[RickRichardson]

I have a home office system driven by a Korneff 45 SE amp that puts out perhaps 2 watts.  I am wondering if the De Capo's would work for me with this amp in a nearfield (3 - 5 ft.) listening distance.  I am currenty using Adire HE 10.1 speakers, which have a wonderful warm sound but don't have all the detail and imaging I would like.  I have them on wall brackets intended for small TV's, that have dual articulating arms, so they can be moved in any direction to get the right width, distance and ange.  

Any experience with nearfield use of the De Capo's?

[cyounkman]

I have a home office system driven by a Korneff 45 SE amp that puts out perhaps 2 watts.  I am wondering if the De Capo's would work for me with this amp in a nearfield (3 - 5 ft.) listening distance.  I am currenty using Adire HE 10.1 speakers, which have a wonderful warm sound but don't have all the detail and imaging I would like.  I have them on wall brackets intended for small TV's, that have dual articulating arms, so they can be moved in any direction to get the right width, distance and ange.  

Any experience with nearfield use of the De Capo's?

I've done intermittent nearfield listening--the speakers don't move, but I do--the result is to remove 90% of the acoustic problems I still haven't solved in my room. The sense of immediacy is very compelling.

Right now I'm doing my nearfield listening with a Plinius 8200 Mk II--at something like 175 watts, it's beyond overkill for the De Capos in my medium-sized room.

In the past, I've used Song Audio's SA-34 SB integrated, a 4-watt 0-NFB SET. It was particularly sweet and alluring in the nearfield. The SA-34 runs out of power on heavy-duty orchestral fare at high db's, but, remarkably, it holds together right up to clipping. This characteristic makes its power limitation a lot more liveable than if it starting losing coherence any time there's a dynamic swing.

The difference between 4 watts and 2 is a matter of perspective--only two watts less,or half as much power... Whether or not it's enough for you will depend on your repertoire and listening preferences (I know, I always say that), and, to an extent, on the size of your room, although this is less significant if you are always nearfield.

I don't know if anyone who's wall-mounted De Capos. Besides the problem of of attaching them securely, the DC's typically sound best some distance from the wall.

[mcrespo71]

Chris,

Did you buy the Plinius?  Or is it still hijacked from Wongstein    

[cyounkman]

I'm sorry... from who?

[mcrespo71]

^^Man, that's the way to buy components ^^

Dude, I'm gonna buy a LINN!  

Michael

Ella Fitzgerald- The Cole Porter Soundbook LP

[wongstein]

Oh, that's where my amp is, I was looking for that.

2 watts huh?  THat's only 3dB down from the 4 watts that was adequate for the less demanding stuff.  I wouldn't buy unless I tried it, but anyway, rear-ported speakers may be difficult to wall-mount.

A

[cyounkman]

Oh, that's where my amp is, I was looking for that.

2 watts huh?  THat's only 3dB down from the 4 watts that was adequate for the less demanding stuff.  I wouldn't buy unless I tried it, but anyway, rear-ported speakers may be difficult to wall-mount.

A

I'd just like to draw everyone's attention to this remarkable post. Short and concise, yet insightful and somehow... penetrating in its wisdom.

Clearly the product of an elevated mind; very possibly one given to selfless acts, like, for instance, long-term loans to needy, less-well-heeled audiophools.

[wongstein]

I shouldn't be so cynical about the wall-mounting, come to think of it.  How long are these arms?  Any direction?  Including height and pitch?  The DCs are pretty height sensitive (and you don't want to re-drill) ... but I've never thought about changing the pitch or yaw.  Anyone know how far they keep their DC's from the back wall and the depth of the room?  Chris?  Yours are 46" from the back wall to the bottom of the front baffle, in about a  16 ft deep room, right?

Anthony

ps.  Chris, I want your CD player next.

[mcrespo71]

Mine are 34" from the back wall to the back of the speaker and 47" from the back wall to the bottom front baffle of the speaker.  This is a minimum distance from the wall for me.  They need space baby!

Wongstein- you can now pay me for bringing up the whole Chris hijacking routine on this open forum.  I take paypal at my username.

[wongstein]

Thanks Mike, but I can't find my credit card.  Hmmm ...

[RickRichardson]

The wall brackets I am using have two articulating arms with a maximum extension of 28".  Because both arms articulate, they can be moved in a 180 degree semicircle around the two wall mounts.  The two wall mounts are about 4' apart.  Of course, the platforms swivel, so you can rotate the speakers to get the right listening angle.  I think the weight limit is 50 lbs.

[mcrespo71]

I've had em 2 feet from the wall.  It is doable from this distance, but not ideal.

Michael

[cyounkman]

I shouldn't be so cynical about the wall-mounting, come to think of it. How long are these arms?

Me too. It might be a fine way to decouple from the floor (everyone seems to think that's a good idea...), as long as you don't mount your turntable on the same wall. I'd be awfully nervous about them falling, but I guess you've dealt with that. Coupling them to the brackets will be pretty important... Have you been using blutack?

Anyone know how far they keep their DC's from the back wall and the depth of the room?  Chris?  Yours are 46" from the back wall to the bottom of the front baffle, in about a  16 ft deep room, right?

45" from the back wall to the bottom of the front baffle. The room is, sure, about 16' deep.

ps.  Chris, I want your CD player next.

Oh, you mean my Marantz CD67 SE?

I've had em 2 feet from the wall.  It is doable from this distance, but not ideal.

In the 'party position' (ie when there are going to be more than 20 people in the apartment), the speakers sit as close as 8-9" to the wall, which results in a sort of broad bump around 80-120 hz. Bass instruments get a little fuzzy, as expected. The soundstage collapses, but that's probably because in this position the tv and stereo bits are right between the speakers.

If you need to position the speakers this close to a wall, it might be worthwhile to look into some thick foam acoustic treatment or bass traps directly behind or adjacent to the mounting point.

[cyounkman]

Anyway: (I don't know why I haven't managed to say this yet)
I think 2 SE watts with the de capos in low-level nearfield listening in a small room could be fabulous. (I had some wonderful experiences with 4.) The only problem might be the height sensitivity of the speaker, which of course increases the closer you get.