Reference 3A or Mark & Daniel or...


Well it looks like the wife and I are finally gonna pull the trigger on downsizing, the kids are gone and a five bedroom colonial no longer fits the bill.  As a result it's not looking good for my Ohm Walsh 3's as they're just to big and bulky for our new condo.

I've been investigating smallish monitors and have narrowed (but not settled on) two brands, Mark & Daniel and Reference 3A.  What intrigues me most about these two is that they are considered to be dynamic and fairly full-range.  How they get there couldn't be more different, the 3A's running wide open with a "helper" tweeter with I believe just a single cap,  higher efficiency as a benefit.  The M & D's  on the other hand use their "Dreams" tweeter which is a descendant of the ESS unit to cross over at a very low 800 to 900 cycles depending on the model. with the M & D's being lower in efficiency in the 83-85db range. This shouldn't be an issue for me as I have a fairly powerful Onix MKII integrated amp that will pump about 160 watts out at 4ohms.  As far as models go it would either be the 3A DeCapo or Dulcet and with M&D the Ruby or Diamond.  Anyone with experience with either of these brands or models please feel free to chime in with your thoughts and experiences, thanks!


polarin

Showing 3 responses by polarin

Thanks smctigue I've read that a lot regarding the De Capo's.  I might add that I'm also considering the Sonus Faber Concerto's.
Been busy and hadn't looked at this thread in awhile... Anyway, while I still haven't settled on anything yet, I've added the Duevel Planets to my short list.  They seem like they'd have a fairly close presentation to my Ohm's but with a much smaller (and attractive) footprint.  I've read several positive reviews on them which is promising so we'll see.  I'd consider the newer and smaller Ohm's but they're just kinda fugly to me so we'll see, thanks to all who have commented.  I might add that I'll likely pick up some used DeCapo's for my bonus room upstairs...