I have owned and enjoyed 3 different pairs of the de Capo i's over the years, my most recent pair being the newest 2010 versions of the de Capo's with all the latest upgrades. I purchased a new pair of Reference 3A Episodes for my system about 4 months ago, and have been VERY happy with them from the start. It took a few weeks to get them dialed in to the right position in my room, and re-tweak my system to the sonic changes.
Starting with the top-end, the Murata supertweeter is a nice addition. It does not make the highs more "extended" or add more energy in that area, but what I notice most is the extra "air" it adds to the soundstage in the form of more ambience to certain recordings, especially well recorded, minimally processed live recordings. I have tried covering up the supertweeter on such recordings, and things tend to sound less believable without them. In comparison to the highs on the newer de Capo's, they are a bit smoother and not quite as bright on edgy recordings. Well recorded cymbals sound quite impressive, and strings are very sweet and natural.
The midrange of the Episodes is the best I have heard in my system, with excellent tonal balance. Piano recordings are hard to stop listening to, as are vocals. Compared to the de Capo's, they are a bit more relaxed in the upper midrange, and there is more lower midrange body that gives pianos just the right combination of speed, dynamics and weight. Clarity and texture is still outstanding just like the de Capo's.
In the bass area, you would expect them to be quite a bit different due to their larger size and cabinet. Even though the specs. only show them to go a few hz. deeper than the de Capo's, the bass is certainly much more extended. I was running a small, powered sub with the de Capo's in my room on ocassion, but it is no longer needed with the Episodes. The bass does not call attention to itself, or sound slow, boomy or warm as long as the speakers are not too close to the rear or side walls. They did a great job at eliminating cabinet resonance and port noise when they designed the Episodes.
I get a taller, wider and more spread-out soundstage with the Episodes, giving up just a bit of central focus compared to the de Capo's. As one would expect, the smaller monitors can disappear better than larger floorstanders. At almost twice the price of the de Capo's, I was hoping to get a lot more performance out of the Episodes, and I was not disappointed. They are certainly not twice as good, but they are more refined all around, and just as efficient and tube friendly with a more full-range sound. A great speaker!
Starting with the top-end, the Murata supertweeter is a nice addition. It does not make the highs more "extended" or add more energy in that area, but what I notice most is the extra "air" it adds to the soundstage in the form of more ambience to certain recordings, especially well recorded, minimally processed live recordings. I have tried covering up the supertweeter on such recordings, and things tend to sound less believable without them. In comparison to the highs on the newer de Capo's, they are a bit smoother and not quite as bright on edgy recordings. Well recorded cymbals sound quite impressive, and strings are very sweet and natural.
The midrange of the Episodes is the best I have heard in my system, with excellent tonal balance. Piano recordings are hard to stop listening to, as are vocals. Compared to the de Capo's, they are a bit more relaxed in the upper midrange, and there is more lower midrange body that gives pianos just the right combination of speed, dynamics and weight. Clarity and texture is still outstanding just like the de Capo's.
In the bass area, you would expect them to be quite a bit different due to their larger size and cabinet. Even though the specs. only show them to go a few hz. deeper than the de Capo's, the bass is certainly much more extended. I was running a small, powered sub with the de Capo's in my room on ocassion, but it is no longer needed with the Episodes. The bass does not call attention to itself, or sound slow, boomy or warm as long as the speakers are not too close to the rear or side walls. They did a great job at eliminating cabinet resonance and port noise when they designed the Episodes.
I get a taller, wider and more spread-out soundstage with the Episodes, giving up just a bit of central focus compared to the de Capo's. As one would expect, the smaller monitors can disappear better than larger floorstanders. At almost twice the price of the de Capo's, I was hoping to get a lot more performance out of the Episodes, and I was not disappointed. They are certainly not twice as good, but they are more refined all around, and just as efficient and tube friendly with a more full-range sound. A great speaker!