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Gallo Reference 3.1 questions...

Howdy,

Just toying with the idea of owning some Gallo Ref 3.1s...

TOYING!

The sub amp is described by some as mandatory, while others describe the speakers as bass rich even without it. Shall I merely infer from this that those who think it mandatory are big ol' bass fiends? Certainly with a 10" driver, I can't imagine it sounding at all anemic.

If a sub amp really is neccessary, does it HAVE to be the Gallo? Couldn't I just use any old amp to run the woofs? Not for nothing, but they need to have their speaker designers take 10 minutes off and help the amp dudes come up with a nicer looking amp. It looks like a DIY kit.

What would be smokin IMO, looks wise, is a Jeff Rowland Concerto integrated running the speakers and a pair of 201s running the subs.

Next Q... I have a tiny joint. Actually I stopped smoking. I have a small apartment. If I placed the Gallos in the hallowed 1.5 foot squares of floorspace I have allocated for speakers, with woofers facing each other, the left one would be inches away from my TV/audio stand, woofer pointing at the rack. The stand is open sided, not solid sided, but I wonder if this could pose a problem.

If I set them up with woofers facing away from each other, the right one would point into my kitchen area, but the left one would face a window about 2-3 ft away, with a big fat AC in it. In the summer the AC runs quite a bit.

OTOH, reviews seem to indicate that the staging on these is very wide (but short, I know), so I wonder just how critical placement is anyway.

Any insights?

Thanks

Rob
rkny
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
I'm driving mine with SET monoblocks producing 12 wpc in an 18x40' room. Plus the Gallo SA amp on the bottom octave only. Does that answer your question?

:-)
tantra
31 posts
 
I have Gallo Ref3 speakers driven by C-J Premier 12 amps. These amps provide WAY more power than I need, and I like music loud. 100W should be plenty for a small room. The Ref3's are actually much easier to drive than you would think based on their sensitivity. Because they use a serial crossover between woofer and midrange, and no crossover between mid and tweeter, the impedance curve is very benign. I would suggest you feed them with tube amplification. At least a tube preamp.

I also own a Gallo subamp but never use it. Yes it delivers strong fast bass, but it is too dry for my taste. What works really well for me is to use a REL Storm sub driven by the C-J's. With the REL placed near my listening position, I get better bass integration than with the Gallo subamp. The bass is a bit richer and fatter this way, reflecting the low-end signature of the C-J's. I have tried the Ref3's with the woofers firing inside and outside. I settled on outside, but you should experiment. Inside firing may be better for your small listening room.

The Gallo Ref3's are very special speakers. With good upstream components, I am not sure you can do better and any price.
bondmanp
1,808 posts
 
I auditioned a pair of Gallo Ref 3s last night. System was a Musical Fidelity 5.5 CD player, Rogue Audio Metis pre, Arcam amplifier. In most respects, I was extremely impressed - huge soundstage, good imaging, excellent definition, detail and timbre. Some of the smoothest highs (without loss of detail) I've heard for less than $6K/pr. The bass was very extended and powerful, highs extended, with some (but not lots) of air. I did not find them to be "dry" at all, as some have described them. On the contrary, there were numerous occassions of the hair on the back of my neck standing up during vocal selections. Dynamics were impressive for a small speaker, too. So far, it is on a very short list of potential upgrades from my Vandy 1C/2Wq speakers. Note - the demo was without the bass amp, and I will retain the Vandy 2Wq subwoofers rather than get the Gallo amp.

My question to owners (past and present) and others familiar with the Ref 3s, is regarding the upper bass range. I noticed a pronounced plumbiness in the upper bass region. So much so that it gave the Ref 3s a box resonance-like sound (of course, there is no box, so it is just way it sounded, not a cabinet resonance). Is this a flaw in the speaker? Perhaps the room? They were fairly close to the back wall, aimed straight out, about 6' apart, and 15" from the side walls. Perhaps the proximity to the walls was emphasizing this region? Please let me know what your experience is with the Ref 3s in this range, visa-vis positioning, associated gear, etc.

Thanks!!
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
Sounds like a serious case of inept positioning. There is no "plumminess in the upper bass region" in my system or in the system of a friend I sorta browbeat into trying (and subsequently buying) the Ref3s. On the other hand, I've heard them sound bad when they were (1) not broken in and/or (2) plopped near the back wall. Mine, and my friend's, are out 6' from the back wall and well away from the side walls too, with the woofers aimed outward. Experimentation with toeing them in, just a little, can make a pleasant difference too. Dave
jamesgarvin
42 posts
 
I agree. In my room, they are incredibly flat from about 120 hz on up. As I previously wrote, my room has a suckout beginning about 90 hz. I suggest that what you are hearing is either the upstream components, more likely the room, set up, or a combination of all three.
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