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Just got some Reference 3a speakers (Master Control MMC)

Posted by morricab (S) on February 4, 2013 at 06:17:10

However, these are not your current version, made in Canada and run by Divertech models (MM da Capo, Veena, Episode, Grand Veena). Those are of coure quite good sounding but before that Reference 3a was made in Switzerland and/or France.

I picked a pair of the, apparently very rare, Ref 3a Master Serie, Master Control MMC monitors. These are probably one of the earlier speakers from this company using the name Reference 3a (before the company was just 3a). These had Corian side cheeks, front and top plates. The bottom and back appear to be out of wood. Apparently these drivers were hand made by the designer himself.

92db/watt and 8 ohm load. I auditioned them with a Graaf OTL (GM20)and it was spectacularly alive.

They sound fantastic, very alive, all the little micro details are there along with decent bass for a small speaker. Perhaps not completely neutral but nowhere nearly as off as a lot of horns or lowther style speakers. Apparently these guys know how to make a well behaved wideband driver!! There is no crossover on the mid/bass and only a single cap on the tweeter.

I was quite floored as they remind me of a good electrostat (full-range not hybrid) or ribbon speaker in a much smaller package.

Anyway, I will partner them with a good sub and a good single ended amp and see how it goes.

Anyone else out there using this superb brand of speakers and what is the consensus (if any) about their older, made in Switzerland or France speakers to the current ones made in Canada? The ones in Canada don't seem to be using expensive cabinet materials anymore (the last ones were the Royal Virtuoso and L'integrale Nouveau) and the prices are less expensive for the near equivalent models. Did they also cheapen the drivers or did they make them better with time?

I have often found that companies tend to cheapen the quality of products with time even though they claim to "improve" them. What that probably means is they found a cheaper way to make it not that it actually performs better. The newer models have very good reviews though so probably they didn't dilute things much if at all.

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