Official Anthony Gallo Owners Thread - Page 4

But wouldn't side firing woofers be better than rear if it has to go up against a wall?

Sure! Speakers that fire some drivers to the rear are especially tricky to position and wall cleareance is mandatory. You won't have that problem with the Gallo's although most owners recommend some distance from the wall. I just couldn't predict how they would sound against the wall, in your room. The woofers are a different matter. You have got to have clearence to the side in the direction that they fire. The speakers are mirror images of each other so they are positioned so that the woofers are either pointing in or out.

You know I didn't notice much of a difference between them. If you see the charts I posted earlier in this thread, you can see that they measure the same as well.

Whenever I listen to music, it's mostly in 2 channel. I have the mains crossed at 40Hz and I leave the sub on. The Fathom integrates very well with the Gallos.

Unfortunately, I've developed a problem with one of my Reference 3s.
They were a demo pair, so if the dealer does not handle it, I guess I'm stuck shipping them off to Gallo and eating the repair costs, which will probably be a ton.
Oh well.
Still waiting on the Ref Center and Adiva Tis. Seller is taking absolutely forever to ship.

There's a guy on Audiogon selling 3.1 pairs for $2,000 ($2,100 with upgraded base). Brand new. How is he able to do it so cheap new in box?

What happened? The warranty is 5 years, why should you pay more than one way shipping?

I don't know but the price is a steal. I also don't know what resale does to the warranty. You may want to give Gallo a call or drop them an email to ask.

Tx for taking the time to post the pix vishal. Looks like you have a killer setup. I'll bet the theater and music in your room is phenomenal. I'm a little jealous of the amount of room that you have to work with.

Thanks for the compliments. Being a bachelor allows me the flexibility of having very little furniture - we'll see how much that changes after I get married at the end of May

The midrange drivers are blown. They don't distort, and generally sound fine, except they don't play the full range of sound they should. The lower mid/upper bass frequencies are just plain missing. Both drivers also play at an overall lower volume than they should, and the bottom mid plays even lower than the top. I can't see how the speakers could have blown out after a week of ownership, and I never even played them loudly, so who knows.
I've already done all the testing to rule out any other gear.
I still need to find out for sure. The dealer I purchased the speakers from is in California and I'm in New Jersey. They have been speaking to Gallo, but I'm not sure if that constitutes an "internet purchase" which as far as I know, Gallo does not warranty.

"Dislikes: For music, the Micros lack a little bit on the low end, leaving a small gap between them and the subwoofer, but that's about it..."

You might want to consider replacing the Micros with Dues, they have much better bass response. I *know* they are discontinued, but so what? Everything is eventually discontinued. FYI, there are a pair of Dues on Audiogon.com right now for $795/obo, these would be a fantastic upgrade for your current system.

BTW, I am currently running Gallo Ref 3.1s for Front L/R, Due Center, and Due Rear L/R, with a 10" Earthquake sub handling the .1 duties. This system is flat-out incredible! I doubt I will make any changes to it for the next 10-15 years, it is that good!!

And, eat your heart out , I snagged the rear Dues from a (rich) audiophile friend of mine for $200 ea. That is NOT a mis-print, $400 for the pair!!! Considering the fact that I purchased the Ref. 3.1s (black with cherry bases, $200 upcharge) for $1700 delivered to my door and I'd have to say that I have one of the best bang-for-the-buck systems that I've ever seeen (heard).

Virtually my entire system was built on Audiogon.com purchases. By using patience and careful shopping, I have been able to assemble a truly champagne system on a meager beer budget. Audiogon RULES!!

The key to assembling a great system on the cheap is to know exactly what you want, and then to be patient (and diligent) enough to wait months until the item you're looking for comes up at the right price. For me, this is no problem. I typically keep my compnonents for many, many years. Spending 6 months (or more!) waiting until the right component at the right price doesn't bother me at all - YMMV.

Go for the Dues, dude, you'll be very glad you did...

-RW-

I bought A'diva Tis for my mains to see how I like them (this is a compromised room with WAF involved). The Gallo rep said that they wouldn't be the best match for the regular Micros (the regular A'divas would be a perfect match), but I wanted to see what they could really do, so I bought them with a 30-day money back option. I'm about 10 days into my testing...

I really like the A'divas, so I think I'll keep them. They blend a lot better with the sub than the Micros for music (which was really the only issue, as you can get away with a lot more for movies). The provide a lot more of the pop when it comes to percussion and sound very smooth overall, a noticeable increase over the Micros. I don't listen to multi-channel music, so timbre matching doesn't have to be dead on. For movies, they seem to blend in perfectly well with the Micros- the only difference is noticing the better response.

I know a lot of people around here say it, but I think I'm done with speakers for quite a while. I'm moving in a month, so it'll be a while before I can even think of more toys. I'm hoping that the house we eventually end up in will have room to split my system, so I can have the Micros in the living areas and a more dedicated HT/music room with the A'divas and maybe 3.1s (and I'll spend time bargain hunting for these).

Hi Guys,
I am new here. I am going to demo a pair of 3.1's this weekend, they are used but only 3 months old. Here is my current system. If I get the 3.1's, I will sell my B&W's.
Steel


B&W CDM7NT, CDMCNT, CDM1NT
Amps: Krell KAV250A, Outlaw M200, Adcom 535
Pre Amps: Krell KAV250P, Outlaw 950
Universal Player: Denon 2900
IC's: StraightWire Encore II, Kimber Hero
Power Conditioner: Belkin PF60
Dac: Bel Canto Dac 1.1

How did this turn out?

It is actually the 2nd time I listened to them. The first time was at the dealer, not a great demo because there were 20 other speakers in the room and the room was terrible sound wise. This time was at a friends house in a dedicated room. They were very good, excellent really. They were only a few onths old and had only 40 hours of use so I think they have to break in a bit more. I am getting the 3.1's with the SA amp. I am not sure what center and surrounds to go with though. The A/V's are just too expensive and I would rather have just more 3.1's for the same money. I was thinging about Dues for surrounds. What do you guys recommend?
Steel

Hi Likecoiledsteel:

FWIW, I have 3 Dues up front and 3 Adiva ti's in the rear (not mine). I listened to the Dues for rear channel and they were overkill. If you have a really big listening room the Dues might be appropriate but for an average room the Adivas sound fine to me. I listen to hi-rez multi-channel music, which is a bit more demanding than movies and they create a wonderful soundfield.

I think it depends on what you are going to use them for.
For HT the dues should be fine. Just think about how much info is being sent to them, not much at all.
But if you are going to use them for music, I would personally get the 3.1s if you can swing it. Having 4 of those things surrounding you in 5 channel stereo mode(thats what I personally like to do, I'm in the minority though) is just magnificent. Thats not to say that the dues wouldn't be though. But most people that are really particular about music generally say that you want the same all the way around. I don't use a center by the way which is another thing that puts me in the minority.

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the info. My 5.1 listening is for movies and gaming only. I use 2 channel only for music. I agree that music is far demanding than movies. Tat is why I put the higher end gear for 2 channel and the 3.1's. I have a choice now to make between the Adiva Ti and the Dues. I have heard neither yet. I can get a slighty used pair of Dues for the same price as a pair of new Adivas.

Repdetect since you are using both, which do you prefer? I like the looks of the Adivas better as the SS spheres match my 3.1 SS. But for the same price, overkill is better. I would rather be oversatisfied than wanting.

tanaka, 4 - 3.1's must be awesome. I figure 5 would be ideal for HT, I just do not have the room and thing the $ would be overkill. I know other who do not use a center with the 3.1's, I will try that first and hopefully will not need one either.
Thanks,
Steel

[quote=Likecoiledsteel]Hi Guys,
Repdetect since you are using both, which do you prefer? I like the looks of the Adivas better as the SS spheres match my 3.1 SS. But for the same price, overkill is better. I would rather be oversatisfied than wanting.


Likecoiledsteel
Dues offer a sound I like better than the A'divas, mainly because of the Kynar tweeter. Not to dismiss the A'Divas, I could live with them instead of the Dues if I had to, especially for movies. But the Dues cast a better soundstage, especially for 2 channel listening. If you listen to material with hi-res info in the rears, then the Dues might be a bit better, but for movies I believe the money spent on Dues would be better spent elsewhere. As much as I like the sound of the A'Divas, they aren't as fast as the Dues because of the Kynar tweeter, it sounds like an electrostatic, which means great transient response. But if you can get used Dues for a price close to the adiva's, go for it, you won't be disappointed with the sound. They would be a better investment in the long run. Whichever way you go, it seems you can't really go wrong.

Hi Rep,
Thanks for the info again. It looks like the Dues are a better choice and I will probabaly go with those. I picked up my 3.1's today. They came with the custom stands from Sound Anchor, here are some pics.
Steel

Very Nice. Thanks for the pix!

All this talk about 3.1s is making me antsy. One of my Refs is at Gallo right now, hopefully getting fixed.
I had to start a claim with google checkout for the a'diva tis and ref center. it's been a month and they haven't shipped. What wonderful luck!

A month is a long time. I ordered a pair of A'diva Tis, and had them within a week shipped straight from Gallo, granted I paid full price. I'd be asking where the holdup is.

For everyone else, Gallo extended their cash rebate for another month, until the end of April. The rebate is $75 for a pair of satellites or a sub, and $150 for any Reference system.

Speaker arrived at Gallo about a week ago. Haven't heard back yet.

Oh, I've been asking. Seller hasn't responded to my emails in about two weeks though. Ebay, Google Checkout, and the Better Business Bureau (it's an online store) have all been contacted. A chargeback comes next.

Hello everyone, I have enjoyed reading about your gallo pleasure.

I have auditioned theses speakers in 3 forms.

First was an A Diva TI system with the TR250 Sub in a small room. This is the most cohesive sound I have ever heard.

I heard the Ref 3.1's next on some macintosh amps and man they are spectacular.

Next I heard the Ref 3.1's with the ref Center and Ref surrounds, but it was not set up properly at first, then the balanced it and I thought there was a good tonal balance with the Ref 3.1 and the Center, but it still didn't have the unity that the Adiva had.

Do you guys think the balance was due to all the same speaker, which was set up properly?

If so, do you think the best system for a room 14X20 would be 5 ref's or do you think getting one of the DUE packages with 5 Due's and the Ref 3.1 for L/R would be a better way to go for a 7 channel system.

I guess I want the power of the 3.1's with the cohesiveness of the A Diva System.

Thoughts?

In my opinion, 5 ref 3's would be overkill. 2 ref 3's and some combination of Dues should be fine.

I went with Ref 3.1's up front, a Ref AV center and Adiva Ti's in the back. Money-wise, I think you can do a Ref AV Center and 2 Adiva Ti's for about the same as using Due's for center and rears.

Ref AV Center $1200, + $600 for a pair of Adiva Ti's
vs 3 Due's at $600 a pop....

I would definitely go the first route!

Dues are discontinued and difficult to find. I think there are white ones out there if you look around. An all Adiva system will be easier to setup and get good coherence in a retail setting. Plus the Adiva has no crossover. However they may or may not be capable of enough dynamics to please you in a room of your size. I think that room size teeters on the border of being too big for Adivas but it will depend on your expectations and how far you sit from them.

Dues/Micros have more timbre shift from the Reference line than Gallo would like us to believe. However many people use Reference 3 L/R, Reference center and Due rears for aesthetic and price reasons and are quite happy. The shift from the fronts to the rears may or may not bother you.