Gallo vs. Quads ESL 57

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.

I like your warm red wine metaphor! I have a Shindo/EAR combination, and they are wonderful. The Shindo adds realism, but it's not too warm. It's just real. The EAR I own (the 890) is fairly neutral and strong in the low frequencies. the music has weight. Just because I like to experiment, I have been thinking about replacing my EAR with a Shindo amp, but apparently Shindo and Quad is not a good combination...if I move to a different speaker, I might move to a full Shindo rig too.

PS: I have a friend who literally put $100k in components behind the Gallo 3.1. The soundstage was impressive, the details revealing, but I just like the warmth of the English sound over Gallo. 2 hours listening to his rig brought on fatique. One of the reasons I am really up on nearfield monitors is they are designed with long listening periods. I think your EAR/Shindo combo will really shine with the Harbeths. They really have some of the better attributes in the musical experience, like bloom, decay and seemless cadence.