GMA Callisto vs. Reference 3a De Capo i

>> 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?

>> 05-16-06: Drubin
>> Thank you, sir. I like sealed boxes, too. But I think
>> all of Roy's current designs have ports, don't they?

welcome!
yes, all present designs are ported.
ALL his ported designs are superbly executed in that the port is excited only at the bottom end frequencies of the woofer.
When I was @ visiting the factory, there was a cabinet of the Calypso (3-way floor stander). I stuck my face into the woofer driver opening & tried to excite the port. My voice couldn't go down to 35-40Hz! Maybe some of you members have deep resonant voices & could. Altho this is no scientific/measured confirmation that the port does indeed respond to only the lowest frequencies, it certainly points to the fact, that the design of the port has been carefully thought out. From my audition of the Callisto, I found the same care taken in the design of its port.
I've hardly come across a speaker w/ a port that I like. There are a few but only a very few. However, w/ the care that Roy takes w/ his ported designs, I might want to change my mind!
Happy listening!

OK, I'm chiming in a bit late on this thread (two years, in fact!) but I have a couple very relevant points to make.

To help explain the contradictory comments posted in this thread about the de Capo's high frequency performance, I say this:

1. When using an amplifier with high output impedance (every SET I know of), a speaker's frequency response will be similar to the speaker's impedance curve (have a look at Stereophile's measurements of the de Capo in the December 2003 issue). It is for this reason that I regularly disregard a person's opinion of any speaker when auditioned with a SET amp, unless that speaker in fact has a relatively flat impedance curve. A speaker that does not, when driven by a SET amp, will sound drastically different than when driven by an amp of a different design, not so much because the amplifiers simply sound different, but because the high output impedance of the amp makes the overall sound of the combination of amp and speaker dependent upon the impedance curve of the speaker.

2. The de Capo is very sensitive to both toe-in and rake angle (the forward tilt of the front baffle). Again, look at the Stereophile measurements. The de Capo has a broad 4 dB peak that stretches from 5 kHz to 20 kHz and peaks at 12 kHz. Knowing this, Reference 3A recommends experimentation with both toe-in and rake adjustments.

Hence, when driven by a SET amp and auditioned on-axis with the listening position, the de Capo will probably sound bright.

Perhaps this helps explain some of the contradictory comments made in this thread.

Cheers

I have heard my De Capo i's with a solid state amp (Cary) and did not like them . I then heard the De Capo i's with PP tubes (Cary & Cayin ) and bought them on the spot ! I compared them to Von Sw. and Usher , several models of each , and with SS and tubes .

I have talked to the manufacturer and witnessed it myself... The De Capo i's work better with tubes .
This might have something to do with what Emale is talking about .

Also , the mauf. setup directions recommend 'no' toe in !

I have not experienced the top end problems stated above . I do however , realize that these speakers are quite resolving of the upstream components . I have also enjoyed some CD's that were unlistenable with my other components .

These are the best speakers that I have owned and rank in the top three of all that I have heard . The other two were multiples of the De Capo's price and were in the flagship setup of the dealer .

These speakers are indeed quite nice . They are not plug N play however ! They , IMHO , do not play well with SS . They do not play well with standard placement formulas .
In the end , it is all about synergy !