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Gallo REfF3's-All their cracked up to be?

Having won award from Absolute Sound,6Moons etc just wondering if how they compare with others in $25r00-$5K range.With Maggie 1.6/3.6's,Spendors,Harbeths,B&W Nautilus 803's etc not to mention used Quad 988.989,Infinity Preludes that have been seen as low as $3500,Gershman RX-20's used,offerings from Audio Physic (again good values used,heard Sparks where I liked low volume dynamics and read the Gallo's need to be pushed to come alive) well it's a crowded market.But seems like the twop speakers that have major buzz factor are the Gallo and NHT Xd system (selling for a bit over $6K).Live in sticks anbd would like to hear from folks who have put the Gallo's up against other speakers with empahsis on accurate midrange.Had as pair of Ref 2's but never got system set up around them nor dialed them in correctly.Was so nervous that tweeters might blow which were irreplacable got me nervous and I got rid of them pretty quickly.Have heard from dealers that Gallo can be unpleasant in cutomer support and lack of back tweeters could have been his resent ment that they did not sell better.But even though that's speculation is does say that they could be beter in support area.Maybe new models and sales might correct this.,They seemed to have great attributes but also weakneeses.Couldn't shake the feeling they were "gimmicky" in some respects but againn perhaps they were not dialed in proprly.Would lkike to run with 40 watt glass but could go 200+ solid state.Any auditions or owners who could give the good ,the bad and the ugly?
Thanks
Chazzbo
chazzbo
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
Well, I'll bet Gallo says there's nothing wrong with them. Do you have any knowledgeable audiophiles nearby who might take a listen and make suggestions? I mean I can't imagine BOTH speakers being infected with the kind of nasties you describe. Are you using a subwoofer amp into the lower pair of speaker inputs? I've heard about some people thinking the lower pair of inputs is for bi-wiring, which it isn't.
barry_e_cohen
83 posts
 
Hey Woifi,

We all hear differently, listening to "Stereo" is a personal thing. As no two speaker systems sound the same, no two people, look the same or hear the same. I have a number of musician friends who love the sound of my Gallo speakers because "it sounds like real instruments". Good luck in your quest.
jamesgarvin
42 posts
 
I would also make two suggestions. If you are pointing the speakers in, I would suggest placing them facing straight forward. The other issue may be your room. I felt mine sounded a little light, I did some measurements, and I learned that my room has a very big suckout from about 50 hz up to about 100 hz. I made adjustments on the sub-amp that significantly reduced, though did not eliminate, the suckout, which gave the speakers significantly more body. Perhaps there is a room issue.
woifi73
8 posts
 
thanks jamesgarvin. i have tried everything, even different rooms. shooting them straight out is helping a bit. reading up in the maple shade catalogue, i have tilted them back much more, helped also a little.
the only action that make them really sound better is to switch the gallo sub amp to full range. i get a more satisfying fuller sound and the highs seem to be less pronounced. obviously, the woofer is taking on some of the job the midrange units should perform and this with satisfying clarity. it is obvious, that i am acting against gallo's advice by bi amplifying the ref 3's with the complete frequency spectrum into the bass unit. while this may send shudders down the spine of serious audiophiles, it seems the only way for me to get acceptable performance from these speakers.
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