Reference 3A Decapo "i" sounds shrilly

I heard the DeCapo I at a dealer, using a tube amplifier which was unknown to me. I found the speaker to have a bass response which was surprising to me for its size, a seductive (although I am not sure how smooth it was) midrange and highs which I felt ranged towards the soft and lush rather than brilliant and shrill. I would suggest swapping out the Siltech cable temporarily, as silver cable tends to be bright. You could try a very inexpensive cable such as Kimber PBJ between CD player and amp. I find that the connection between CD and preamp usually doesn't require an ultimate megabuck interconnect anyway. If you don't get any improvement, consider a temporary change in speaker cable A good choice for speaker cable is Kimber 4TC. Borrow these, if possible or buy (and possibly resell) at a good price so you don't lose money if you have to resell. Whether these cables will match your system perfectly, I can't tell you, but if the problem is your current cables, this test should tell you.

I somewhat agree with those who suggest you look at placement and room issues. This could be a problem, but as you describe the problem as something which seems quite severe, I am tending to look elsewhere. I agree with making sure that the speakers are not pointing at you, but at (imaginary) persons sitting on either side of you. As reported earlier, if the toe-in of the speakers is not correct, this is one way in which you can get the results which you are currently experiencing.

Hi Hark.

I've not read all the responses here so I don't know what's been suggested. If I repeat something someone's already posted, I trust it's a confirmation.

The DeCapo i is a great little speaker. We have a pair here that we use on occasion when the Sasons aren't in the music room.

Your gear is not the problem and silver based cabling, in and of itself, is not the problem.

The Decapo i is a "Constant Power/All Pass" wide dispersion design because of it's minimalist crossover and chosen drivers. As a result, it can excite room boundaries much easier if the room isn't treated and/or if the speakers/listening chair are not positioned in the room correctly. This, as I'm guessing you already know, is not a trivial matter! When you get into your new digs, take good care of the room first(!) with these speakers. Otherwise, I, and I bet Diverse Tech. can promise you'll never fully be able to realize the performance of the Decapos. It would be a shame to not give these speakers what they deserve for good set up and then blame the speakers for less than stellar performance.

As to the concern of the Siltechs being part of the culprit, maybe but like I said, silver in and of itself is not a bad system partnering with these speakers. Not only is our entire system latched up with silver, I've also modified our Decapo i with a custom silver wire harness and replaced the stock PO cap with Mundorf's silver and oil 1200v cap. The result is a more transparent high end and the entire presentation is just more effortless and rhythmic. Nothing bright or hard at all as some might assume with this much silver.

As for room set up, we finally settled on about 9.5ft from the back wall, Just shy of 3ft from the side walls. The speakers are a little over 6.5ft apart on tweeter centers and the listening position is about 7ft from the speakers. If anything in the system, including the room interaction, was going to be off-putting, it would show up in such a near field arrangement. As it is, the speakers disappear creating the illusion of the venue in the whole back part of the room. So, this is some of what's possible.

Hope this helps point a bit. I realize it may be a while but please report back when you get in your new place and everything set up good Okay?

Cheers!

Robert
RSAD

Oh, BTW, these speakers need to fire almost straight ahead - maybe just a very slight toe in. The manufacture strongly recommends no toe in and the tweeters to the outside of the cabinets. For a lot of reasons, their recommendation is pretty spot on. If you have their manual, follow it and dial in from their starting point. If you don't have their manual, get a hold of Divergent and they should supply you with one.

Cheers!

Robert
RSAD

Robert ; How do the Sason's compare with the 'stock' De Capo i's ? How are they at low listening levels ?
Thanks .

Saki,

The Sason is in a whole other league across the board. It had better be at over four times the price of the Decapo i. Still, the Decapo is a great little speaker at it's price point and above. Though not perfect, it's a great communicator.

I assume you're asking about the Sason at low listening levels. For a lot of reasons, this is an area that we think should be an acid test for any speaker. As one of many design goals, this is another area we feel the Sason sets a standard.

Cheers!

Robert
RSAD