feedback wanted Reference 3A speakers???

One of the best speakers I have heard and not just within its class. The Dulcets are in my top 5 finest audio products of all time. I owned the De Cappo's for a long time as they filled my room better. Don't try and fill a large room and if your room is the right size you cannot go wrong with the Dulcets.

Enjoy

I used a pair of DeCapos for longer than any other speaker I've ever owned. Reference 3A makes a great product at a reasonable price. I used the DeCapos with several different amps, from a 5w 2A3 tube amp, 8w class A solid state, 30w class A monos and several different higher powered amps.

Ref 3a Capo beats monitor speakers costing 3x more

I had deCapos for quite a while. I think they employ a very specific set of trade-offs to achieve a specific result.

They combine better bass extension than most stand mounted monitors with a truly neutral octave to octave tonal balance. That's unusual IME because the lack of true bottom end energy (true of this and basically all other small box speakers) requires limiting the output thru the presence and treble region to maintain the octave to octave neutrality. Most manufacturers seem to maintain more output in the upper octaves so that the speaker sounds more dynamic. The result - to my ear - is that the vast majority of stand mounted monitors tend toward a bright voicing that would benefit from the addition of a subwoofer.

The real world result of the Ref 3a approach is a monitor that sounds really neutral. It doesn't really invite the use of a subwoofer - it would sound bottom heavy if you added one. OTOH, it definitely struck me as polite sounding and limited in dynamics.

To my ear, maintaining neutral balance at the expense of dynamic "jump factor" is a wise trade. However, IMO, that is the price that was paid in this design.

Caveat: Don't know if this applies to the Dulcet. I haven't heard it.

Marty

I have never heard a bad thing about the Del Capo's ever...until a slight negative post from Marty....time will tell

I have had the Di Capos for about 4 years now , playing through a Primaluna PL2 at @35w. They are a very honest speaker that will let you hear what the rest of your equipment sounds like .
Very uncolored and an easy load .
However , what Marty states about the lack of dynamics is their achilles heal . It has perplexed me for quite some time .

Good luck

Count me a believer. I have the latest De Capo model before they went to Nextel covering (sitting four post Sound Anchors). The entire line features tons of tweaks for the money, and the extension/air when combined with the solid bass is simply unbeatable as far as I can determine. Holographic, too. I have no idea why they sell so cheap here on the used market. Try them. Your risk of disappointment is VERY low.

Nyaudio,

To clarify my earlier post:

I believe that EVERY small (or smallish) speaker must make trade-offs. I'd argue that it's a matter of physics; AFAIK, proper reproduction of the bottom octave + cannot be achieved from a small box. I actually like the decision that Ref 3a made, but it's still IMHO a compromise.

Ref 3a (in my view, wisely, as I stated in my OP) decided to optimize octave to octave balance. Even though the deCapo has better bass extension than most stand mounts, the bottom octave is MIA (as in virtually all small speakers). To offset that, the energy in the presence range and upper octaves of the deCapo is - to my ear - gently diminished. I believe that that's the key to the speaker's unusually neutral tonal balance.

Others may certainly disagree, but - to my ear - that benefit comes at a cost.

To my ear, a speaker's macro-dynamics ("jump factor") is largely determined by its energy through the presence region. In the deCapo, that's part of the region that is gently rolled to offset the missing bottom octave. It works tonally, but IMHO Ref 3a's design decision becomes a double edged sword: the speaker sounds very neutral, but dynamically polite.

Some may consider the deCapo perfect, but I don't. To the extent that reads as a criticism of the product, I'd only note that it's probably a gentler criticism than I'd make of virtually any other speaker of similar dimesions.

Marty

Here is a review I wrote comparing the R3A MM deCapo i to the Fritz Carbon 7 in Audio Circle:

I was lucky to have the Carbon 7's on loan from Fritz for about 4 weeks recently. They replaced my Reference 3A MM deCapo-i's on the same 26" stands. Initially I had them hooked up to my 15WPC Cary 300B monoblocs but the Carbon 7's need much more power so I did the bulk of my listening with a very old Bryston 2B.

I must say that all the reviews of the Carbon 7 are spot on. Simply an amazing speaker with the right amp. Open, detailed, coherent from top to bottom, dynamic and just plain fun to listen to. They have a fullness of sound that is rare among small monitors where they often sound thin and compressed with wimpy bass. Many speaker companies try to impress potential buyers with in your face detail in the highs. The Carbon 7's have as much or more detail and micro dynamics as I have heard in other high end designs but it is presented naturally without that ear bleed that often follows after extended listening

The bass from these small speakers is really astonishing with usable lows in the low 30Hz range, I would guess. Soundstage depth, width and height is first rate with these speakers. They totally disappear 100% of the time and image specificity is as good as you will find. Performers had an "in the room" quality that was almost spooky.

It was a sad day when Fritz came over to take the carbon 7's back. Just for fun, we did some back and forth between the Reference 3A's and the Carbon 7's playing the same tracks. The Reference 3A's were up on AudioGon the next morning.

For $2K, the Carbon 7 is a steal! Especially true when you consider the build quality, top notch drivers from Scanspeak, unique crossover design, and hand made in Redondo Beach, CA. What's not to like?

Any reviews or opinions on the 3A line with the new beryllium tweeter?

This thread needs a bump..great info

I'm also using the de Capo's with a Prima Luna Prologue Two integrated amp and couldn't be happier. I listen to jazz, classical and traditional acoustic music. I never tire of listening to them. They are amazing imagers once you get the placement right and as detailed and clear as you could want. Yes, the bottom is not a slam as is the case with floorstanders, but even listening to organ music and the occasional rock and roll record I don't find that I am missing anything. They are very efficient speakers, so work well with tube amps. You definitely would not want to pair them with a subwoofer.

I have installed the new Beryllium tweeters in my De Capos and will get some impressions posted when they're more broken in.