Hi Dave,
You may be on to something, I'd be interested in a stand/bracket for my Ref 3's. I have considered the Bright Star stands but at $499 (plus shipping) they're way too expensive given the simple fact that the speaker itself is only $3000! When Gallo first brought out the Ref 3 speaker Anthony was showing the speaker with the Bright Star platforms attached, but I noticed @ CES this year he did not have the BS stands on them. |
Hi Hack,
At the end of December '05 Gallo contacted us only a short time before the show to request a set of IsoRock GR3 stands for their display. Unfortunately (or fortunately), we were and are so overloaded with orders that we did not have a set to provide to them. As good as their display sounded at the show it would have been even better with the IsoRock GR3 stands in place.
It is true that the IsoRock GR3 stands are not inexpensive but it is a very complex design that uses custom-made parts as well as parts imported from Europe. There is also a huge amount of labor involved in their construction. Thankfully, that is all very worthwhile considering the extremely positive comments from customers and journalists about their performance.
Best,
Barry
Barry Kohan
President
Bright Star Audio |
Hello Barry,
I use several Bright Star products in my system and am quite happy with the results. As much as I'm sure the GR3 would take my Ref 3.1's up a notch (pun intended) the cost is out of whack relative to the price of the speaker itself. Hmmm.. maybe you could get them made in China (like Gallo does) and offer them at a much more attractive price point?
Best Regards, Jeff |
Barry, there may be a lesson here. If Anthony's that disorganized, maybe you should hold a pair of stands in reserve for him. Still, I can't imagine why he wouldn't have a pair permanently in his possession, as they do complete the speakers so well. As to the price point of the Bright Star stands, many people would consider the speakers themselves to be way too expensive, while a large number of people find them to be one of the best bargains out there.
David |
Dave:
I was also concerned about instability of the Gallo Ref3's in earthquake-prone California. I designed a pair of stands that I had made at Timber Nation. The bases are 12" x 15" x 3" solid maple, finished and painted black. They tightened up the bass and increased soundstage height. Also, they look great, much better than the stock stands. In fact, they look like the stands that the Ref3's should have come with! My wife likes the appearance of these speakers now. Finally they are much more stable. I could post/send my design if anyone is interested. |
Hi David,
I would not say that they are disorganized. Preparing for CES (especially during the holidays) is an overwhelming task and tying up all the loose ends is a formidable challange.
> I can't imagine why he wouldn't have a pair permanently in his possession, as they do complete the speakers so well.
They do own three sets of IsoRock GR3 stands. I don't know why they didn't have any of those at the show. My guess is that when they called us all of their show gear had already been shipped and they assumed we could have a set available for them. It was frustrating for us that we had none to provide. Keeping an extra set "hanging around" would be nice but that means that some customer would have to wait even longer to get their set shipped and everyone who has them on order is anxiously awaiting their arrival!
Best,
Barry |
Hack,
You have a point, but you may have trouble making it for the reasons Barry outlines in his response. As it is he's having trouble filling orders for the stands due to their popularity. If they were any less expensive, the wait would be interminable. Then again, not to undercut whatever European parts there are in the stands, if they were made in China as you suggest, their cost might make them more available to all. What problems might arise with QC as a result is anyone's guess? Then again, look at the cost of the little pyramid jewelry people buy as isolation cones. Pricing seems to be whatever the market allows, and clearly the market is supporting the $500 price point. I know I took the easy road and bought them instead of fabricating something myself. You could always get creative and give that a try?
Cheers,
Rolloff |
Tantra,
Speaking for myself, I'd love to see your stands. It's pretty easy to post them on a systems page, or just include a link in the text of a response here. I know of at least three people including Hack who might be interested in seeing them. It is a curiosity that Anthony didn't include a more robust bottom to the speakers to act as stands, but there are many aftermarket suppliers for the speaker designers deficiencies. (Thanks Barry) And many speaker designers who seem to omit the stands as a part of the design process.
If you have difficulty posting the pictures Tantra, send another post or email through and I'll try and help.
thanks again,
Rolloff |
Rolloff:
I made a PDF showing my Gallo Ref3 speaker bases. How do I post it? |
Tantra,
The easiest way is to insert the picture in a system. Go to your page (My Page). Under the tolls section, in the interaction area it will say "Systems" Click on that. Then it should say, build a system. Click on that. Then it's just a matter of clicking on the individual components. You only need to click on the speaker section and insert the picture from your computer. If you know where the file is and it's something like a JPEG it' should load pretty easily.
Let me know how it goes, but if you can do a PDF you should manage this as well.
If you click on my Audiogon name (Rolloff) from Audiogon it will pull up my email address and you could email me if you have any difficulty.
Thanks,
Dave |
Oops, in the previous post, that should have said "TOOLS" section, not Tolls section.
Late night typing...
D |
Has everyone noticed that Brightstar came out with a cheaper version of the Gallo stand? I guess a little grousing by the public elicited a response from the company. $200 less might attract a few more purchases from Gallo owners. I'd probably have gone that route if it was available when I purchesd mine... |
Dave
I like your idea of making stands. And I am interested in the BDR cones to replace the stock feet. Which cones did you use?
thanks
matthew |
Matthew,
I used the 4's, but think the 3's would work equally well, depending on whether you wanted more warmth, or detail out of your speakers.
Dave |
Dave
Thanks, I think I will try the cones.
Do you have any photos of your stands?
matthew |
Matthew,
See my system page. Click on the word sytem next to my name.
Thanks,
Dave |
Dave
Thanks for the tip on finding the photos. Wow! Looks nice and obviously pretty stable. Too bad I live so far away from you (Ontario, Canada). I bet it would be great to listen in person.
Anyways, I'm going to try the BDR cones you suggested. And who knows, perhaps new stands in the future.
matthew |
Matthew,
If you try the BDR cones, you'll need to get the adapters from BDR too. The thread size of the BDR cones is different from the thread size of the Gallo cones. I don't remember the difference in sizing off hand, but BDR sells a short adapter. It is somewhat short though. I actually had a local machine shop make up longer threaded rods so I'd have some room for adjustment.
Rolloff |
Dave
What is the adaptor called?
thanks
matthew |
matthew,
They're 8mm adaptors.
Rolloff |
Dave
thanks I'll try them out!
matthew |
