Harbeth SHL5

I have the HL5s for half a year now. Must listen before buying as they are very different to most of the Hi-end sounding speakers. I think they are not Hi-end at all but very magical with tubes at low volumes and very musical. They do not play the dynamics and wow factors as other HI-end speakers does. cheers.

I own the SHL-5's. Have no experience with Gallo. If you look through the Speaker forum you will see long threads about Harbeth Speakers that will be useful to you. You are lucky to have the opportunity to audition these speakers at home. I recommend these speakers to everyone.

I 'upgraded' from Gallo 3.0s to Harbeth Compact 7s a few years ago. I selected the Compact 7s over HL5s due to room size. In my opinion both Harbeths and Gallos are excellent speakers, and it's hard to go wrong with either.

They are very different, and an extended Harbeth audition is almost a must. The Gallos have more extended, but still smooth, treble; however, the Harbeths portray more inner detail. The Gallos have much better dynamics and bass. If that is what you're into, the Harbeths will not satisfy. On the ohter hand, the Harbeths have that magical midrange. I don't know of any speaker that does better with stings and vocals. You are correct in your assessment that the Gallos need to be played at a certain volume level for optimal performance. The Harbeths sound much better at lower volumes, but will not play as loud as the Gallos. Ultimately, the Harbeths are the only speakers that I've ever prefered to Quad ESL-63's in my own system.

It comes down to personal preference. You won't go wrong either way.

Very different speakers & as what the other posters have advised, best if you can audition both.
I personally have been a harbeth user for years & have never looked back.
ymmv,

I use the Shl5s with all kinds of music, Rock & Roll, soul, jazz, funk etc ... I'll never get rid of them. Ever. I willl say it took awhile to get them to sound incredible in my room, and with the right gear.

I disagree with those who claim this particular Harbeht only work with certain types of sounds and music. When I first got the speakers I might've agreed. Not now. Besides. the midrange is magic.

Absolutely agree with Jabas opinion.And I really prefer bass output and quality of SHL5 against many other much more expensive speakers.

I have the SHL5 in my room now. With my limited time with them I can say that the gallo and harbeth are very different from one another. Both sound wonderful, but too soon to tell which one will work better for me in my room. Wish I could keep both pair.

Thanks for everyone's input.

Make sure you give the audition plenty of time. When I first changed from the Gallos to the Harbeths, I preferred the Gallos. The Gallos sound more spectacular during short auditions and quick A-B comparisons. On the other hand, you'll be suprised how the Harbeths grow on you over time. Now that I'm hooked on the Harbeth sound, I would never go back.

I'll be interested to see which you stay with.