Cain Abby vs Reference 3a De Capo i

I've seen pics of Terry's version of the Abby with the tweeter built into the surround. I think a nearfield version with that addition and a pair of Bailey subs would probably sound pretty special. I know the Abby/Bailey combo got a fine review at 6moons.

As Miklorsmith says, it's all about personal sonic preferences. It would be a boring world if we all liked the same stuff.

About the Canadian thing, it's really more a matter of those two speaker companies (Coincident and Fab) making products that appeal to my musical and philosophical sensibilities. My amps have come from China, France, England and the US. In 2005 there are no borders when it comes to taste.

I've been reading alot of posts where people like to pair a supertweeter with the Fostex drivers.

In my opinion, it would be money better spent to step up to the Lowther drivers, which extend to 22kHz by themselves and need no supertweeter.

I've used both, and IMO, there is no contest between Fostex and Lowther. The Fostex is very good for the money, but on an ultimate performance scale, there is a wide gulf between them.

Just remember, single drivers don't end with Fostex, that is just the entry level. Lowthers aren't perfect either, but they have more of everything that people like about single drivers.

Twl, now I am curious: Has anyone here tried Lowther drivers in the Abby? I have seen the different measurements for different Fostex drivers on 6moons, but no Lowther. Did you or anyone here do a listening comparison between a Fostex w/supertweeter and Lowthers?

TWL I notice your a big Lowther fan. I understand where your coming from as well.But single drivers also do not end with Lowthers. There's several brands out there, I would love to try. It is only the beginning for me. My next stop are the hemp drivers. From there maybe the F200a Fostexes. If the Hemps can give me what I want, I may slow down a bit. The Lowthers are on my list also. Sometimes this hobby can get overly addictive...but man is it fun to hear new things. The Fostex is a good way to get a taste of the single driver world..it's got me hooked! I doubt I'll be going back to a speaker that uses crossovers.

Good listening!

Speaking of speakers, Srajan has bought a pair of my favorite speakers and will be reviewing them soon. He's gonna review them with my (and Gmoon1's) favorite amp if he can. Can you say "ultimate fidelity"? Can you say $3,300 for amp and speakers? How about "Conduit to the recording"? Srajan will be saying all these things, and not too long from now. You may not believe me, but you might believe him.

My taste and your taste and the dude around the way's taste are not far from obsolete. These preferences, I believe, are personal variations of which compromises are acceptable to each of us. There is a grand paradigm shift brewing as I write this which will whisk us all away to a new and amazing place where compromises become minisule. I seen it and it good. Very good.