Anyone who has heard these speakers have opinions to share? How about 3 vs 3.1 impressions?
I'm interested in them but have no dealers nearby. there are "3" models to be had on Audiogon to be had for under $2K and I'm thinking of perhaps buying some for a tryout.
I did a long, serious audition of the 3.1 at the only good dealer in town. I was not impressed. Re: design, they couldn't be better. But they were really outclassed by Vandersteen 2ce sigs, Magnepan 1.6's and Sonus Faber Concertinos. If you like form over function, get them and be happy. But I just failed to hear what the hype is about.
I heard a pair of the 3s in a high dealers "living room" setup show room. They were excellent, If I could afford them and had the room, they would be on my list to try.
There are several used pairs in the $1800 range on a-gon still. Now that the 3.1s are out people are dumping their 3s, it seems. That may still be out of your range, but there it is.
(I have no fear of buying used speakers from an audiophile.. treated well (and they will be by anybody who appreciates sound), they will easily last 10+ years...)
joseph audio is ALSO a fine speaker. I will be curious to see what you think of them in comparison to each other. I have heard both of thease speakers, but not in enough time of each other for a comparison. I remember the joseph audio as a speaker I would love to own myself, with an electrostatic-like speed.
I am a huge esl fan, and I think that is one of the reasons why I was so taken by the speed of the tweeter on the gallos.
GIVE 'EM A SHOT!!!
now that I know that you have josephs, and like a speedy speaker! They have a different sound, but the treble (at least in the 3.1) is oh so fast. With the right kind of amplification the bass will plumb the depths too.
Yes, I am very pleased with the JAs as well (and if I wasn't a nut I'd just be happy with them and not audition anything else).
I think the speed is due to the Al drivers. They get away with Al without the usual problems by way of their "infinite slope" xover. Or so the marketing literature doth proclaim.
My speakers are powered with Six Pacs (all triode, 55W) blocks. The Gallos will be bi-amped using my Rotel 1066. Currently used only for my little surrounds, I can put it to good use bridging 4 ch into 2 for 150W/ch. Srajan on 6moons was doing this with the Gallos (and an evo amp) and raved about the results.
Well.. I have had the speakers since Wednesday and have listened to them for 20 hours or so since then. I am very impressed.
I am also still very impressed with my current JA Rm25s which is indeed an excellent speaker as well.
But what the Gallos do have over them is that near-total ability to disappear, the likes of which I've not seen before, at least not in speakers in this price range. I've listened to very expensive speakers like the B&W Nautilus that go to great lengths in cabinet construction to achieve the same affect, and in this regard the Gallos are on par with those very expensive speakers. After all, they have essentially no enclosure at all.
I do not yet have the proper amplifiction for the woofer's 2nd voicecoils. Amping them with my Rotel 1066 bridged proved marginal b/c this amp cannot handle the 4ohm load bridged and is not nearly powerful enough non-bridged. So, I ordered 2 used Marantz MA700 monoblocks which do *300 watts* into 4 ohms. I previously owned 2 of these blocks as my main amps and they are serious, clean, cheap muscle. As a bonus the newer models have volume controls which will be very handy in this setup.
In the meantime, I'm running them with my Sunfire sub, same as the JAs, and with the sub set to 30Hz (very low) the bass overall is excellent. The Gallo's mid bass - from maybe 60Hz on up - is stellar. I am only throwing 55 watts of triode power at them now and I can get extremely taut, clean bass (but not terribly low bass) to 90db and above.
What others say about them is essentially true. They are neutral, uncolored, and have a very wide sweet spot. They soundstage and image very well due to their specialized construction. (Although - they are not *light years* ahead of other good speakers in this regard by any means. My JAs are totally traditional construction, with boxy enclosures, standing waves and all, and while they don't disappear like these Gallos, their "boxy resonances" are indeed barely noticable and their imaging is first-rate as well.)
These are my initial thoughts. I am still switching back and forth some. I feel that the JAs may have a slightly clearer or less-strained upper-mid. They are, in fact, remarkable *close* in sound overall, which I suppose all really good speakers ought to be.
When the Marantz blocks come this week I'l make my final decision. If I go with the Gallo's the JAs will go on Audiogon and I already have a buyer for my sub (friend) which will certainly be unneeded - the Gallos go down to 22Hz bi-amped.
I know someone who sold his gallos 3.0 last year and got the 3.1 this year, he told me it is even better than the disappearing act the 3.0 did. i read some very great reviews on the anthony gallos 3.0 and especially the 3.0 at absolute sound. according to the reviewers, cant' go wrong with these very well made loudspeakers.
I am dubious about the benefits of the 3.1s over the 3s. Granted, a crossover cap change can be audible, but this and a new magnet in the drivers is an updated speaker? I found it curious that the problems that the 3.1s supposedly "fix" were not mentioned in ANY of the glowing reviews of the 3s (most notably that of 6moons.com).
I am now bi-amping with the Marantz blocks (300 watts into 4 ohms) and I think this is about the best juice for this application - ample, and cheap. The extension and TIGHTNESS of the bass is pretty amazing. This is the first completely sealed speaker I have owned and I don't know that I'll ever be able to go to a ported speaker again.
It is indeed pretty impressive. My sub is now gone. I've already had a couple visitors - one audiophile, one not - pretty amazed at both the depth of the bass and the amazing soundstage these things throw. (The non-audio person would not believe that there weren't other speakers hidden somewhere.)
That said, I do miss the JAs a bit (sold - gone). The day before I shipped them, I listened to them for 3 hours, and I think that they have just a bit on the Gallos when it comes to mids - and, well, what's more important than mids? But it is not a lot. Completely 1st-rate speakers themselves, as well, to be sure.
Guess there is no completely perfect speaker. Or maybe just not below the cost-no-object threshold.