Gallo Ref 3.1 vs PSB Synchrony One

Just because you heard the speakers at RMAF doesn't make them better, it all depends on setup and room acoustics.

Both of these speaekers are excellent, if you want to really know the answer you must consider what kind of gear were they using?

From what I see your equipment selection is good, but could be better. I have heard the Syncroney's sound great on higher end setups.

To me this is a lateral step at best, both of these speakers are good in different ways.

Never heard the Synchrony, but I love the Gallos. I know what you mean about
not being able to get the sound out of your mind, and they only get better the
longer they're broken in. A friend of mind supposedly "traded down" from a
pair of JM Labs Diva Utopias ($12,000 msrp, I think) to Nestorovics to the
Gallos and the Gallos sound MUCH better to him and me. Good luck, Dave

I have the Gallo 3.1's and love them. I have never listened to the PSB's.

Regarding your front end equipment the Gallo's do like power.

Bostonbean, well maybe. I've run mine on 12wpc SET monoblocks (granted, with huge transformers) for more than 4 years and have never felt the need for more juice. This is in an 18 x 40' room.

Dopogue, Are you using the SA amp?

Bostonbean, yes, I should have mentioned that. Sorry. I didn't use it for the first couple of years I had the Gallos, though, and hear no difference unless there's some really low bass present on the musical source material. Dave

Dopogue, Interesting and I am glad to hear the SET's are working for you. Here is an interesting quote from Mr. Gallo himself which I ripped from 6Moons. "As Srajan noted in his review, his 8wpc push/pull MiniMax tube amp can drive the Ref3s to satisfying levels but it certainly loses out in bass control. The high-current ICEpower amps he's currently reviewing or the high-power Spectron digital amp I've been using are true champs in that regard. This is a reminder that it's perhaps more important to first find the best amplifier for the full-range input of the Ref3s without relying too much on the bass augmentation amp to address certain performance parameters."

I would largely agree. Mr. Gallo might remember that some of the final pre-production work on the Reference 3s was carried out using 10 wpc amps. It's the quality of the amps, not their wpc, that matters most. And I gotta say, these things LOVE tubes :-)

Both are good speakers, I think you will need more power to do the Gallos justice.

Two very good speakers, two very different designs, two very different sounds as I recall.

There's a lot to like with either...just a matter of taste and best fit to your listening environment I would think.