Gallo vs. Quads ESL 57

Hi,

Back to the original question...

Whether you prefer the Quads to the Gallos as the better "overall" speaker can only be determined by listening.

Objectively, you'll be gaining some things by moving to the Gallos, and also losing others. You'll get more dynamic control, tigher bass, better bass dynamics, more "authority" as you put it, and tighter imaging.

You'll lose some of the startling transparency that the Quads are known and loved for. Granted, the Gallos are pretty transparent themselves, but not much out there at any price can compare to the Quads here.

If it was me, I would take the Gallos for the "overall" speaker, as they are more genre independent, and work well for rock, symphonic, chamber, etc. The Quads will do small classical ensembles better, though.

Again, though, the only way to know is to try them.

having heard both and own pk quads,i would say the quads,wthin their range, have a balanced frequency response,whereas,the gallos seem a bit peaky in the upper mids/lower treble.

the quads seem more natural with respect to timbral accuracy.

Your Japanese components match very well with Harbeth and Spendor products. You might want to audition the British BBC Sound. Don't know your budget, but there are some nice reviews out there on these products, including Harbeth's new 40.1s. Not surprisingly, the reviewer is using a similar setup as yours. I think that Shindo/Harbeth has all the tubey magic you could wish for.

PS: Some Audiogoners referred me in 2007 to a wonderful dealer named Gene Rubin Audio in Ventura, CA who specializes in these English products. He might be able to offer up another opinion. I have not bought anything from him, but he has wonderful insight from handling these products over three decades. I can also recommend a Gallo/English dealer named Sound Asylum in Venice, California.

Bongofury, thanks for your suggestion. I never tried the Harbeth's but I think I should. On paper most of them do not seem to reach below 40hz, but that is probably enough for a small room. I wonder how the Harbeth's (for instance their 7es3) compare to the Reference3a DeCapo i, which I use in my second system.

You will find them warm and musical. They light up vocals, the female voice is a specialty, and they really love vintage analogue vinyl.

The 7es3s are exceptional; actually, my favorite in their line. They were developed in tandem with the BBC studios and were made to be listened to over long periods of time. Pleasing is an understatement. They have a fat mid-range, modest bass, and the 7es3s are a little better in the higher frequencies than most BBC-oriented speakers (i.e. Spendor and Tannoy). They were designed for mixing rooms and editing bays, so they will excel in small rooms.

PS: I have been in the live music and event marketing space for 30 years. I have used ATC speakers for professional editing, where knowing the subtle differences in tracks are most important. ATC are very detailed and neutral but typically need 100 watts of amplification. Like a bone dry white wine. If I had to choose one set of products for a dream, at-home system, I would recommend Shindo and Harbeth. They remind me of a warm red wine. I could see myself having six hour listening sessions on a weekend.

PS: How do you like your Shindo products? I have been eyeing them myself.