I have my pair for only about 3 weeks, and I can say the sound opens up dramatically even with partial break-in. Of the several stores I visited trying to find them in stock, none on display were broken-in to the extent recommended by Gallo (100-300 hours) -- and you could hear it. Now at home, with music the harshness had smoothed out (to the point where I changed the tweater level from -2db to 0). With HT, the soundstaging is much more open and the spacial effects (or is that "affects" ) are more engaging.
I'll be amping my Ref 3's subwoofer inputs this weekend with a Parashound Halo amp and a Outlaw Audio ICBM cross-over. I'll let everyone know how it goes. |
Teonyc,
How did the amping of your second voice coil on the Ref 3's sound? |
The added amping of the second voice coil adds a nice tight depth to the sound. Surprisingly subtle at times, it obviously shows in bass-heavy material like hip/hop or dance. The ICBM unit works perfectly with an outboard amp to drive the second coils.
I would NOT recommend using the full-range Gallos in lieu of a subwoofer for HT, as suggested in the owner's manual. I've been testing various hook-ups with the new extended-version release of "LOTR--The Return of the King." You will still need an decent sub for the LFE effects. However running the Gallos full-range yielded a much-enhanced sound stage, and dynamic feel to the movie.
I've also replaced my rear surrounds with Gallo Dues which are a perfect match for the Ref 3s.
Ted |
I haven't heard them yet, but when I went in to my local dealer he told me that he hated them and would not even buy one pair to show because he felt that they could not be sold. I couldn't believe that such a highly praised speaker could be that bad, but he was that confident in his opinion that he gave me the phone number of the rep to find a place to hear them for myself. If they were good wouldn't he want to make the profit on the sale? |
I placed an order for these end of last year. I kept on getting runarounds from both the dealer and Gallo direct. One problem and delay after another. Not to mention it takes 3-4 emails before getting a reply and the emails were fairly rude. I was highly dissapointed as I always heard Gallo are meant to have good customer service.
Oh well, order has been cancelled and I was refunded. The search goes on. There was just another delay scheduled and they told me not to expect anything for the next 2 months at a minimum (may be different in the US/Europe)
X |
Xenithon, I'm sorry you had to cancel. There's no excuse for what you've had to go through. The sad part is that the speakers are really worth the effort to buy them, but you can't be blamed for disagreeing.
Blondears, this dealer is blowing smoke. The dealer who sold me mine has now sold more than 20 pairs (but no other speaker costing more than $2K). Srajan Ebaen in the 6 Moons review predicted this kind of behavior on the part of dealers with a large investment (in money and ego) in other brands.
Just got a Hsu 500 wat subwoofer amp after giving up myself on getting the Gallo sub amp. It makes the Ref 3s sound like there is a huge sub hidden somewhere in the room. Absolutely amazing. Dave |
Mine are still breaking in, and I love them. That said, I think that my Maggie 3.6 were a better speaker. Wider soundstage, more accurate and transparent imaging. But much less bass, not just volume of depth, but not as focused.
But that is still nothing to moan about. These are a great and versitle speaker. I have rediscoverd my hard rock collection with these speakers. Led Zeppelin and Stone Temple Pilots thank you Anthony Gallo. |
In case anyone had difficulty ordering these, as mentioned above, I notice 3 pair for sale at used prices here on Audiogon. If these are worth their weight at the new price, they're a steal at around $2K used.
It's March, has anyone had a recent update from Gallo about the Sub amp that's due out at the end of the month?
David |
Amp is supposed be ready to be produced now, per Gallo. The Reference center is not nearly as far along. |
I heard these today at my dealer and could not beleive my ears. Simply Musical the speakers dissapeared. Equipment used is VAC 30/30, Lamm L2 I beleive it retailed fo 4750.00, BAT phono stage, and turntable was 7,000.00 forgot which one. Mine are on order, can't wait to break them in. |
Romad,
How did you like them with the VAC 30/30? Was 32 watts enough to drive them effectively? If so, I'd bet that was a fantastic combination.
Jeff |
There's a new review at 6moons with the SA amp:
http://6moons.com/audioreviews/gallo3/followup.html |
Well, we can read reviews all we want, but if things don't sound right to our ears, they simply don't. Should we second guess ourselves based on reading different good reviews from others with different preferences? Do we have to conform? Guess that's the fun part of this hobby. |
Jeffreyds,
I really liked them (mine are on order) I thought that the 30/30 did a pretty good job although my friend thought they could use a little more power. The dealer was playing them rather loud though. I would be happy with that set up. I think these speakers will be a classic someday. |
After reading the new 6moons review, I'm happy I got the Hsu 500w subwoofer amp instead of waiting for the Gallo sub amp (and saved $200 in the bargain). Also, I much prefer the Ref 3s' woofers facing in rather than out. Note that in the 6moons review photo, he has the woofers driving directly into racks of CDs that are very close to the Gallos. I experienced the same relatively weak bass (without the sub amp) when my woofers faced out. |
I had some Ref3's for about a month and drove them with the complete opposite end of the amp spectrum. I kept my Innersound ESL 300 MKIII amp, per the suggestion of the guys at Gallo, and had great results. I whole heartedly agree about facing the woofers inward, also. I realize the response is depentdant on the sonics of the room, but I got a lot deeper, and seemingly quicker, bass in that configuration.
Also, I used a couple of extra channels from a Parasound 1206a amp to drive the second voice coil, using my PrePro (Anthem AVM30) crossover and high-pass/low-pass setting to control. It worked incredibly well. It was hard to believe how deep these little speakers would go!!
Good luck with them. |
Another vote for facing the woofers in. |
Mine sound best with the woofers facing out. But really, as stated above, that's all dependant on your room set up.
The bad news from Gallo is that it will be at least another three months until the sub amp is available... |
I find it hard to believe that it can sound much better with thier amp, than with your own. Especially if you have a processor that will scupt all of your output parameters. Mine sounded fantastic. |
From the 6moon review, they didn't seem all that impress, they said that starting out with a good amp might render the SA redundant:
"However, the sound more than filled the room and the bass for the most part sounded appropriately deep and fat. It just lacked ultimate definition. [For comparison's sake, my reference tube amps don't generate enough current for that low-frequency leading edge into those 10-inch woofers either. However, the 1000-watt into 4-ohm ICEpower amps are truly shocking in that regard. At least in my space, they could well render the addition of the bass amp redundant. The same would probably hold true for a more affordable Bryston or McCormack amp - Ed.]" |
Remember that you'll need a crossover, set around 45 Hz. if you use something other than a sub amp. And an infrasonic filter if you play LPs. |
Well, after waiting a couple of months to get my Bruce Moore Custom 120's back, they've finally returned and now have new matched quads of EH 6550's. They sound terrific. Great definition, and bass that sound very satisfying. Still, I had my IRD 100watt mono blocks sitting around, so I got a couple of inline 50 Hz low pass filters and connected them to the sub input. The difference in wattage between my tubes and the sub amps may be responsible for the somewhat underwhelming difference. The speakers sound larger, and bass definition is sharper, but overall, there's not a lot of difference, maybe 5-10%. That's what you want to hear though, right? The Gallos as is, without the need for bi-amping, are pretty special. Of course, when the, what are they, 220 watt per channel, sub amps come out with their ability to tailor the power and frequency more specifically, they should make a more significant difference. Still, it's kind of fun to have a little added bass thrown in. |
In my room the Gallo's still need EXTENSIVE break in, but already:
1) Look good (meet the family's approval)
2) Are flexible about placement
3) Have great dispersion (more than two consenting adults may share the sweet spot)
$) Are fast and extended (scary-fabulous tweeter!)
4) Render the acoustic well (good depth)
5) Throw better and more quality-bass than any of my previous speakers (various Quads)
6) Are easy to drive and tube friendly (CJ MV-60)
7) Sound great at low volumes (late at night)
8) Continue to improve daily
As a former Quad-57/63 listener, my listening confirms that this speaker is a whole new game.
I am awaiting a pair of the cigar box size NuForce Reference 8 Mono's, 100wpc Class D amps to try with the Gallo's full-range, and will let you know what I hear. Could be the ticket, or with their damping factor of >4000(!) the NuForce may be the perfect bass amp.
More to follow...
Good listening, with good music! |
Just another thought on the IRD's. They are 200wpc into 4 ohms, which is the ohmage of the sub bass input. What this reiterates is how minimally the addition of another amp may effect your listening enjoyment if you have good amps to begin with...
David |
I tried woofers facing out and woofer facing in. With the speakers at least 5' from the side walls (no reinforcement from the side walls) I prefered the sound with the woofers facing in... more bass
So, with bass drivers each other on the long wall of my listening room I heard:
More toe-in produced better midrange dynamics (voices more emotionally expressive... but the trade-off is a less defined bass.
And, with little or no toe-in... more and firmer bass, but with less midrange dynamics (snare and voices become compressed). |
