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Reference 3a mm de capo vs. ProAc Response 2

So here's the conundrum. I've got a Fisher 500c- 35 watts of vintage tube power (with several mods done to it-namely updated power supply and signal path) and currently have a pair of Vandersteen 2ce's. Not the best match, due to the Vandy's moderate efficiency, though still nice. Not especially dynamic and a bit congested on the frequency extremes.
So in search of a better speaker to match the Fisher, I've done lots of research on Reference 3A's and Proacs, which I'm told both work well with tubes.

So please, have any of you listened to both of the speakers in the title? If so, how would you characterize their strengths and weaknesses? Which did YOU prefer and why?
As for my tastes, I enjoy old school R&B, 50s-60s jazz, classic rock, some pop, bluegrass, reggae, folk. Not really concerned about classical. And my source is an Eastern Electric MiniMax CDP. No vinyl (yet).

Thanks a bunch for your valued opinions! Lincoln

PS- yes I'm working hard to arrange a listen to both of them myself, but Tucson, AZ, is a bit removed from lesser known brands. :)
lincnabby

Showing 4 responses by dopogue

dopogue
1,773 posts
 
I can speak to the Response 2 but not the Reference 3A. I replaced a pair of Magnepan III speakers with the ProAcs and my friends considered me nuts. But they sounded MUCH better on tubes (then CJ MV75A1s). And even better on low-watt SET amps designed and built by a friend. I eventually sold the ProAcs to this friend and he has them still. Superbly musical speakers, very tube-friendly (obviously). I now consider them boxy-sounding, compared to my Gallo Reference 3s, but I sure didn't then. Good luck, Dave
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
I should have mentioned that the Ref 3 woofers have dual voice coils which are intended to be driven separately and that I have the Gallo scbswoofer amp on the 2nd voice coils of mine. There are two sets of speaker inputs but the Ref 3s are NOT biwirable -- the second set goes to the second voice coils. So my SET amps don't have to handle anything below 40-45 Hz. Dave
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
For the record, Lincnabby, I've run my Gallo Ref 3s for the last 5+ years with 12 wpc SET monoblock amps.
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
Lincnabby, I'm almost as puzzled by this as you are. A good friend designed and built my SET amps (845 output tube, EL34/KT77 driver tube, 6N7/ECC31 input tube, solid state rectification) and swears the output is 12 wpc. They sound very powerful, though, probably due largely to the huge transformers he used (no, he's no longer building them). I have a pretty large room, 18 x 40' with an "L" off one of the 40' sides. And as far as I know I've never clipped the amps. BTW, they replaced Conrad Johnson Premier 12s (140 wpc) because they sound much more open, dynamic and detailed than the CJs did.

As to whether your Fisher would handle the Gallos, I think so, but I can't say for sure.
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