[saki70]

I am considering the VMPS 626r as a replacement for my
De Capo i's . I have always enjoyed the panel/stat sound
but I am in a small (10' X 10') room .
What will the 626r's do differently or better than the De
Capo i's ? Can anyone compare these two speakers ?
I am using a Prima Luna Prologue 2 tubed integrated amp
with @ 40w of push/pull power .
 I listen to classic rock and contemporary blues at
low to medium volume levels . I value detail , dynamics ,
extension and musicality most of all at the lower volume level .
Thank you .

[John Casler]

I am considering the VMPS 626r as a replacement for my
De Capo i's . I have always enjoyed the panel/stat sound
but I am in a small (10' X 10') room .
What will the 626r's do differently or better than the De
Capo i's ? Can anyone compare these two speakers ?
I am using a Prima Luna Prologue 2 tubed integrated amp
with @ 40w of push/pull power .
 I listen to classic rock and contemporary blues at
low to medium volume levels . I value detail , dynamics ,
extension and musicality most of all at the lower volume level .
Thank you .

I am a dealer for both and would certainly go with the 626R for your application.

While the amp is a little "underpowered" since you don't blast and you have a small room, which yields a "nearfield" listening position, you should be good to go.

The 626R should have lower and cleaner bass, and much more detail in the mids and highs.

In fact, one of the strengths of the 626R, is that it can sound spectacular, at lower listening levels, and is much more balanced than most speakers at lower listening levels.

[Mathew_M]

I'm currently running my 626r's with a 50watt el34 tube amp.  I feel like I could use a little more juice especially in the bass region.  The 626's sound good with tubes otherwise, definitely filling out what could be considered a thin midrange.  The Prima Luna runs KT-88's correct?  Supposedly those tubes do bass better than el34's.

[saki70]

Thanks guys .
Yes the Prologue 2 is using KT-88's at present .
However , I was thinking of trying some EL-34's to
increase the mids a little . And I was a little worried
about power as I see that most run these speakers
with a SS amp . I am not sure that I could give up
tubes at this price point . It usually takes a greater
expense to achieve this sound when using SS amps .

Anyone else ?

[Chuck]

I have owned the de Capo and currently own the 626R.  I think they are both good speakers and if at all possible, I suggest you try to audition them both. 

My personal preference is the 626R which I have had for about a year now.  I think the de Capo had ever so slightly faster bass though it did not go as deep as the 626R.

My impression is that the de Capo had a slightly hotter top-end (very slight - not day and night difference).  I used a Cayin integrated tube amp with the de Capo.  I am using an inexpensive Panasonic digital receiver (blasphemy!) with the 626R and am very pleased with the sound.  Good detail, the mids are very open and the top end is very smooth.  I have not experimented with better amplification (budget and time constraints).

I liked the de Capo and want to emphasize the differences were only subtle.  Also, I think the de Capo imaged better and was slightly more focused.  Please note I was using tubes with the de Capo and use digital with the 626R. 

Your room acoustics will affect the sound and you may just have different preferences than I do, so again, if at all possible, audition both before you pay out your hard earned cash.

I would recommend either with a slight personal preference towards the 626R.

Good luck.

[mcrespo71]

I used to own the MMDCI and have heard the 626R on many ocassions.  They are speakers at about the same level of performance IMO, but I would like to point out that one area where I think the MMDCI is clearly better is in low-level listening situations.  If you like to listen at low levels, this is where the lack of a crossover and high sensitivity of the MMDCI clearly wins out IMO.

[saki70]

Chuck ; I guess great minds think alike !
I too had the Cayin integrated on the De
Capo i's before switching to the Prologue 2 !
I did this strictly for convenience as the Cayin is
a real monster to bias ! The Prologue 2 is self
biasing . The Prologue is not as colored or
warm as the Cayin .
At the beginning of this thread I stated that I
enjoyed the stat/panel sound , does the 626r
give 'that' sound ?
I am not able to audition the 626r until next month ,
no dealers in my state .

Please keep'em coming !
Thank you .

[Chuck]

Biasing is also the reason I reluctantly sold my Cayin.  I didn't want to get electrocuted!  I had in mind that I would buy a self-biasing integrated amp eventually.  In the mean time I bought an inexpensive digital Panny because there was a lot of talk about the new digital receivers at the time and I just wanted to hear one.

The 626R is my first stat/panel speaker so I cannot say if it has "that" famous stat/panel sound.  I can say that it is the most detailed speaker that I have heard that remains completely smooth into the high frequencies.  I have not experienced any harshness with the 626R, even with a cheap mass market receiver.

If you end up hearing the 626R with your tube amp, I would like to hear your opinion.  I have a little money set aside for a new amp but have lacked time to research.  I am hoping to keep my system simple so I prefer an integrated amp (self biasing this time!).

[meilankev]

Ed (saki70),

I apologize that I have ignored your two Private Messages you have sent me.  I'm truly sorry.  It is one part of this site I pretty much ignore, and there is no "obvious" indication when a PM is received.  so, although I come here and read the VMPS stuff 5-6 times a week, I completely overlookd you were trying to get in touch with me.  Mea culpa!!!!!!!!!

You asked if I still live in Tampa.  The answer is "Yes".  And if you would like to come by and hear my system, you are absolutely more-than-welcome.  It's one of my favorite activities, and it's doubtful any member here hosts more "audio guests" than i do.

I will also reply to your PM, as I do not know if you are still spending any time here in the VMPS sub-forum.  In the PM, I will provide my e-mail address just in case you are still interested in hooking up.

Yet again, I apologize...
Kevin

[James Romeyn]

I haven't heard the deCapo.

My other posts contain a lot of specific experience auditioning cost no object sound systems by some of the greatest & most talented people in audio.  A couple weeks ago I attended an audio meeting, auditioning $18k worth of pre & amp & the $18k/pr msrp Sound Lab stats.

I have current version 626 Jr, Auricap XO (equivalent or better) & the OXO/stand/beard (also standard are CDW, VMPS hand-tuned xo); msrp about $2k, maybe above your price point.   

The CDP is among the best, into the $6k SST Ambrosia preamp/spectrum controller, then the Pathos Classic One Mk3 hybrid drives the ribbons (wide open L-pads) & an ATI 1802 bipolar drives the standard 6.5" (24 oz magnet, 40 oz is available). 

In every possible way the 626 Jr is worthy of the best front end available, including electronics at this level.  I'm sure they sound great w/ lesser gear; just saying it's worthy of it for those that can afford it.  At whisper levels the sound is as good as I've heard.  I'd put it equal to the sound of the stats in virtually every way.  One small area the stats might still beat the 626 Jr is in the ability to float the image out in space away from the box.  Even in this regard the 626 Jr is very close.  Dynamics, musical realism & overall I prefer the 626 Jr.

Personally, in this system, I think only the $17k/pr YG Acoustics would beat the 626 Jr overall, except at elevated spl's.  In that case adding a powered sub & a high-pass xo would fix that deficit. 

My 2c.