Food or beryllium tweeters for my DeCapo's

If you guys want an amazing "goose bump" listening experience, pick up a copy of Sade's latest album, Soldier Of Love, and play track 3, "Morning Bird." I played it for an audiophile friend of mine on the De Capo's (who has some very good speakers at home) and he was stunned. Just sat there saying "wow" and "my speakers won't do that." :-)

By the way, I am experimenting now with switching between the 20 watt "triode" mode and the 40 watt "ultra linear" mode of my Manley Mahi amps. The jury's still out. They sound "different," but I'm not sure which mode I like better.

Talk about reviewers for Stereophile. There was one guy back in the late 80's early 90's that did a review of the B&W 800, a really large speaker in his 10X12 listening room or something that size, what was Atkinson thinking? I have to find it. I believe it is pre '94 before they changed from digest size to magazine and I still have those going back to the mid 80's. Lewis Lipwich or something like that, played Contrabasoon for the National Symphony. That's why you have to be careful in trusting what a musician says. They REALLY do listen and hear things differently.

So far as reviewers I really get a kick out of Bob Harley, always waxing on about the latest and greatest with better seemingly commensurate to more expensive, welcome to Texas! I always feel it incumbent on a reviewer to review different gear across a broad spectrum of prices to keep everything in better perspective. Not everyone can afford a 185K speaker system, not that I don't enjoy reading about them, I do as I find it quite entertaining. How can you take something so expensive seriously UNLESS you can easily afford it?

There are a few large systems I've heard that were quite memorable, like the Infinity Reference V system with completely rebuilt Emitt drivers and woofers, over 500 hours worth of work by a gentleman named Bill Legal in Pennsylvania. His company is Miller Sound named after his father in law I believe and goes way back to the 1930's. I spent an afternoon with Bill in his listening room with those glorious speakers listening to a wide range of music, it was great. There was one recording he played for me that I hadn't heard since I was a kid, Buddy Holly's studio recording of "True Love Ways", my skin rolled over in goosebumps, not just the fact that he was "truly" in the room but the nostalgia and memories of the past. This is what its all about, sharing music and enjoyment, I'll never forget it. Bill and his wife were two of the most wonderful people I've come across in this hobby.

I have a Buddy Compilation CD and This which is a fantastic bargain for some truly classic music much of which has quite excellent sound quality to boot.

Mapman....

I was on my way out the door and I caught your post.. That looks so cool. I will get one. Thak you !

OK.. Guys, go look at Mapmans system. Some kind of nice. Those squeezers on top of the Ohm cabinets are very musical. I would love to hear them next to the berylliums. They are monstrous, and bugs get in them from time to time, but they really can throw a soundstage. I'm impressed at the condition. Nice job, Mapman. How long have you had them ?

Tubegroover,

Talk about reviewers for Stereophile. There was one guy back in the late 80's early 90's that did a review of the B&W 800, a really large speaker in his 10X12 listening room or something that size, what was Atkinson thinking

Atkinson thinking
Oxymoron personified .

My apologies Lewis, I found the review. The room size for the review of this almost 6' tall speaker was 15'4"W by 16'3"L by 6'10"H, a perfect transducer choice for such a cavernous space, what was I thinking?

Thanks for the link Mapman. As far as that Buddy Holly tune goes, I bought a recording with it after that listen and often play it, a really great recording it is. I believe it was made the September before the plane crash, his last studio recording. The thing is that no matter how many times I listen to that song, it will never be recaptured the way it was at Bill's place that day. I suppose we all have our special musical memories, I have a ton of them but I'm getting off track here, back to the DeCapos!

Tube,

I've had the big OHM F5s for 3-4 years now.

Mapman I know a guy that has a pair of the OHM Welsh I believe. He had them in a small cottage house when he and his wife moved from Pennsylvania to Daytona Beach. Too small a space to set them up in that place but he moved to a larger house several months back but a few hours away. His new space is considerably larger. I am going to try to encourage him to set them up so myself and another audio friend can pay him a visit. Thanks for reminding me. I just love the MBLs, great for orchestral music in particular. I'd bet those OHMs sound special as well.

I was just listening to some Monk last night, "The London Sessions Vol. 1, 24 bit remastered. Just wanted to share how very special and engaging it was, a favorite solo piano recording that revealed his artistry in such a deep way. It just keeps happening, this engagement, the "it" factor, I sit down and listen and can't stop!

The one statement from Art Dudley's Stereophile review of this speaker 10 years ago that sums things up so eloquently is "The Ref 3A Decapo is as memorable as your favorite song", indeed it is!

Tube, take note of what specific model those OHM Walsh speakers are when you hear them. Many since inception back in early eighties look the same but do not sound the same. Sound became cleaner, more refined and detailed over time with different generations, keeping with the trends. Current models are X000 models and 4th generation. Originals were single digit model names. series II and series III in the middle. I own series III currently. Some older models can have upgraded drivers, so cabinet models may no longer apply. IT can be tricky sometimes to know exactly what is inside those "cans".

I believe these are older model Ohms probably from the early to mid 80's I'm sure if not older. The box is quite large.

Modern OHMs and 80's OHMs are two different beasts, though they look similar. I owned both concurrently for a bit and did a lot of a/b comparisions. Night and day performance differences all around, though both share the ability to go loud and clear and never show any signs of distress.

Hey Decap lovers, I own a pair of Ref3a Veena (love them). I am seriously thinking of having them upgraded by Tash. Any feedback?

One other thing I'm noticing about my De Capo's is that I'm listening to a lot of old vinyl these days and enjoying some of my old LP's more than I'd expect. I'm not talking about the cliché "I'm hearing the lead vocalist scratching himself and never noticed that before." Rather, it's that non-audiophile recordings that I used to love sound more musical and pleasurable than I remember them pre-De Capo's.
For example, Michael Franks' "Sleeping Gypsy" has some wonderful tunes on it, but it's a kind of rolled off, closed in sounding recording. And yet I was struck last night by how enjoyable and musical the chorus of "I Hope It's You" sounded. Nice to rediscover old records in this way!

Rebbi that is precisely it, what you say. While the resolution of this speaker is off the charts it isn't the "oh, I never heard or noticed THAT before". That isn't it at all. It is the musical resolution, the connection over any sound. I REALLY believe, at least to me, that it has to do with the near ideal tonality along with the ability to clearly define instruments and vocalists in a soundfield, the better the recording and gear preceding of course the more real it sounds but it isn't limited by the quality of the recordings. There is just this inherent, intrinsic musicality. On a technical note I suspect the real key to the success of this particular design, predating the DeCapo and going back to the MM most likely has to do with the proprietary carbon bass/mid driver being directly connected to the signal being fed without going through any crossover circuit, the DNA of what we hear with this design. I'll bet you could hook up a mediocre receiver to this speaker and still hear this intrinsic "rightness".

I don't believe for a second natural tonality, the real pitch and timbre of voice and instruments can be manipulated upstream. It has to be inherent in a fundamental way that some speakers have and some never will regardless of enclosure, crossovers etc. I find this quality very rare in most of the transducers I've listened to although they may excell in many if not virtually all ways that can initially make them appealing. This speaker doesn't do "audiophile tricks" and technically it might not be impressive to the technically minded observer or measurer but one thing undeniable to me, these gems play back music in a most convincing manner.

Well I enjoyed my time with the Grand Veenas, but they will soon be with their new owner.

Shakey

Zimwig

Tash will just upgrade them to DeCapo's. ;-)

Shakey......

What am I missing here. Wwwhy are u getting rid of the GVeena's ?

LOL, now Shakey, how many speakers have you gone through in the last 5 years? Great moniker btw, enjoy your new speakers!

The last five years? Not that many.

VS VR 4 Gen III HSE
GMA Callisto with ML Depth subwoofer
GMA Continuum 3HD
Montana EPS-2
Piega P-10
Wilson Sophia
Coincident Technology Super Eclipse (that one lasted ONE day)

Those are in no particular order. But now that I look at the list, the last two really were the worst two.

I will say this with no shame whatsoever. But I am replacing the Grand Veenas with Klipsch Cornwalls. And I really do believe in my heart that the GV was the best of all the ones mentioned above.

Shakey

Shakey,

Don't worry, no one will lock you in the Shame room and spit at your feet. I would just be spitting on my ipad anyway. It does have the rectum screen though, so it wipes easier. I drool a lot on it here on A'gon anyway.
Hope Arkansas lost a real Dilly when 'ole Paul passed on. He used to pin a button on his lapel that said.. Bullshi..! Some say he even wore it in church. A real gentleman. I've been down the Khorn, Cornboy, and Hairassy road a long while back. It is a rather fun travel. Mucho DB and they will slap your SET's across their Mothers bulging, glass jowls. The old country pig sticker could really put a box together though. PWK must have taken a Koragami class in his distant youth. I believe that I already know the Khole that you will Diane out of (when you complete your journey).... But it is really worth the adventure riding in the birch and metal Kornacopia. Just remember, The Grand Veena's have the key to the Shame room, and they can't do a llama on your Knu Balance (that is what I've Herd).

I think Truemaineiac is right Shakey. Hey that's not SO bad, I'm sure there are many that have it worse than that. You might want to keep track of the frequency of your changes going forward though, it seems that your heart for the best of the lot didn't beat the average of the rest, you philanderer you! I'm still in the courtin stage, trying to decide between the charismatic beautie or her more suave fleshier big sister who I'm going to do some courtin with tomorrow.

Tubegroover,

The "courtin'" stage can be a pain in the butt. I'm still trying to get my cables right. I have some JPS Superconductor Plus (bi-wire) coming in this weekend. That will make for all JPS in my system. That cable seems to work very well in my listening area. During the wait for the JPS, I have been using my older Monster Retro Sigma Gold... And I am really starting to like it. It is a superb Lietz cable with a great design.. I know "Monster Cable" !! Sounds bad just thinking about it.... But before you go running to the toilet with your hands cupped over your mouth.... I have to say that the Retro Sigmas are no joke. The "edge definition" is amazing. Especially with the DeCapos. Small images that were blurred out before are clear and outlined extremely well. Instruments that are on the far edges of the soundstage are very focused and clear. Usually, all of these "happenings" are just Audiophile madness and hi-end Bling, but with the DeCaps, they are absorbed into the musical event... Not just a well focused dog barking in the bedroom cliche .. If I am really in need of hearing a dog in the bedroom, I'll stick a terrier in there. Especially with the BE tweeter, the DeCaps are so amazing with all of the Audiophile trickery .. It is just being able to hear a speaker do all that while maintaining its musical balance is a pure joy to listen to. The dog just doesn't bark... But it sings along as well. Anyway, it is a new found land for me and I will not bitch about it.

I finally got a chance to upgrade my "system" pictures, including my subwOOfer.

Thanks for the update on cabling Tubeears. I'm having my buddy drop by the Rube Goldberg jobs sometime next week, my 4th listen, it must mean something. His system just sounds about as good as I've ever heard it and get this, he changed electronics from vintage ARC gear to a Creek Integrated, you wouldn't believe it and neither would I until you heard it. He attributes much of what he hears to these cables and cords, who am I to argue, I hear it myself and I need to hear them "One More Time".

Tubegroover.

Back in the "upper" Middle Ages of audio.... There were "those" Audiophiles. They were the ones that knew a lot and said little. They were the ones that just..... Knew. They would meet, in the silence of the night... In the moors, behind the audio salons. They would gather in a circle, hand in hand (chanting)..Ohm, Ohm, Oh Me. Then ... slowly opening their dark, hooded robes...they would expose (much like our congressmen now) their vital wares. In the glow of the sim Moon lite (protruding up from their cloaks) could be seen the shimmering Edge of ... the Nad's and the Creek's and the Puccini's. (In the murky background) a Quad of Spica's could be heard howling in a Forest full of Totems. This secret society had touched the sacred Oracle and they were gifted with.... Music. Those chosen Audio Druids had unsheathed their ARC-slayers and Joan could do nothing Manley about it. The giant ARC's and Aragon's were silent in the vacuum of truth and were laid waste in a solid state. Sometimes, only a new nose what a Knu knows and the little Druids were proof... That secret society with the little cheap amps.

Condensed from Readers Digest.

"They would gather in a circle, hand in hand (chanting)..Ohm, Ohm,"

Only in NYC and the Northeast US maybe.

elsewhere, the mantra was more likely "OM...". Easy to confuse. :^).

To answer the original question beryllium tweeters are a better long term investment. The food will be gone in an instant.

Tubegroover:
His system just sounds about as good as I’ve ever heard it and get this, he changed electronics from vintage ARC gear to a Creek Integrated, you wouldn’t believe it and neither would I until you heard it.

Have we grown tired of the De Capo’s? ;)

I’ve read the late Bobby Palkovich of Merlin Music passively (for him) suggest to a customer "a medium powered NAD amp may satisfy you" - regarding his speakers. (I think there were Merlin TSM monitors) I spoke to Bobby on several occasions. For those of you who never had that experience, he was a Type AAA guy. It was a bit like talking to a tornado or a bull. You were just trying to hold on and hopefully remember the answers to what you were calling him about. Strong, Big personality. Big Brain. Obsessed with his product. As a VSM owner for more than a decade, I’d learned that if he gave "official" or even passive approval for another product to be used with his speakers, it was something to take note of.

And then there is what I learned in 1989 in the Wofford College dorm. My "Natural Sound" Yamaha receiver and Boston Acoustics speakers sounded better than anyone else’s stuff (if they even bothered). And the heresy of the "Loudness" dial and "Bass" and "Treble" adjustments seemed to overcome the fact that they were jammed up above midget twin beds and against cinder block walls. Didn’t matter, you could make them make music with those knobs. They did and our door stayed open. Killer.

Then there are the Silverline Minuet Supreme speakers that I snagged on this site. And then last week, Amazon dropped off a brand spankin’ new Yamaha "Natural Sound" integrated amp with my trusted Bass, Treble, and Loudness dials. Does is matter that they are jammed in the office on a TV table? Nope, I can make them make music. I’m not sitting here with my head in a vise *concentrating* on "soundstage" and other such nuisances. Kick Ass! Probably a little like a Creek integrated.

Why buy Silverline? I ran into Alan Yun when my wife and I went to CES in 2001. As far as audio goes, I have 3 strong memories from that trip:

#1 The Merlin Music / Joule room with Bobby, and Jud Barber from Joule. It wasn’t long after that visit that I had a VZN80 amp.

#2 Alan Yun and a wide array of speakers in the Silverline Audio room that just made music.

#3 Reference 3A De Capo speakers driven by an Antique Sound Lab tube amp. I distinctly remember how much I liked these speakers - 15 years ago, with a brief listen.

Yep, here is what I heard... picture from CES 2001... the interweb remembers too:

http://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_8_1/images/ces-2001-day-4-reference3a_speaker.jpg

I suspect many of us know there are "secrets" out there for this stuff, and over the years you pick up on them - like NAD and Creek amps. Whether you are willing to listen to the secrets and take not of them is another matter altogether. A large part of the struggle is the mental game of "what aren’t I experiencing because I don’t have THAT?" "Surely, *that* must be better because it costs more than what I have and everyone says it’s awesome, right?"

I’ve heard a few things about this, that, or the other. The De Capo’s and Berning amps are on the list. So are Joule Electra and Merlin Music. And Yamaha... True, not much of that is cheap. Even so, I’ll bet I can make a pair of De Capo’s sing with my Bass, Treble, and Loudness knobs on my (brand new, yet) trusty Yamaha "Natural Sound" integrated amp. Wanna bet?

And, for what it’s worth Tubeears, Palkovich liked the Audio Analogue stuff with his stuff, so it’s been on my list too... I’m not sure it costs enough though...