Looking for a full range offering at the 2K price point. I'll be playing orchestral, big band jazz, small combo jazz, male & female vocal bits, solo acoustic instrumentals, and classic rock. So, what say ye? What's the best all-rounder at the 2K mark. New, or gently used works for me~
I am quite biased about this, owning a pair myself. I'd have to say the Gallo Ref 3s are the deal of the decade, even at their retail price (~ $3k). There are several pairs on Audiogon right now for ~ $2k...
there are two pairs of hales loudspeakers on audiogon at this moment that would certainly be comparable to most in the 10k range new...they are both less than 2k.....acoustic suspension no less
Biased here too. I am running Gallo Reference II's. The speakers need to be out in the room. Tweeter can be bright, but it is also very revealing. Soundstage is gianormous. Even off axis listening is great with the 320 degree dispersion tweeter. Match with gear on the warm side. Very unique looks. My favorite comment, "...your speakers look like the Death Star!" Best color is black or bronze since the silver tweeters tarnish brown over time. Solo's go for about 1400 and Reference ~2K. Once you have these, every box speaker will sound like a box. Jazz horns will have real bite. Snares will sound like the real thing. Female vocal will float in mid air... ooooh and Santana never sounded so good!
At the $2000 price point, you may also be able to find a pair of Vandersteen 3A Signatures, which is one of the best all-around speakers available (except, perhaps, for heavy metal / hard rock at high SPL's).
For about 3 decades Vandy 2 has been a top choice for this (inflationd adjusted) category. I'd also listen to the hybrid planars from Eminent Technology which IMHO is the "stealth" choice. Different sounding speakers, but both are outstanding, both are near full range, and both are in your price range.
I really had my heart set on a pair of Vandy 3 sigs. Then a couple things happened. 1: I got my gear tossed into a much smaller room (11 x 13.5)than I was previously using. 2: Believe it or not, FedEx Ground LOST one of a pair of pristine 3s on its; way to me; makes me sick~ I'm thinking of heading out to listen to the Vandy 2, Gallo Ref, and Von S Jr. I still may try to work a set of Vandy 3s in, if I can convince myself of making them work in that room. Thanks to all for the input.
My vote goes with Rottweiler and the VR-2's. I'm using a pair, usually the rear channels in my surround set up, as my main left and right until I receive my VR-4jr MkII's. I can honestly say these speakers are incredible. I can't believe that these speakers are only $3000.00 brand new. You could probably pick up a pair on the 'Gon for no more then $1500.00. At that price, they are a steal. The frequency response is 25 Hz to 25 kHz, they put up a big soundstage and image like crazy. I hope you find what you are looking for. Enjoy........John
Hi Greg I've had several speakers in that price range here in my home. I have a 17 x 13 room, a little larger than yours.
Tried the VR 2's, could not tame the bass boom even with the lead shot and with speakers 4 feet from the walls. They sounded this way at the dealer but I thought I'd try them out anyways...whoops. Not good for my room.
I had a pair of older used Vandersteen 3A's here but thought they mixed up things a bit and upper freq. tended to be on the harsh side in my room.
Had good luck with the Vandersteen 2ce sigs. and was suprised that there was a lack of annoying bass boom despite the rear firing 10" woofer, full sound..but wanted better resolution.
Meadowlark Osprey's were great..everywhere, except I wanted a little more bass extension..might work great in a smaller room. Beautiful speaker.
Revel F30...wow, now this is a good speaker, they look like big thugs but sure can carry a tune, midrange fabulous depth and wide dispersion, bass is well extended, could at times overwelm the room with bass heavy material but usually well behaved. May not work in a small room. I sometimes wish I had kept these.
Had the Gallo Ref. 3 here also. Great little speaker, tight bass, detailed (highs almost 3D) they possess perhaps the best tweeter I have had here. But I kept wanting deeper bass extension and the small mid range drivers lacked depth I thought.
Now I have a pair of older Meadowlark Herons. Full range fantastic bass with a terrific overall balance. I would recommend these but they are rare on the used market. Don't think I helped much but good luck! Courious as to what you end up with!
Well, on day #15 my missing Vandy 3A Sig was found.... not by FedEx, but by my seller. It had lost it's labelling and was returned to the Vandersteen factory. It looks like my original idea will come to fruitation. I'll let ya all know how they pan out when I get em dialed in. I'm hoping they won't overwhelm the room. I should be able to sit 8-10 feet away from them. It may work after all... Thanks for lots of great ideas!
TVAD wrote: "The Gallo Ref 3 frequency response is 35Hz-50Khz. The owners here no doubt love them, but IMO bass response to 35Hz misses the definition of full-range by at least 5Hz."
If that 5Hz really bugs ya, you have 2 options: Use the Gall SA amp and go flat down to 22Hz or pair them with a subwoofer - which is what I did. Sounds great!!
The missing Vandy 3A Sig arived yesterday and I got em wired in and did some very preliminary lis'nin. They are definately Full-Range and sounded speactacular. Today I'll spend time on positioning/tilt. I'm glad I got em now. I'm still gonna head over to my local dealer to listen to the Gallo and some other mentioned offerings. Thanks again, fellas!
>> Therefore, IMO, the Ref 3 cannot be considered full range loudspeakers, nor can the Ref 3/SA combo be found for $2000, which is what the originator of the thread was seeking. <<
That may be true, but I purchased my Ref 3s for $1700 delivered and my subwoofer for $285 delivered. According to MY math, that adds up to $1985. In addition. he could simply purchase the Refs now and see how they work in his room. Chances are good that he'll find the low end quite satisfactory, EVERY review I've seen says they are the best thing going for anywhere near the price.
And remember, 99% of the music out there has nothing below 40Hz anyway...
I've had them for a year now and they do a hell of a lot for their price point. Not only are they almost full range but they're not monoliths straight out of 2001 a space odyssey.
I OWNED THE GALLO 3.1 (2 PAIR) AND COULDNT STAND THEM. I SOLD THEM 1 MONTH LATER AS ALMOST EVERYONE ELSE DOES. JUST LOOK AT THE GALLOS BEING SOLD, THERE ALWAYS 1-3 MONTHS OLD. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS? WHY SPEND $1900 ON GALLOS WHEN $3000 WILL GET YOU YOU A FULLRANGE SPEAKER LIKE THE AMAZING LEGACY FOCUS 20/20'S IM USING NOW. THERE IS A REASON OWNERS HAVE HELD ON TO THOSE BABIES FOR SO LONG. YOU WILL READ 6 YEARS OLD/ETC.GALLOS WOULD WORK NICE IN A SMALL OFFICE OR BEDROOM, AND I DID LIKE THEM FOR 5.1
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