Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Gallo Acoustics Solo Speakers by Audiophilander

These unusual transducers evoke more controversy than a certain world leader's Freudian cigar manipulations. They are indeed alien in appearance; some would say comical, others unattractive or even ugly. My wife and I, and most visitors to our home for that matter, find their other worldly "eyeball & top-hat" look quite elegant, which also describes their sound.

The Solos are the little brothers to the Gallo Reference speakers, the most notable difference being the omission of the second "bass-ball" beneath the proprietary tweeter (CDT) assembly. Soundwise, the Solos have been described as everything from lean to warm. Having heard them with a variety of components in a small listening room during auditions at the audio dealer's shop as well as a larger listening room after purchase I would have to say that the Solo's resolving ability is highly dependent upon three main factors; in this order:

1) speaker placement

2) room size

3) associated electronics

I have come to the conclusion from living with these remarkable speakers for over a year that the quality of source input, amplification, and "wire" while critical to appreciating the full richness of presentation and detail resolving ability, isn't as crucial as speaker placement (for soundstage and imaging) and room size (bass loading, which contibutes to either a "warmer" or "leaner" presentation). My solution to correcting perceived lean-ness in a large listening room (converted garage) was incorporating my old warhorse Velodyne ULD-18 subwoofer, which adds weight and texture more than sound. The bottom octave while audible is far less directional, so I've found the use of one subwoofer sufficient to fill in the missing information. Now subwoofers don't float everyone's boat, because system synergy is often difficult to achieve even with the best of equipment in most neutral sound environment, but in this particular instance everything fell into place in a virtually seamless manner, speaker positioning (Solos & sub) being the key!

While I'm sure that there are many excellent speakers which perform admirably when paired with fine electronics, Anthony Gallo has designed the anomaly; that is, reasonably priced high-end speakers which perform well with a wide range of electronics, placement being the most critical factor. The uniquely futuristic tweeter design which resolves inner detail with an electrostactic-like smoothness also provides holographic imaging through it's remarkable dispersion characteristics; the round "bass-ball" eliminates resonances which often impede accurate bass reproduction in box designs.

Sadly, it is my understanding that the manufacturer has ceased production of these fine speakers along with the twin "bass-ball" Reference design in order to devote his energies to establishing a line of mass market home theater speakers. Such is the world of audio, ever changing and evolving. Nevertheless, in my honest opinion the Nucleus Solo series are among the finest speakers short of Bill Gate's bank account.

In short, audiophiles will continue to seek the "Holy Grail", perhaps finding it, perhaps not. For my money these Solos have already demonstated their ability to fly alone among the eagles and deserving of classic status a'la Quad ESL; I'll leave the hunt for a Holy Grail to Indiana Jones!

AuPh (Robert Cat Conrad)

REVIEW: Gallo Acoustics Solo Speakers Review by Audiophilander at Audio Asylum