Gallo 3.1.....mapleshade or brightstar stands?

The 4" thick maple stands Mapleshade used to sell for the Reference 3 and 3.1 are simply outstanding. They transformed my Ref 3s so totally that another Ref3 owning friend bought a pair immediately. They give the speakers a stronger, more authoritative lower midrange and bass and have no downsides at all IMO. Yes they're pricy (near $800 as I recall), but as far as I'm concerned they are worth every penny.

Earlier I had special stands crafted for the Ref 3s by Stein Audio because I wanted to raise the speakers farther off the ground. but didn't like the looks of the Bright Star stands. They were okay but nothing like the Mapleshade ones.

Dopogue...did you hear the Gallos on Bright Stars? I agree the Mapleshades look a lot better but aesthetics aren't as important as sound or $$$?

Templetech, actually the custom sand-filled stands that I had made for my Gallos LOOKED better than either, but neither they nor the Bright Stars offer the mass and damping/coupling that (I think) make all the difference.

Sound Anchors could probably make you some stands that might save you some money on your project. I had some made for a pair of speakers once and was pleased with them.