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Gallo Reference 3.1; What integrated amp?

Hello,

I am a proud owner of a pair of Gallo Reference 3.1 speakers. I'm now in the market for a new integrated amplifier with a good phono stage or an additional separate phono stage (cartridge is a Sumiko Blackbird MC)

Unfortunately where I live there are virtually no stores that carry really high end hi-fi gear so I can actually go have a listen and I've been doing all of my research on the net.

I would love some opinions of what you think would be a good match for the Gallo's, amplifier and separate phono stage if required. My budget is up to around $3000-4000, hopefully less.

I've read really good reviews about the Copland CTA 405, a hybrid, which apparently has a good phono stage as well. I was also looking into the Primare I30 which is a high current amp with oodles of power but no phono stage. In tubes Cary Audio SLI-80 looks interesting as well and Eastern electric M520 seems a bargain. What do you think? What would you recommend as a phono stage?

Thanks!
Alexis
a_philippides
spiritualized
138 posts
 
The Gallo sub amp is worth the money imho. Not only do you get an amp to power the second voice coils, you also get a crossover to seamlessly integrate and custom tune the bass to your room and taste. I have owned mine for about a year, and have not regretted the purchase. It does however, take some patience to set the sub amp up correctly as you have several parameters you can fine tune.
a_philippides OP
4 posts
 
Same here I hadn't found much info on the Gallo SA so didn't think about investing into it. It's definitely a big plus to be able to get subwoofer frequencies in one box.

viclondon
19 posts
 
I hope I am not derailing the thread with my enquiry about the Gallo SA bass amp.
I am really tempted by the possibility of having the subwoofer in some way inside tha main speakers and get rid of my very bulky one.
I also intend to use it for movies, besides 2-channels duties. The only problem is that here in England it costs a lot more (around US$2000) but I think I will give it a go anyway.
The two posts above are very encouraging
kkm
124 posts
 
I haven't heard the SA, so I am only speculating here. But wouldn't activiating the 2nd voice coil introduce more vibration to the whole speaker? Not sure if it affects the sound at all. But if I could feel the rumble from my seat, the other drivers would feel it too. I would think that isolating any extraneous vibration is always better thus all these vibration isolation tweaks. My personal choice is to have them seperate.
a_philippides OP
4 posts
 
You have a valid point Kkm, it would introduce more vibration. I don't know if anyone has a more expert opinion on this.

As a follow up, I ended up order the Primare I30 and Primare R20 phono stage and will post my impressions with the Gallo's when I receive the amplifier.
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