Gallo Reference 3.1 questions...

It's been a while since I last posted and the Gallos are now fully broken in... and sounding great! But it's not just the break-in that has made them sound better. I also made some key setup and environment changes. Here are the four things I did to bring these speakers up to performance on par with my previous speakers:

1) Z axis + : I went to Home Depot and bought 4 of the heaviest retaining wall stones I could find. At 46 lbs each I placed two under each speaker. This raised the height by 5 inches and provided a more solid base than my thick shag rug. The effect is to expanded and raise the sound stage and further tighten the bass. The tweeter is now slightly above my ear level. So I agree with folks who have replaced the wood base and/or otherwise raised these speakers: It does make the sound stage more realistic.

2) X axis: The speakers are now about 6' feet apart and not towed in at all. Used to be 7' and slightly towed in.

3) Y axis: I'm now sitting 4' back, used to be 5' back. This is closer than I have ever sat to a pair of speakers I've owned. It's almost near field listening, but not quite. I've still playing with this parameter a bit, but love the imaging I get right here right now.

4) WAF: Hung a heavy rug on the wall behind the speakers. This cut some reflections which I suspect was causing mid-range cancellations.

Now the mid-range is dialed in, very present, and if not forward, certainly not laid back I would say the porridge is just right. My mid-range test disks/songs include Sam Cooke's vocals on the live Coppa album and trombone in The Moche on Stereophile's Jazz album. Female vocals (Alison Krause, Eva Cassidy, Jacintha) sound rich and full. All sound as good as I remember the KEFs. Certainly, I am no longer straining to pull out the midrange. That trombone is now totally in my face and Sam is in the room. Sax, trumpets, and pianos all are now sounding great and I'm pulling out albums I haven't listened to in quite some time.

Speaking of older albums, these now sound better, but still not great. For instance, the old Sanborn album Hide Away from the eighties. Love the tunes, but the cymbals still sound very metallic and over processed. I attribute this, as on the KEFs, to excellent detail communication. I've heard this album on lesser speakers (Pardigm 80s) and you don't get that same digital sound. I consider this a loss of information, but YMMV as older albums certainly sound better on the Paridgms.

The imaging is still excellent/exceptional with well placed instruments. Heavy Weather exhibits that all important "wrap around sound" effect on the low synth note mid song. The Gallos and the KEFs are the only two speakers I've heard that can pull this off. I also use Jaco's bass on this album as a good test of articulate expressive bass. For treble I listened to the cymbals on Take Five. The Gallos have great treble and I can clearly hear the wood sticks on the brass plate. Very few speakers I've heard can make cymbals sound like they do live. The Gallos can do this with ease.

So in summary, I made several changes to clear up the recalcitrant mid-range and increase the height of the sound stage. These changes, and a healthy break-in period, have turned these into real keepers that rival the best speakers I have heard.

Danmyers, Great write up on your Gallo experience. I have had mine for about 9 months now and they just get better and better sounding. I have found that they also love to be worked. When playing symphonic music, with all of it's dynamics, I play the music loud and the Gallo's just eat it up. After a good work out with loud symphonic music they just seem to sound better overall. Its like a thoroughbred who loves and needs a good run once in awhile.

You're right Bean, I didn't mention dynamics, but the Gallos do it very well. In my "journey" I've focused on what was different than my KEF 104/2s. Both speakers are very dynamic and I'd call it a tie.

Also agree that they like to be cranked (or I like to crank them :) from time to time. Mostly I listen with the gain at 9 to 10 O'Clock. Haven't taken a db reading but it's a comfortable listening level that is high enough to mask external noises (those with young children know what I'm talking about :). Loud is 11 to 1 O'Clock. I'm more of a jazz, rock, fusion guy, so I really enjoy cranking some of the more well done SACD rock albums (Deep Purple, Dire Straights, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, BOC, etc). Now some have really no dynamics to speak of, they are just brawlers. But the Brother in Arms and Dark Side of the Moon albums do.

Mostly I listen to smallish jazz/fusion ensembles where I focus on the interplay, syncapation, and flow of the group. What classical albums do you recommend to showcase speaker dynamics?

Danmeyer, For crashing cymbals that will make you jump and kettle drums that will rattle the china then Mahler, symphonies 5-9, are the way to go. But, and this is a big but, Mahler is definitely an acquired taste and not everyones cup of tea. If you are looking for more "classical" classical music then I would recommend Beethoven's Ninth. Many maintain that this is the greatest symphony ever written and you will find many melodies in it that are familiar to you. Whatever you decide to get I have found that the better recordings cost more. Good Luck and enjoy the music!

Thanks Bean, could you please be more specific: which albums do you recommend to highlight the Gallos dynamism? In genres I'm familiar with I'd recommend a few SACD CDs. One is Flim & the BBs Tricycle. It's old but well recorded GRP digital sound that goes from dead silence to 100% saturation on several songs. I think they were really enjoying the ability to record the full dynamic range with zero distortion for the first time. Next I'd recommend Weather Report Heavy Weather, Beck's Sea Change (multi-channel) or Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of the Mood (love the clocks!), and/or Dire Straights Brother in Arms. On that last album the song "The Man's To Strong," has a stun guitar that provides a dynamic assault that will knock you out of your chair! If you don't have SACD I'd recommend Steriophile's Rendezvous disc which has a very wide dynamic range and you'll love that trombone in The Mouche.

So there are a few I'd recommend and I'd really appreciate some specific recommendations for classical well recorded and played albums with startling dynamics. I simply don't know where to start but want to hear them on the Gallos. Thanks in advance.

As a side note I've been listen to the Ref 3.1s all day (and night) long. What a joy! Pure musical emotion, no fatigue :) I am really so very happy with these speakers. It did take a while to get here, and I had my doubts about the midrange, too. But with some attention to setup details it has met my lofty expectations as a worthy replacement for my aging KEFs. I have been able to successfully replace a highly regarded speaker that I truly cherished. Now I have new speakers as good and in some cases better (bass) that should last another 10+ years.