New Gallo 3.5's


Prototypes of new Gallo 3.5's being shown at CES. I have the 3.1's and am a big fan. These new Gallo's look really nice. May even convert some of you high enders out there who snub Gallo speakers. Go to link: http://www.soundstage2.com/lasvegas2009/sd07.html
bostonbean
Horizontally arranged drivers have terrible off axis phase response. I also have the Gallo ref 3.0s and AV ref. The AV ref sounds fine on axis, but one step to the right or left and vocals drop out.
Shipping in May, according to their website. I used to own 3.1 and sold them eventually for few couple of deficiencies that are supposedly addressed in the new design. Will be curious how they turn out. They still did few things like no other speaker, like when you hear a sound and you don't know where the sound is coming from even though you might be almost right in front of the driver.Anyway, would love to hear what people think about them and their first impressions.
The latest word re availability is that 3.5s should be shipping to dealers by the end of April. I got this from Gallo direct, as am a Gallo dealer in St Louis Missouri.
Appears the new 3.5's are more tube friendly. http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/gallo9/ref35_3.html
Not sure that dopogue or dfwatt are still reading this thread due to the big time gap, but I did have some questions/comments on some of the dialog above:

1. For both of you, in the tests that you performed (Doug with resonance damping material and Dave with Mapleshade base), you were both switching between R & L speakers (I think). How do you account for the physical locations of the two speakers potentially biasing your listening tests? In other words, especially WRT bass response, which you were both focusing on, isn't it very likely that if you A/B-ed an identical right/left pair, that you would notice a significant difference in bass performance between the two locations?

2. Dave - in your Radio Shack SPL meter testing in which you stated the speakers on Mapleshade bases were remarkably flat to 20 Hz, can you elaborate on your test method? Did you take the speaker outdoors to eliminate room boundary interaction? Did you average your results over several mic positions? I don't mean to sound skeptical, but I have owned 3.0's since they initially came out and have always found their bass below 50-60 Hz to anemic. My frame of reference is a pair of Carver Amazings that have a much more robust bass response, despite being open baffle.

To all, I'm also very interested in hearing the 3.5's. I understand from one of the 6moons articles that Gallo will offer to upfit the 3.0/1 speakers of existing customers to the 3.5 configuration for the delta in cost between the two. Any thoughts on going that route instead of buying the 3.5's off the shelf?