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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
mjhaudio
3 posts
 
How many owners of the Ref3's also use Gallo's sub-amp? If so, what difference does the amp make? I own a pair of the speakers and am considering buying the sub-amp to power the woofer's 2nd voice-coil. Any advice will be wecome.
bgrazman
226 posts
 
i use the sa.

took a while to get it dialed in, but the bass has better attack and more body (but I have some of the big room problems already addressed). I also took some time & effort to get a speaker cable that was better for the low end than the one I was using for my mains--Nordost SPM that was a biwire set... at first, I used one side of the bi-wire for the mains & one side for the second voice coil, but whil eI love the spms for mids & highs, they didn't do the low end justice.
kkm
124 posts
 
Regarding the SA , I haven't heard it, but given the same price, would it make more sense to get a seperate subwoofer? I would think that the 2nd voice call would add more resonance to the whole unit as oppose to a seperate sub unit away from the speaker.

On a somewhat related topic, I've tried the speakers without the points and they really resonate around the speakers, it sounded less focus probably because the vibration carries it back to the whole speaker, with its large base against the floor. I've seen some dealers do without the feet because it is easier for them to move the speakers around, make sure when auditioning they are at least on. I temporarily elevated the speakers with some books to see what that sounded like, and it improved it in 2 areas. There was less resonance since it was further away from the floor and the energy was able to drain away. The image height increase since the tweeter was ear level. I did find someone who does a custom stand at a fraction of the cost of the Bright Star that I should be receiving next week. It's sand fillable and I requested that the height be 6" since I thought 8" is too high, given my experiment, I would think that it would be a marked improvment.
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
Kkm, I'd love to hear more about those custom stands. Dave
bgrazman
226 posts
 
I think kkm is on the right track. I don't think the brightstars are magic, but good stands make a big difference.

However, I find that "energizing" the second voice coil makes for more controlled bass. You get the double benefit of power & control (the magnet acts no matter which way the woofer is moving). But, it does take some time to dial it in (just like putting in a separate sub)--if memory serves, the settings "out of the box" were way way off from where they ended up.

I also found that speaker cable made a big difference for the second voice coil, but this may not be universal (I tried Nordost SPM).

Get something and put on some nice Mark Miller, or Jaco--you will hear the difference!

happy listening,
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