GMA Callisto vs. Reference 3a De Capo i

Crgolfer, "To each his own". I own the Reference 3A MM DeCapos and owned a pair of Athena AS-B1s (bookshelf vs your floorstanders) for a couple of days. The Athenas had zero redeeming qualities IMHO (they were inexpensive though).

My DeCapos are the non-i version, so maybe that is the difference. In my system thay are nearly opposite of what you describe. They are somewhat soft on the top end and are distinctly mid-hall in my room.

I have yet to hear a better speaker in my room. This may be room dependent, but I've owned about 6-7 different speakers over the last ten years. The DeCapos have lasted the longest by a wide margin and they are not the most expensive of the bunch.

Enjoy,

TIC

I have owned both Europas and De Capo i's. I don't think you will go wrong with either speaker you are considering, but they are quite different from one another.The GMA sound is "accurate but musical", a very appealing combination. The De Capos are less accurate to my ear but are extremely involving and expressive, thus also extremely musical. They do tend to be a little bright but it's not a deal breaker. Capable of very good bass. The GMAs will sound more clearer and more direct, the Reg 3As a little softer in focus.

>> 05-13-06: Jaybo
>> neither have real bass,

Jaybo,
re. the GMA Callistos you have no idea of what you are talking about!
I have heard the Callistos in the GMA factory listening room which is a very modest room. The bass from the Callisto was big for a 6" woofer! it was surprising to hear & also commendable.
Have you actually heard the Callisto?

many times, as well as the decapos. the callisto is a good choice for a smaller loudspeaker.

I have found a review of the 3As in UHF Magazine. Here are some of the quotes:

by GR "The lively dynamics are something to behold" "... the upper midrange is more prominent that I would have liked..." "I still think this speaker is something special"

by AS "Mind you, at first I questioned the highs which sounded too sharp for my ears .... and seemed to affect female voices particularly." "Depth and space were particularly convincing. And speed."

by RL "But for a minor reservation concerning the top of the spectrum, which can get just slightly shrill now and then, I can say I liked these speakers a lot"

There a review for the Callistos on the 6 moons website and here is a quote:

"The treble was wonderfully open and clean with absolutely no trace of grain or sibilance. I cannot recall anther speaker at this price point that handles 'esses' and 'tees' as adeptly as the Callistos. They were completely devoid of hash or edge. Music sounded wide open and alive like a living, breathing entity - not unlike live music. The Callistos exhibited terrific dynamic range for such a modestly proportioned loudspeaker and displayed remarkable freedom from smearing and blurring."

These quotes reflect what I remember hearing with the 3As and currently hear with the Callistos. I would say that that the 3As would be more dynamic with rock music while the Callistos better at female vocals. I prefer the latter which is probably why I chose to look for something other than the 3As.