First off, I give these speakers a 9.5 out of 10. They were also positioned next to Monitor Audio Gold 20's and I made a short comparison of American/California made next to a British offering similarly priced. More on that in a bit and many will certainly "flame" and bash me for the comparison remarks, but I encourage the input. The equipment today was MacIntosh power and CD source, with MIT Terminator cables that throw a HUGE soundstage, but overall are not to my liking. Similary, the Mac equip is not my first choice, but that would belong in another section of this website! NEGATIVE FEATURES: These Gallos'are very placement sensitive. They are also toe-in and tilt sensitive. To retain the crystal clear highs and midrange, the spikes would be mandatory on carpeted surfaces. Owners not inclined to experiment with positioning will never achieve fully satisfactory results and will suffer an annoying seated "sweet spot". Despite the 4 cable terminals per speaker, they are not bi-wireable in the normal sense. The secondary terminals are to active a second voice coil (subwoofer) on the high tech bass unit. Of course no cabinet veneers are available and the grill/cover is black. They are avant-garde in appearance and may not suit some decors. ATTRIBUTES: They totally outperformed my KEF's and Thiels. For $2600 they are the equivalent of many $6k-$9k I've heard and outperformed all the other speakers I auditioned at the same shop today regardless of price. There is of course no cabinet, so no diffraction occurs AT ALL. The crossover separates at 125hz for low bass, so there is no crossover-driver drifting, no crossover smear or poor timing or crossover choking or age related crossover component failure or deterioration. HIGHS: pristine, clear, untrimmed, fully revealing, virtually holographic, unrestrained. Voices were natural, upper harmonic details were very well reproduced and natural MIDS: dizzy with inner detail, focus, resolution, tonal accuracy and spatial accuracy There was a detail, openness, exposure of nuance and dynamic quality virtually planar. BASS: the hefty 10" reflex loaded woofer reproduced all analog and digital bass drum, bass guitar and tympani with authority, clarity, impact and impressive slam. The omni directional sideways positioned DUAL voice coil woofer is a better choice for bass performance than multi 5 inch drivers, placed throughout a cabinet.
In sum, these were completely satisfactory performers in all sonic parameters, esp considering the price. But they must be toed, tiltled, placed & positioned carefully. I used the exact same equipment & CD's and hooked up the MA Gold 20's and played them briefly. The technologically sophisticated American made Gallos simply outperformed and outclassed the British offerings in terms of detail, bass slam, tonal resolution and high end performance, at an even lower price. I can't wait to see the reviews in the magazines.