, and as such, will reflect that, sonically. It’s not a question of one being a little better suited to the customer than the other. Most often, one will come as very wrong to the buyer. And it’s not as if the other will necessarily prove right, it also might be wrong. Make or break criteria as heard by the individual themselves such as timbre and dynamics cannot be conveyed through reviews or discussions. More than anything else, my advice is to perform a thorough audition, and even buy with a money back arrangement to properly assess. It's good that you heard a pair of Reference 3A, as the DNA will normally come across the product line. Whether they made you happy or not should play a big role in where you go next |
As someone who has reviewed several Legacy speakers, I would not be surprised at all if the Calibre won this dog fight. Very few stand mount speakers will play as big. Do not overlook 38Hz +/-2, which is impressive for a small speaker. I recall hearing it at this past AXPONA, and it was in an enormous room, but was able to present itself like a small tower, not a bookshelf. |
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HI\i Tubegroover, My music tastes are very similar to yours. The horn system had an average efficiency of 108dB per watt. Flea amps could play at deafening volume. The decision to change from the horns is a full commitment to new or different gear. I plan to visit the Quicksilver room at RMAF. Quicksilver mono 120 or the V4 along with the Primaluna Dialouge HP interest me. I do have a Bryston ST 14B 500 watt amp which might be a fit. The ATC is a speaker I had not know of prior to Soix call out and I want to hear them as well. Years ago Carly Simon sang of anticipation I could not agree wit her or yourself of the value added by the expectant pursuit of a new system. |
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. |
Tubegroover, good to know your satisfaction with the Decapo's. The DeCapo has a large body of positive reviews. My room is 12 x 20 x 9 and for the past several years I have ran a four way horn system with an active cross over. One design goal is for a simple and fun system. My room was to small for the horns. I agree to listen to as many as possible speaker options makes sense. My source is a Galibier table and Mojo Mystique dac feed from a Music Vault server.I have several tube amps -all less than 25 watts - so I will buy another larger amp. I am open to amplifier suggestions. |
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. |
My knowledge of the Celesta comes from former dealer, Mark Sossa, who used to rave about them especially their bass response for a monitor. When Mark decided to get out of the retail end of the business and concentrate on distribution the line left. One of the reviewers for Audiophilia has used them as his personal reference for several years. They are one monitor speaker I would love to hear. Between them the Reflector and the Calibre it will come down to personal preference as I don't suspect you could go wrong whichever one you chose. |
If you're going to RMAF look out for the Alta Audio Celesta FRM-2 http://alta-audio.com/collection/frm-2/ |