Food or beryllium tweeters for my DeCapo's


The question is moot. Like any TRUE Audiophile, the speakers must come first. Food is a luxury that I sometimes cannot afford. I have decided to feed the Reference 3a DeCapo-i's the meal that they so much deserve. The new Beryllium tweeters fresh as summer corn from Divergent Technologies. I first decieded to purchase the DCaps about a month ago. Speakers come and go 'round hear like the wind at my rear. It seems that every time I look up there is a new baffle staring at me. Sometimes not even a baffle. Maybe a tootie looking horn or chrome balls with a metal grill. You get tha picture. I'm an addict. Driven by reviews, a few words from other addicts or a half naked cabinet. Yep, that's me and I'm proud of it. I've made so many mistakes that it is a wonder that my ears haven't packed their cochlears up and walked out the door.
So there I sat about a month ago, armed with nothing more than a Jolida 202brc and wad of cash form the last set of flying baffles. What to do what to do...(?). Just as I was starting to itch all over, you know the feeling, slobbering over pictures of the stuff you cannot afford.. You dream about all the speaker candy here on A'gon and elsewhere; like the audio salons that you have been baned from (the owners harsh words still ringing in your ears.... GET OUT ! YOU CHEAP BAS.... ) I still remember hitting "enter" and there they were. Gloss Cherry DeCapos on wonderful Skylan stands. Were they gone yet ? I trembled as I stumble typed the words out to the owned... Do still you them have ?? Please me let know ASPA. The hours seemed like weeks as my fingers dug into the new leather case for my Ipad. You would know the one. The only APP is the one for A'gon. The hours seemed like weeks .... And then ! The reply.. "Yes, I still have them". As the thousand hot pokers left my body, I replied... I'll boy them. He was close. I drove to pick them up, brought them home with a minimum of speeding tickets and let the little Jolida do its work on them. The thousand or so speakers in my memory banks turned dark and left me alone to absorb the wonders of these little cherry boxes. My mind immediately searched its cells for my best amps. Edge, Rowland, Classe, CJ, ARC, Bel Canto, Kora... The list seems endless, and ALWAYS "that" question..... Tu be or not tu be. Nuts. The speakers are soooo good. What to do?... The answer came in the Heavenly form of an Audio Analogue Maestro Settanta Rev 2 integrated amp. It arrived and pure bliss smacked me between the ears. The only thing missing was perhaps the over the top Beryllium tweeter. There was a little food left in the cabinets. A half a gallon of milk, some cheese and small pudding cups. There was enough money to order the tweets.
As I sit on my porch, smoking my pipe, the words "out for delivery" are on FedEx's tracking page. I just looked in my pocket and found a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. It won't be long now. Should I let you know ?

Moron this later.
Tubeears
tubeears
Tubeears, congrats on the new tweets. I have thouroghly enjoyed your posts and the accounts of your latest audio journey. Its always good to learn of others' rewarding audio experiences. But, its far more rewarding to see an example of someone keeping things, and life in general, in a healthy place and proper perspective. Always good to find the humor in the positive as well as the not so positive. Silly?


Not in my book. And write very well, too. Thanks.
Rebbie, I'll keep you posted after I get a handle of these DeCapos in room enough to convey the differences. Well there are obvious differences from the get go but these speakers are REALLY fussy with set-up as I'm discovering and I have to get this worked out first. Not plug and play but the main thing that really jumped out at me, which coincides with what I heard first time is the natural tonality and texture of instruments and voices, a first rate midrange that is just stunning with well recorded material.

Tubeears what's coming next? If it turns out I can't let go of these I may just go simpler like you. Love the idea of an integrated solution what with the separate power supply for the pre-amp and digital, too much stuff you know. I have been seriously considering building one component rack and clearing the clutter up a bit, too many tubes!
Tubegroover

What is coming next for me is probably a new CDP. I am sure that it will be an Audio Analogue Maestro. That is the perfect mate to my AA amp. I cannot begin to explain how good it is with the DeCapos. In one of the reviews they used it to drive a pair of Apogee Scintillas. They are a hippo to drive... At one ohm. The amp just locks onto the DeCapo mid/woofers like a giant vice and does not let go. The "grunt" is just fantastic. I love the sound of Cellos, and this amp makes it sound as though I am inside them. As for the mids and highs.... Pure sugar and silk. Much the same as the Genalex Gold Lion re-issue. Just intoxicating.
I am using two different digitals. One the newer Jolida Glass tube dac and the other the Michael Yee Dac one. I like both and there is no need to consider any change right now. The ohmless shelter is already looking at me with suspicious intent. My wife is starting to ask why so much macaroni and cheese... And she is suspicious about all the lint in it. I guess I need to clean my pockets better.

Frogman,

Thank you for the kind words. Going back through your posts, one can certainly say the same for you. I really enjoyed the YouTube inclusion of the sax player, Michael Breck. I will most definitely seek out a CD by him. I just cannot imagine how he will sound on the DeCapos.
I have spent part of the morning trying to figure out what the h... Happened to my ipad to make it "double up" on my post. I actually don't think it was this thing at all, but me pressing " copy" so I could go to the ohmless shelter for some macaroni and cheese. A fine breakfast. Why, oh why, are tweeters so expensive ?
Straying away from tweeters for a moment, but still somewhat in context are my feelings on this silly thing we call can so casually call a hobby. I offer my humble opinion.
Call me old, or call me an idiot... or call me both, it is my personal belief that the term "Audiophile" is an earned title. I always capitalize it. Although there is no specified "right of passage" ( for an Audiophile) it is a privilege that one can anoint upon oneself .. or by others. The rules are simple. Following the Boys or Girl Scouts code of ethics definitely helps, however there is a bit more to it. We all have hopes, some big..some small and perhaps ( for some ) needs. Music is the canvas for one of our oldest needs.... Passion. It lifts our souls and gives us strength. It pulls us deep down into places that we might not like to go, but we still return to explore. We are held tight in its magic to be purely alone, or truly and very closely bonded with others (or loved ones). It can exite us to strengthen our beliefs ... defend them and celebrate us afterward. For some, music is all that they have and for some, it is something to be wished for. After nearly seventy years, I have never met anyone who did not care (for music)... at least in a small way. For those who deem themselves Audiophiles, we have the responsibility to care for the transport of this wonderful canvas. How we help to get it to where it is going is up to our own individual performance. As Audiophiles, we must utilize each of our own unique gifts that we have been granted in life.
So as individuals living our lives as Audiophiles, I feel that we can advance the scope of music reproduction by having respect and compassion for others and their ideals. Dirty deeds have no reason to exist in our little world. As an Audiophile, I have to feel good for those audio companies that advance us in any way, and I have high hopes, for the next time, to those that should fail.
These new beryllium tweeters have flown my musical passion up to a higher branch in my tree of music, and they have set my monkey fingers on fire across this key board. I am in love with this hobby to the fullest.
Being an Audiophile gives me happiness and my hopes will always be that I can give some of it back with my words.

Tubeears
FYI: Some of you that know me already know this but I will throw it in. My life has turned yet another page recently. I just won a bout with cancer. I am now cancer free. I still had to pay for the tweeters. No sympathy.
Great thread! Keep it silly!! Of course, if your sound is as good as it can get, where you can't imagine how it could sound better, does that mean you are at the end of the line?? No more forward progress? No more drooling over the screen of your 'pad during your morning constitutional?? The Gods forfend!!

Either that, or you can afford to buy pudding cups in bulk.

Great read, thank you!
Hi Tubeears, thank you for sharing your joys and triumph, you are a true inspiration and beacon of hope to all that are dealing with adversity, particularly cancer. I have a few friends going through what you have, it is not an easy journey for them or their family. I wish you all the best.

Tubeears has summed things up very well and certainly in a more entertaining manner than I ever could so no need to repeat what he said but AGAIN the one aspect of these speakers that I would like to really get across to those that might be reading this thread with some interest. Yes they image well, good soundstaging front to back etc. dynamics in my space, MUCH better than the dealers' so that was a welcome suprise. Where they grabbed my attention first time and still is the natural tonality and ability to resolve the complex harmonics and nuance of voice and instruments to make it more real, MUSICALITY. They dig deeper into the performance. There is just a rightness that can't be denied regardless of their shortcomings which are getting harder to recognize, oh yeah, they're bookshelfs. While large scale is good it is obvious that a larger speaker is going to be more satisfying especially during very dynamic passages. This is where the larger Reference 3a models might be a bit more convincing but in EVERY other area that is important the DeCapos are just superb and they aren't even broken in and the wire isn't even necessarily ideally suited so there is much to be explored. They are just wonderful speakers and I'm enjoying every moment I spend with them. I REALLY hear you now Tony, enjoy your DeCapos!