question for Gallo Ref owners


A hi-end novice friend of mine is moving residences and for the first time is exploring improving his music system more seriously. I managed to do a convert, ...the more the merrier. Given his budget, I have advised him speakers between Gallo Ref and Zu Druid both of which are available here in HK. (he wants full range and dynamic capability) This is based on my own listening exp which were not extended by any means but were enough to convince me that both were extraoridnary in their own right, especially for their pricing levels.

The friend first visited Gallo, Apparently the dealer here (I was not present) drove them thru Naim amplification, I think it was an integrated plus another pwr amp to drive the bass drivers. While he loved it, he is hesistant to spend that much money (US$5-6000) on just amplification which we can all understand especially for someone who is first entering our world.

So the question is ...for Gallo Ref owners out there what integrated or pre-pwer combination of price tags of US$3000 or less would you recommend? What has worked well in your exp? Help me to help him, we need more audiophiles!
henryhk
Running them with a Cary SLI-80 Signature will yield exactly what you seem to seek. The Cary can be obtained used for around $2,000 US, is easy to bias and takes a wide compliment of tubes.
I'm running the DK Design VS1 MK.2 with the Gallos, and am extremely happy with the results- deep soundstage, holographic imaging, lovely tonal balance. I intend to add the Gallo sub amp later in the year just to see what results it yields.
tubes may be intimidating for a novice...an SS? what about Arcam, Exposure, Ayre, Sim Audio?
I've just introduced the TAD-60 tube amp to go with a Placette passive pre (total <$2500). The instrumental articulation, detail, tonal accuracy, depth, staging and musicality have all appreciably improved. I think it matches the gallo quite well - it smooths some of the brightness of the tweeter, and it really shows off the mid-range beauty of the speaker. I also don't feel compelled to rush out and get a sub-woofer amp. I've only been listening to the TAD for 3 days so I haven't yet gotten beyond my initial impressions and enthusiasm. It'll take more time before I reach a more considered view. Just wanted to share my experiences with matching Gallos.
Bob