Gallo Reference 3 vs. Spendor S8 vs. Harbeth Super

I auditioned the S8's for several days back when they first hit US retailers, and my first impression was that they were unforgiving on less than perfect CDs. To balance that out, however, their bass was spot on -- deep and dynamic -- and they imaged really well in my set-up. I would take a look at their Classic series and compare these to the Harbeths. To many seasoned audiophiles, these are where the music lives.

the brightstar stands were just reviewed in TAS.

I recently sold my Gallo Reference 3's and bought Harbeth Super HL5's. The change was driven by a few things. First, the Gallo's, while being excellent speakers never got along well with my choice of amplifiers. Also, I was trying to downsize my system and went from Vandersteen 5's to the Gallo's. The Gallo's compared well with the 5's but I could never relax into the music in the way that I was used to with the 5's. The 5's are still the best speakers I have ever heard.
I lived with the Gallo's for over a year. I had hoped to add the Bass amp but that never materialized despite assurances from Gallo that it would be any day now.

I heard the Harbeth's at a friends house and there was no way I could live with the Gallo's after that. They just made music better and I had to have them. I listen to Rock and Classical mostly. My amp is a Musical Fidelity TriVista 300.
A home audition will be the best way for you to decide what to do. Don't go buy anything that you haven't heard because everyone's taste is different and your mileage may vary.

Good Luck!