Celestion Model 100 enquiry

Thank you very much for your response. A review I found on the Internet summed up my experiences also - great for fairly simple material (single instrument, voice, small jazz ensemble) but the speakers sort of get congested on more complex works. Stravinsky Firebird or Sheherezade pointed out this issue to me. I was not attempting to play to live orchestral sound levels. The instruments sort of mashed together and separation got lost. I did not expect bass to match my nucleus 3.1s; that was not an issue. The sonic homogenization of instruments at DB levels that are comfortable but still room filling (main area 12X15X7 feet)is the principal concern, something wholly absent in the Gallos. I'm leery of paying $750 for the intermezzo 2.6s even when offset by the full boat refund I would get on the Celestions. Remorse or not I may end up having to live with them. The audition environment the seller provides is quite small and crowded, offering a poor venue for critical listening.

I re-read my post and apparently messed up the phrasing. Simple material like single vocal, guitar, cello, jazz quartet, chamber ensemble etc. is astonishingly clear. It's the complex stuff like full orchestra (Sheherezade) where it all seems to mush together when volume goes up. I have a sub I don't even want to mention, and it makes the bass more 'there', but I have to adjust gain so low to keep it from coming apart. I do need to replace the sub. I'd think an HCA-2 amp would be enough. Well regarded in its day with 150 watts. The nucleus 3.1s worked like a champ with it. I'd still be using them if it wasn't for a home gym that hijacked my basement. I do A/B with the Gallos and the Celestions definitely lose it big, and I'm not talking about bass extension - it's the midrange and highs and definition that I miss. I need to get the Gallo 3.1 experience in something that's 16" deep I can have close to a wall, like 8 inches close.

They are very nice speakers if you keep the SPL down. They're small monitors so that's expected. I do wish to listen at louder levels from time to time and the Celestions just hurt. I replaced them with a pair of Focal Aria 926s. The monitors will be on the block unless I can justify their placement somewhere nice and hidden for ambience or something like that. Wife isn't into music at all, so they're probably going on the block.