| AudioREVIEW's Forum Archives - All About Speakers |
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|   Referece 3A, Thanks RGA and everyone else | huds
Dec 12, 2002 8:41 AM | | I had been auditioning various bookshelf speakers for sometime and using info posted here as to which speakers I might want to demo. I looked at the following models:
Totem Acoustic Signature Model 1
Dynaudio Contour 1.3 MKII
Dynaudio Audience 42/52
Paradigm Studio 40/60
Sonus Faber Concertino/Concerto
Synthesis Club cloth
Linn Tukan
But the MM de capo's just blew me away. My old pair of speakers were the paradigm monitor 9 and I can't beleive the difference in sound quality. The paradigms really struggled with classical music, especially piano pieces and had a nasty tendency to distort on certain notes. The soft dome tweeter of the de capo's is so sweet and this problem has vanished. The bass is tight and much more refined than the paradigms. My only problem is my wife hates the looks of the de capo's. I am currently driving them with an Arcam A65 and I don't find the sound overly bright.
I picked these speakers up slightly used for 1200 and for the price you can't go wrong.
Thanks for the education
Huds |
| Yeah, they're not the prettiest of speakers... | midfiman
Dec 12, 2002 9:01 AM | | I prefer the look of my Nautilus 805s in Red, but from what I hear the Ref 3As sound steller and up even the Nautilus' in sound quality.
Nice pick. I'd love to hear a pair someday! |
| re: Referece 3A, Thanks RGA and everyone else | RGA
Dec 12, 2002 5:42 PM | | Holy crap what a steal. $1200.00 is less than half the retail price.
Yes they are not the most lovely looking speakers in the whole world...but my friend you have one of the ver best speakers available...at any price. the only thing they lack is the last two octaves. And frankly I don't miss them.
Congrats. I too am waiting for them. But I had dumped my accounting career and have gone back to school. 3 more years until I graduate and they will be a nice grad present to myself. |
| re: Referece 3A, Thanks RGA and everyone else | Paul L
Dec 12, 2002 7:52 PM | | What sources, cables and stands you are using? I bet there is still a long way for you to realise the full potential of the speakers in your system.
Paul Lam
P.L.C.Lam Consulting Inc. |
| re: Referece 3A, Thanks RGA and everyone else | huds
Dec 13, 2002 8:38 AM | | I have an Arcam Diva CD72 CD player and am using Kimber Kable 4PR speaker cable. I picked up a pair of 20 inch stands from Gramophone here in Edmonton that I have filled with sand. I will problem get 26 inch stands as suggested by Reference 3A. I am looking at the premier J series stands. Any suggests for speaker cables. I was also thinking of buying the Arcam P75 amp and bi-amping?
Any thoughts. |
| re: Referece 3A, Thanks RGA and everyone else | Paul L
Dec 13, 2002 9:44 PM | | You have not mentioned what interconnect you are using? That is important too. You can try a Skylan 24" 4 poles stand. It should be available through Classic Hi-Fi. The 4Pr is also not good enough for the speakers. Do not spend money on biamping. Get an integrated or pre/power with simpler design. The source is OK for now but can also be improved. The final test for your system is that can you hear your system disappear in the room. The De Capos is capable of doing that if the setup is right. Sorry for all the suggestion because I know how good these speaker can sound with the right electronics.
Paul Lam
P.L.C.Lam Consulting Inc. |
| re: Referece 3A, Thanks RGA and everyone else | skullmurdoc
Dec 13, 2002 8:20 AM | | Im sure your speaker sound very good. But it's not very fair for paradigm to compare your baby's, wich is retail at 2250.00 agains Paradigm monitor 9 wich is retail at 730.00
Just my 2 cent.
Happy listening. |
| Good point... | midfiman
Dec 13, 2002 8:34 AM | | I guess a fairer comparison would be the Reference 3As to the Studio 100s, but even then, it's like comparing a $100,000 Porsche to a $100,000 Mercedes. Both superb for their price, but VERY different experiences. |
| Good point... | huds
Dec 13, 2002 8:50 AM | | You are right, its not a fair comparison. At their price point the Monitor 9's are very good. I am by no means an audiophile but what was so striking was the detail I was hearing in my CD's with the de capos. Even my wife commented on it. |
| Good point... | RGA
Dec 13, 2002 3:04 PM | | You can compere the Studio 100 to the De Capo as they are in the same ballpark price range. The De Capo is vastly superior. Daniel Dehay way back when brought out the original 3a that went for $1200.00 and it was his entry level...but most places would only carry that speaker(because of the price of the others being very high). He expanded but the accountants took over and the company folded. He started again years later under Reference 3a and only made high end speakers starting at 6k.
The De Capo was a scaled down version of the Royal Master. The drivers ar the same but the cabinetry went to wood from Corian etc. Plus making the De Capo in Canada reduces the price for the North American market. In England they go for 2200 pounds and are considered a STEAL at that price.
The Studio 100 is a very good midfi speaker made by a competant mif-fi company that makes solid products geared to home theatre crowds. The Studio line is very good because you get very good home theatre reproduction and reasonably good music and you can also play loud with bass.
The De Capo, however, is on another level one where music is the goal and it delivers. You don't get the feeling you're listening to a fax of the original...there is none of the etched sound you get from speakers trying to sound hi-fi instead of sounding like music.
Again this is not a knock on Paradigm. They are going after a different market entirely and are sucessful. I would be quite happy with the Studio 100s especially if I want to pull double duty in home theatre. Reference 3a does not make a surround system, so for many people they are not an option.
As for amp choices you can also consider tubes. The De Capos don't require much more than flea sized amplifiers.
As for detail...people assume, very wrongly, that metal tweeters have an advantage with detail over soft domes. I suppose the reason for that thinking was that those speaker makers were making bad soft domes. |
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