They sound a little bright/lean because they have no real bottom end. I have the Stradas and two TR-3 subwoofers (same drivers all around as the 3.5s) and believe me they are NOT lean. I had Reference 3s for the last 8 years and the Strada/TR-3 combo is better-sounding in every way. Significantly less expensive than the 3.5s too. Can you get away with one subwoofer? Yes, but the pair makes for a marked improvement.
2 questions concerning Gallo Stradas
Sorry if these questions have been debated to death...I didn't find a lot on my questions when I searched. So, how many of you Gallo Strada owners, or former owners, consider the Stradas to be bright and/or lean and what is the rest of your system? Second question is, if the Stradas are on the lean/ bright side and they are the same drivers as the 3.5, which is not described as either lean or bright, why would they sound any different than the 3.5s? Shouldn't they sound the same around 40 hz and up seeing as how neither speaker has crossovers?