"a bit off topic..i looked at website and the high resolution photo of the carbon fiber midrange looks pretty rough.....is that me ?.... or ???"
Smooth actually, with a texture not unlike snake skin, if you’re familiar, smooth but woven, NOT like woven fiberglass if you are familiar with that, which is definitely not smooth.
Sorry for the above spelling and grammar errors in my last post. I am not too good typing with one finger. I did want to clarify a few things. The Quicksilver mono amps are 90 watts with the KT150 tubes and Changeout the mono 120s replaced them, more power. They have similarities, low output impedance but the transformers are somewhat different, the Silver 88s a unity coupled design.
So far as the DeCapo, the BE tweeter I believe is where the real improvement is compared to some of the earlier Ref 3a designs I am familiar with other than the Episode and Grand Veenas with the Murata supertweeter. No harshness as is common with some if not all metal domes. Vocals and choral music on good recordings is just so realistic with great presence and pitch realism. I have read people comment that they like the old design better with the soft dome. I adamantly disagree with this conclusion, an area I am quite sensitive to is harshness, ringing, overhang or splash. There is none of that with the BE. One thing about the DeCapos that is worth noting is that they take time to break-in and initially I found them a bit bright although I was so taken in with their other virtues. I expected it would be a breakin issue which proved true but it did take time. I have heard them sound less than stellar during a few demos. Set-up is more critical than many.