Hi,
Long story short, I owned both, like the DeCapo's better.
YMMV.
Good luck! |
havent heard the maggies but own the de Capo's and my wife likes them lol
they do sound great esp w/tubes |
It's .all about strategy. My wife suddenly thought Maggies looked pretty good when she saw the Wilsons. |
I have owned both MG 3A's, 1.6's and three different sets of De Capo's including the latest 2010 model with all the improvements. I recently upgraded th the Reference 3A Episodes. The big questions are, what size room are you putting them in and what amp do you plan on using with them? What types of music do you prefer, and at what volumes? They are both great speakers when paired with the correct amps, and they both do certain things very well. |
Kenwood L09 mono ss amps, audio purist series late 70's. 300 watts ea@8 ohms - more at 4. MFA magus a-2 tube preamp by bruce moore & scott franklin. sao winn vintage strainguage phono cartridge, also new sumiko blackbird (bbird is a little forward & bright). tube cd jolida 100a. like most music except rap. enjoy classical but mostly play rock, r n b, jazz moderate to mid-loud. my Maggie's always produced excellent bass & i play electric bass guitar. i was disappointed w/the offerings in the 2 series because of lack of bass. the 1.7 i think i could live with. i stay away from subwoofer systems which can sound unnatural + i don't wish to take up any additional space or have more wires. |
I found the De capo's to sound their best with amps that emphasize clarity, speed and fine details. SET's, OTL's, and well refined gain clones or class A amps like the Pass Labs First Watts. Your big Kenwoods would serve the Maggies best if you have a medium sized room. If you are in a small room, the De capo's would probably be the safe choice. |
Go for the Reference 3A.
It is amazing what that unit can do with top amps. |
any thoughts decapo ia v. LSA 1 statements? imaging? filling medium sized living room? |
Kingmacaw,
For what it's worth, I've owned the LSA1 Statements (twice!) and I currently run the Ref 3A Dulcets, little brother to the De Capo. There's a lot to like about the LSA's, but in my room with my equipment, even the teeny weenie Dulcets smoke the Statements. More solid bass foundation, great rhythmic sense, imaging to die for, huge soundstage, better build quality (IMHO) and a sense of musicality and coherence that make me smile on a regular basis. Some of this, of course, has to do with your priorities. I believe that a design goal of the Statement was non-fatiguing sound. That they do have in spades: that Aurum Cantus ribbon tweeter is very smooth and the LSA1 Statements have deservedly gotten a lot of great reviews. But the Dulcets (and, I'd venture, the De Capo's) just sound more like music to me. |
good personal info on the LSA's tho i realize i haven't heard them or the decapos.
how about reference 3a's compared to emerald physics cs3 (w/or w/o sub) or cs 2.3's.
How do i find someone near the monterey bay area where i can listen to the reference &/or emerald physics speakers? |
Kingmacaw,
For info on hearing the Emerald Physics in your area you should contact Walter Liederman of underwoodhifi-dot-com. He owns the company.
As for the Reference 3A's, I know there's a hifi dealer somewhere in the Bay Area who carries the line because that's where I first heard them several years ago, while on a family visit. Sorry I can't be more specific, but if you call Reference 3A in Canada, they'll point you to a dealer in your area.
Hope this helps. |
spoke with wally. no dealers & no client list so no luck so far. still thinking about speakers-3.6, 1.7, even 3.7, ref 3a, & so on & so on...... |
decision made magnepan 3.7's! |
Kingmacaw,
Congrats, and I hope you enjoy your Maggies.
Since you asked earlier in the thread about a Bay Area dealer for Reference 3A, thought I'd mention that the dealer whose name I couldn't remember earlier in the thread is Blue Moon. They're in Pacifica.
Best! |
ty rebbi,
was hoping to go see len's place sometime. he's always been nice & informative on the phone. sadly, i missed out on a great deal he had a few months ago on mg 3.6's. |
