GMA Callisto vs. Reference 3a De Capo i

>> 05-15-06: Crgolfer
>> ....
>> I would say that that the 3As would be more dynamic
>> with rock music while the Callistos better at female
>> vocals.
>> ....

this is a very odd statement re. the Callistos! I'm afraid that I do NOT agree! I've not heard the Decapos but have heard the Callistos. We played all kinds of music on it: female vocals like DK, bluegrass like Garcia/Grisman, boogie-woogie like Memphis Slim, jazz that had double-bass. I can confidently say that the Callisto excelled at ALL of these genres. It slighted NONE of them + it favoured NONE. It had, what I'd call, chameleon-like characteristics. Very laudable for a speaker its size. I also like the "accurate but musical" description by Drubin above - another succinct & correct description for it.

I have never heard the GMAs but I did own the De Capo is for a little over 2 years. I don't believe that the De Capos are bright but they are definitely not forgiving either. If you are using ss electronics and a not-to-great CDP I would not go near the 3As. On the other hand, with a good tube power amp, even SET, and a decent front end, the 3As will floor you. They are best heard in the near field but this is quite normal for a monitor of this size. With the exception of the Quad ESL, which I am now using, I liked my DeCapos better than any speaker that I have owned in the last 10 yrs..

Pardon the small diversion, but I want to ask Bombaywalla how he would compare the Callistos to his Contiuums.

>> 05-15-06: Drubin
>>Pardon the small diversion, but I want to ask
>> Bombaywalla how he would compare the Callistos to his
>> Contiuums.

the 1st words that came out of my mouth after hearing the Callistos were "hey, these sound like a mini Continuum!"
I would say that they have the same GMA house sound - accurate but musical. They image very well, like my Continuums. The bass is not as deep & as heavy, which is perfectly expected. The bass sounds ported (because it is!) vs. my Continuums, which are a sealed box. I, for whatever reason, prefer sealed box bass. Just my preference. I have another 13 yr old Infinity Reference Three that is also a sealed box. So, I'm a long-time fan of sealed box bass. I must say that the Callisto port is quiet in that there is no bass overhang. Also, the port gets activated only at very lowest frequencies of the driver & not above. So, most of the time one is listening to the bass thru the driver & one can tell when it is reinforced by the port - one can hear the richness in the bass. The transition is very smooth - the port gets activated, reinforces the bass & then gets out of the way for the next music note. It's a superbly delightful speaker to listen to. Very easy on the ears.

Thank you, sir. I like sealed boxes, too. But I think all of Roy's current designs have ports, don't they?