Food or beryllium tweeters for my DeCapo's

DCaps

Tubegroover,

I'm still chuckling over the Montana experience that you had. I have as well, a friend that lives his life for them.. He is only "half" deaf at this point. I believe that Montana's theory is this... The more deaf you get, you progressively increase the size of the Montana that you buy. Once completly deaf, you are left with only their subwoofers and a giant Krell amp on a rolling pallet. I personally do not like my clothes and body hair removed by air waves produced by a speaker the size of a battleship. Ironically, from what I have heard, the founder of Montana, Peter Norbeak (sorry, I'm not sure of the spelling ) originally got his start working at Cary Audio. He put together the Cary CS 301 (or could be the SP301... Not sure). Anyway, it could be bought as a kit. Those are the ones in my closet. They could also be bought pre-built. They were nice looking, sort of Merlin-like and used the De-appolito driver arrangement using high quality Vifa mid/woofs and A Scan-Speak 9500 series Tweeter. The cabinet is a real nice composite of some kind and was black lacquered. A very good arrangement till Peter found a big bucket of crossover parts. After shoveling them onto a board full of silicone sealent, he turned ... What started as "Nice" to "nasty" ...real fast. I'm going to CYA here a just bit and say that all of what I know about all of this is just folk lore and Is just here-say.... Anyway, the way that I heard it , when Peter left Cary (for whatever reason) he formed the PBN Montana line. To me, it looked like he took the speaker he designed at Cary with him, and re-named it the Montana SP. At that time, Stereophile nailed it for a formal review and it was off to the loudspeaker races for Montana. If you look way back to the Sphile reviews, you will find that one reviewer, in particular, was Very enamored (and again, for whatever reasons) by Montanas speaker line up. I don't believe that there were the Montanasaurus offerings at that time. Anyway, it certainly doesn't hurt to have a lust filled reviewer from a big audio rag slobbering accolades on their keyboard for you. So, anyway, the speakers got bigger and the sound got louder. Some people love them. And as you rightfully say, they can engage you with dynamics like no other and somehow remain coherent. As a side note: I don't pay much attention to the magazine reviews anymore. Much of the reason is because of antics of some of the reviewers, their biases and admiration for their chosen demigods. Their reviews seem to parallel watching them climb the rocky cliffs, to their favorite oracle, just to share some fine wine and a piece of cheese... All the while, sitting with their mentors, starry-eyed listening to their most resent product. I much more enjoy and absorb the the words that continue on in the forums and also from what dedicated and informed salon dealers say. Those dealers that are all that is left to display what we so undyingly seek.. I would still pick the DeCapos over the KAS's, or any other mammoth shrouded in exotic finishes belching out SPL's that would cave my walls in. My loud days are.. quite thankfully, all over and if a speaker can't show me greatness at low volumes.... I don't want it in front of me (or sneaking around behind me either). A scant few speaker can play well at below speaking level, and the DeCapo is at the very-most top of that list.
A little about pianos....
I was actually picking out some of my better piano flavored music as I read your post. Technically speaking, I don't know much about pianos... except, I feel that they are much like hi-end audio componants. The best of brands are very much argued about. Some will say... This piano is better ... That piano is better, and on and on the battle for best goes. Owners or afectionatos of them will throw their favorite picks into the ring like big wooden pit bulls to see who's best. I would think that a piano, whatever the brand, could have a fare amount of trick tuning done to it to give it a sound that the player likes. I can tell a difference in brands, at times, but sorry to say that I haven't chosen a preference. I am fond of both uprights and standard. I like most of the piano sounds that I hear, but it is mainly due to the artist and/or the performance. I can put up with poor recordings (to a point) if the artist/performance are there (in the presentation) for me. One great CD that I can't seem to find tonight is my Holy Cole Trio, with the cut... "I can see clearly now" on it. After a just a few lines of just her singing.... a piano makes its amazingly vibrant introduction and ... Wow. Is it breathtaking. I really want the DeCapos to take a look at that. I don't know the brand of the piano. Then of course there are all,of the old Audiophile standards... Lincoln Mayorga and Amanda McBroom .... Dave Crusin and then on cassette tape, most of the Windom Hill recordings. Windom Hill seems to do piano very well, on their tapes.. and on a good cassette machine (like the Nakamichi MR-1), it is so so pleasing and musically captivating. I really envy you for being able to play one of the things. I would give it a try, but I have too many Vibra-Pods stuck to my fingers.
Back to the DeCapos. So far, what piano that I have listened to has been a real surprise. They present a piano in true life form. I did not think that they could create and hold (with substance) the mass of a piano. They not only engage you with the sound, but the emotion of the performer. They cast an image so wide and deep that it feels as though the piano is sitting in the room along with you ...with all else that is on stage. Usually, the vast majority of speakers reduce the piano to a small, vague and smeared outline of itself, with little or no weight. The DeCapos show the piano for what it is. I am very, very impressed. I also feel very lucky, both for myself and others that own them. We have something that so many others are searching for, I'm sure happy my search is finally over. I love the idea of the Grand Veena's, but I'm afraid that my small listening area dictates the use of the DeCapos. I just could not be happier.

If you guys want an amazing "goose bump" listening experience, pick up a copy of Sade's latest album, Soldier Of Love, and play track 3, "Morning Bird." I played it for an audiophile friend of mine on the De Capo's (who has some very good speakers at home) and he was stunned. Just sat there saying "wow" and "my speakers won't do that." :-)

By the way, I am experimenting now with switching between the 20 watt "triode" mode and the 40 watt "ultra linear" mode of my Manley Mahi amps. The jury's still out. They sound "different," but I'm not sure which mode I like better.

Talk about reviewers for Stereophile. There was one guy back in the late 80's early 90's that did a review of the B&W 800, a really large speaker in his 10X12 listening room or something that size, what was Atkinson thinking? I have to find it. I believe it is pre '94 before they changed from digest size to magazine and I still have those going back to the mid 80's. Lewis Lipwich or something like that, played Contrabasoon for the National Symphony. That's why you have to be careful in trusting what a musician says. They REALLY do listen and hear things differently.

So far as reviewers I really get a kick out of Bob Harley, always waxing on about the latest and greatest with better seemingly commensurate to more expensive, welcome to Texas! I always feel it incumbent on a reviewer to review different gear across a broad spectrum of prices to keep everything in better perspective. Not everyone can afford a 185K speaker system, not that I don't enjoy reading about them, I do as I find it quite entertaining. How can you take something so expensive seriously UNLESS you can easily afford it?

There are a few large systems I've heard that were quite memorable, like the Infinity Reference V system with completely rebuilt Emitt drivers and woofers, over 500 hours worth of work by a gentleman named Bill Legal in Pennsylvania. His company is Miller Sound named after his father in law I believe and goes way back to the 1930's. I spent an afternoon with Bill in his listening room with those glorious speakers listening to a wide range of music, it was great. There was one recording he played for me that I hadn't heard since I was a kid, Buddy Holly's studio recording of "True Love Ways", my skin rolled over in goosebumps, not just the fact that he was "truly" in the room but the nostalgia and memories of the past. This is what its all about, sharing music and enjoyment, I'll never forget it. Bill and his wife were two of the most wonderful people I've come across in this hobby.

I have a Buddy Compilation CD and This which is a fantastic bargain for some truly classic music much of which has quite excellent sound quality to boot.