I know some of you guys will think I'm nuts (or some of you probably already do), but I've decided that I'm going to sell the De Capos. I had a chance to compare them to a couple of different speakers last weekend, namely some modded Maggie 1.6s and a pair of Harbeth Monitor 30s. The Maggies still made me smile and there's something about the way they do percussive instruments that is very involving, but it was the Harbeths that really pushed me to my decision to sell my Ref's.
Although they were a tad thicker in the upper bass than what I'm used to, what they offered over the De Capo was a more emotional connection to the music. This was due to a complete lack of hardness or grain in the upper mids that I can't seem to shake with the De Capos (even with the new tweeters/caps). With the Harbeths I still heard details and spacial cues, but with a warmer, rounder presentation overall.
Now I know that some of you guys have blamed my cables and digital sources for my troubles, but during the listening session I heard a couple of much better CD players and far more expensive cables than my own, and I still preferred the Harbeth sound over both my De Capos and the Maggies. Like my De Capos, the Maggies rendered the bright, thin stuff we listened to (e.g., the Beatles' Revolver) pretty much unlistenable, whereas the Harbeths just let the music through without the distracting upper midrange/low treble hardness.
If anyone is interested in my De Capos (again, they're the older ones in piano black, and they have the "i" tweeter/cap upgrade) I am looking to get around $1850, and will include the stands in the deal (not sure what brand the stands are, but they look like Osiris). I prefer a local pickup in the NE, OH area, but I'm willing to meet someone halfway and would consider driving a couple of hours to make a deal, if necessary.
-Jon
