feedback wanted Reference 3A speakers???

I had deCapos for quite a while. I think they employ a very specific set of trade-offs to achieve a specific result.

They combine better bass extension than most stand mounted monitors with a truly neutral octave to octave tonal balance. That's unusual IME because the lack of true bottom end energy (true of this and basically all other small box speakers) requires limiting the output thru the presence and treble region to maintain the octave to octave neutrality. Most manufacturers seem to maintain more output in the upper octaves so that the speaker sounds more dynamic. The result - to my ear - is that the vast majority of stand mounted monitors tend toward a bright voicing that would benefit from the addition of a subwoofer.

The real world result of the Ref 3a approach is a monitor that sounds really neutral. It doesn't really invite the use of a subwoofer - it would sound bottom heavy if you added one. OTOH, it definitely struck me as polite sounding and limited in dynamics.

To my ear, maintaining neutral balance at the expense of dynamic "jump factor" is a wise trade. However, IMO, that is the price that was paid in this design.

Caveat: Don't know if this applies to the Dulcet. I haven't heard it.

Marty

I have never heard a bad thing about the Del Capo's ever...until a slight negative post from Marty....time will tell

I have had the Di Capos for about 4 years now , playing through a Primaluna PL2 at @35w. They are a very honest speaker that will let you hear what the rest of your equipment sounds like .
Very uncolored and an easy load .
However , what Marty states about the lack of dynamics is their achilles heal . It has perplexed me for quite some time .

Good luck

Nyaudio,

To clarify my earlier post:

I believe that EVERY small (or smallish) speaker must make trade-offs. I'd argue that it's a matter of physics; AFAIK, proper reproduction of the bottom octave + cannot be achieved from a small box. I actually like the decision that Ref 3a made, but it's still IMHO a compromise.

Ref 3a (in my view, wisely, as I stated in my OP) decided to optimize octave to octave balance. Even though the deCapo has better bass extension than most stand mounts, the bottom octave is MIA (as in virtually all small speakers). To offset that, the energy in the presence range and upper octaves of the deCapo is - to my ear - gently diminished. I believe that that's the key to the speaker's unusually neutral tonal balance.

Others may certainly disagree, but - to my ear - that benefit comes at a cost.

To my ear, a speaker's macro-dynamics ("jump factor") is largely determined by its energy through the presence region. In the deCapo, that's part of the region that is gently rolled to offset the missing bottom octave. It works tonally, but IMHO Ref 3a's design decision becomes a double edged sword: the speaker sounds very neutral, but dynamically polite.

Some may consider the deCapo perfect, but I don't. To the extent that reads as a criticism of the product, I'd only note that it's probably a gentler criticism than I'd make of virtually any other speaker of similar dimesions.

Marty

Count me a believer. I have the latest De Capo model before they went to Nextel covering (sitting four post Sound Anchors). The entire line features tons of tweaks for the money, and the extension/air when combined with the solid bass is simply unbeatable as far as I can determine. Holographic, too. I have no idea why they sell so cheap here on the used market. Try them. Your risk of disappointment is VERY low.