Jeff,
Regarding the Spicas, I paid around $300 for them on ebay. They were advertised as in excellent condition, but they were poorly packed and arrived banged up (chipped corners, broken grille cover fasteners, etc.). The seller did send me a partial refund, but I was disappointed. Sonically, they are fine. There are a couple pairs for sale on Audiogon right now if you are interested.
I'm using them in a second system (which is what I bought them for). I thought I'd try them in the livingroom system (replacing the Omegas). They are much fuller and they have a wonderful mid-band. Going back and forth with the Super 3s (both with and without a sub), made the Omegas sound lean and mean (tipped up and lacking body). With classical the Spicas were glorious and I thought I'd be retiring the Omegas. But, after living with the Super 3s for a couple of years, I found that the Spicas were slow with rock, blues and with movies. They lacked the 'jump factor' that the Omegas have. I know the Spicas are less efficient and could use more power, but I remember driving my first pair with a 100w X 2 solid state amp and they still sounded somewhat reticent.
There is something about single driver sound that is just 'right.' This is why I'm particularly interested in the small hemp drivers. If they can do the fostex thing with a more natural tone, then it would be nothing short of a miracle.
