Reference 3A MM De Capo vs Legacy Calibre

jackd, good catch as I acquainted with the Alta-Audio line. They look interesting. I will read some of their reviews. What do you know about them?

soix, important to me:
1. PRaT
2. Tone and timbral resolution
3. Tonal balance
4. Bass weight and extension enough to not require a sub.

These are not in an order of importance.

My knowledge of the Celesta comes from former dealer, Mark Sossa, who used to rave about them especially their bass response for a monitor.  When Mark decided to get out of the retail end of the business and concentrate on distribution the line left.  One of the reviewers for Audiophilia has used them as his personal reference for several years. They are one monitor speaker I would love to hear.  Between them the Reflector and the Calibre it will come down to personal preference as I don't suspect you could go wrong whichever one you chose. 

I've owned a pair of DeCapo BEs for 5 years, I am quite happy with them and they check all the boxes based on the things you require in a speaker, I would add dynamic to the mix as well. They present a realism that is only limited by the upstream components.  Very natural sound resulting from the direct signal to the custom drivers originally designed by Daniel Dehay. There is a reason this design has been around for as long as it has. Of course it is ALWAYS wise to listen to as many speakers as possible before committing to anything. 

I have also listened to the Reflectors on several occasions at a local dealer. The cabinet is larger and heroic efforts are made in making the cabinet more inert to vibrations and resonance. The speakers weigh 75 lbs each! There is certainly a difference in presentation from the DeCapos, a greater sense of the cabinet disappearing and a somewhat more transparent presentation, deeper bass, a different animal from the DeCapo. I personally couldn't justify the price difference although the dealer did offer me an excellent deal. The DeCapos just suit me all the way around in my setup and room. 

FYI I am currently using custom Neotech gold/silver ics, Omega Micro Planer 2 speaker cables, all tube electronics, including a OPPO Modwright CD player and Oracle Delphi table and 2 Rel subs.