Possible Desktop Speakers?

Jim, a point that needs to be clarified further is where you will be listening FROM.

Will you be doing any serious or semi-serious listening from positions other than at the desk? In other words, does sound quality at positions elsewhere in the room matter? If so, what is the furthest distance you anticipate listening from? And does sound quality off axis matter (i.e., when you are positioned off to the side, relative to the direction at which the speakers are aimed)?

Regards,
-- Al

I know Al may give me noogies for asking (given the price difference).

Yup :-)

The only way it would make any sense to spend $26K for pre + power amplification to drive $2K/pair speakers would be if you envision ultimately upgrading the speakers to much more expensive floorstanders, or expensive monitors + stands.

That said, although I have no particular familiarity with Gallo speakers, based on their description I suspect those ARC components would do reasonably well with them sonically. I'd be cautious, however, about mating the Strada with most other tube amplifiers.

Due in part to their unusual crossoverless design, the impedance of those speakers, as shown in the first graph here for the original Strada, varies very widely as a function of frequency, and reaches difficult combinations of low magnitudes and significantly capacitive phase angles at some frequencies in the bass region. Given my strong suspicion that the speakers are designed with the expectation that they are likely to be driven with solid state amplification, the relatively high output impedance of most tube amplifiers is likely to interact with those impedance variations such that unintended tonal balances would result. Those effects will be fairly minimal in the case of the Ref 150, though, because (as with some other ARC amps) it has significantly lower output impedance than many other tube amps.

My one other comment is that you'll almost certainly need a sub (or two) with those speakers, given that their frequency response is specified as "68Hz - 20Khz +/- 3dB (in room with boundary reinforcement, speakers within 1 foot of wall)."

Regards,
-- Al

08-27-13: Jkman
al- yeah I'm a goober and just thought separate amp and pre would be better performance wise. I also thought the arc 150 was the max wattage which I believe was the max on the speakers. I guess you don't match speakers and amps that way.

Jim, yes 150 watts is a reasonable power rating to be using with those speakers, although there are many other factors that are involved in matching amplifiers and speakers (some of which I touched upon in my previous post). But the price of those ARC components is absurd for use with the Gallo Strada's, unless as I said you envision ultimately upgrading the speakers.

Check out Modwright.com for some pre, power, and integrated amplifiers that would, at a very small fraction of the price of those ARC components, provide you with similar power ratings, and in combination with the Gallo speakers would undoubtedly provide you with sonics that are just as good, albeit probably a bit different. Even those components, though, might be overkill for use with the $2K Gallo speakers.

Regards,
-- Al