Are the Anthony Gallo Reference 3.5 still up to it?


Hi. I've enjoyed my Gallo 3.5s for many years but with upgrades to the rest of my system (Gato Audio monoblocks and preamplifier) I'm wondering if I should upgrade my speakers too.

I enjoy 'interesting' speaker designs from a purely aesthetic perspective and am interested in Vivid Audio, Audiovector Trapeze Ri, Aequo Stilla, Lyngdorf CUE-100 and others. They're all very different but sound very good to my ears.

I can't audition those other speakers at home with my electronics, in my room. So I'm interested in any views on whether the Gallos have stood the test of time. Any owners out there still love them? Any who have moved on? Any other thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

bails67

Off-topic (sorry) but I see you have Gato monoblocks and if those are the PWR-222s, how do you like them?  I have been interested in them ever since my speaker manufacturer (Michael Kelly with Aerial Acoustics) became a Gato dealer (for a short while - no longer), and recommended using their amps with his speakers, and also based on this very positive review.

BTW, good luck figuring out the best thing for your speakers.  Adding two subs to already good sounding speakers was probably the biggest improvement I have made to my system in 10 years.  You have recommendations from a couple of pretty solid posters so far.

 

Thanks for the replies. I'll look into adding a couple of subwoofers as an option.

Yes, the Gato amps are the PWR-222s. I like them a lot. I have them paired with the new PRE-1 and I'm very happy with the setup. That's what's got me wondering whether the Gallo speakers are up to it!

I know someone who still rocks the Gallo 3.5 after all these years. He has switched up every other component probably 5-10 times over the years. All of it is wildly more expensive by now. But the Gallo 3.5 speakers stay anchored in the system, I don't think he'll ever switch those. That's how much he loves them.

He did upgrade some years ago to these big wood platforms on the base of each speaker. And later he added a pair of subs which cost more than the speakers. Still I'd say the 3.5 is worthy of existing even in a very fine system in the year 2024.

Thanks for that reply. You might have just helped me save a lot of money!

Any other views on the 3.5s in this day and age?

Why are you asking for "outside" confirmation? It’s meaningless. All that matters is what you think. If you still enjoy them, why bother looking for a replacement? Sounds like audio OCD.