Ref. 3a , GMA & Tyler compare ?

I've owned and used Reference 3A MM DeCapos (non-i version) and Tyler Tylo Reference Monitors in my smallish room. They are setup in a nearfield setup. For my room and taste, I easily prefer the DeCapos. The bass is more solid and well defined, the midrange is better developed and the highs are just right. I also like the idea that you can drive them with almost any amp (in a small room). I've used everything from a 1.5 watt/channel 45 amp, 5 watt/ch. 2A3 tube amp, 40 watt "chip amp" and 170 watt HT receiver.

If you can find a pair of DeCapos at a good price, buy them and try them. They are very popular, so you could just re-sell them if you didn't love them.

Enjoy,

TIC

This is great guys , thank you .
I will be able to audition the De Capo's , hopefully this weekend . But the others will have to be decided here , probably as compared to the De Capo's .

Bombaywalla ; I feel your pain . It can be rather difficult to get a feel for something with just words .

Ruebent ; That is interesting . I would've thought that the Tyler's would be a tough act to beat due to the components used . I guess implementation is what counts . What size is your room and how close to the speakers are you sitting ? Do they have body and presence at low listening levels ?

Heli_dog ; Good link , thank you .

Chadlinz ; That is an interesting question , I will try to ask the manufacturer .

Drseid ; what components accompanied the Callisto's in the demo that you heard ? Did the other auditioner buy the Callisto's ?

Thanks people , keep them coming .

Saki, I'm posting only because of a couple of comments above might mislead you. FWIW as I have no experience with either the DeCapos or the Calisto's and my experience with the Tylers is the Linbrook Signature 1 piece floor stander's - My point of comparison is the Quad 63's and Paragon Jubilee/Jem, both of which are very neutral and revealing systems.

The Tylers are a tad warmer thru the lower mid-range BUT the bass is tight and the mid-range/highs are very detailed/transparent without being bright.

Contrary to what Bombaywalla sez (and I don't note that he sez he has actually listened to Linbrooks) these speakers are NOT reminiscent of soft/mushy tube stuff from the 70's and 80's NOR are they made artificially bright to give a false impression of detail and transparency.

Note that Rubent is talking about totally different speakers. Different box and drivers. The Linbrooks are a meaningful upgrade from the Reference monitors. The Seas millenium tweeter makes a hugh difference, as does the MTM set up and increased mid-range bass response from having two drivers to cover.

As I said, FWIW.

I've never heard the Ref. 3a or Tylers, but I own a pair of Callistos. Back when I was auditioning "bookshelf" speakers I went to as many places I could to audition. B&W, Paradym, Von schweikerts, used Revel M20s, a few others I can't remember. All sounded very nice and I'm not trying to rag on any of these companies. I was lucky enough though to have a friend with a pair of GMA Europas, which I had not even heard of before. I don't know much about describing the differences, but it was not subtle. Granted, I listened to them in a home set up, but they were definitely not paired with what I would call great equip, nor set up in well dampened room etc. IMO the audio shops had better amps, sources, and cables etc. than my friend. That sold me on GMA. I found a demo pair of Callistos and haven't looked back. I still feel after a year or so, that I made the right choice. I suggest you try as hard as possible to audition a GMA product before buying anything. You may or may not like them, but they're definitely worth it to try them out!

Saki70,

Newbee is correct. I'm speaking of the Tyler Taylo Reference Monitors, not the Linbrook. I think this is a fair comparaison as the retail price is similar.

BTW, the tweeter in the DeCapo sure looks a lot like the one in the Tylers. I don't know the brand or model, but the do look similar. The Reference 3A mid/bass driver is proprietary and has gotten excellent reviews over the years. They use this same driver in their $4500+ speakers too. It is basically responsible for the R3A sound. Many would consider it a step up from the driver used in the Tylers.

My room is irregular in shape, but the main part of the room is about 12'X 15' with a ceiling height ranging from 6.5' to 7'. My listening seat is nearly centered in the room and the tweeters are about 7' from my ears. The front of the speaker is 31" from the wall behind the speaker. The speakers are nearly 7' apart measured at the tweeter. Speakers are on 24" stands putting the tweeter at about 3" below ear level in my setup.

I have not heard the Linbrooks or any GMA speakers, so I can't comment on them. I can tell you that the DeCapos can be successfully paired with almost any amplifier in a room the size of yours. They will also have plenty of bass and not require a subwoofer for most people.

The potential saving on amplification, along with the typical price of a pair of used DeCapos makes them a great bargain. Mine are the non-i model which sell for about $1000 for a nice pair.

Enjoy,

TIC