Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Gallo Acoustics Reference III Speakers by Doc Sarvis General speaker questions for audio and home theater.

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Model:	Reference III
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$2600
Description:	4-driver 3-way hybrid
Manufacturer URL:	Gallo Acoustics
Model Picture:	View

Review by Doc Sarvis ( A ) on September 27, 2005 at 09:18:23 IP Address: 205.208.209.108

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Every once in a while in the world of hi-fi (as in life), something comes along that one immediately recognizes as being the start of a new trend. When CDs first appeared on the scene, it was not too difficult to recognize them as harbingers of permanent change – nothing in music would ever be exactly the same again. A similar thing happened with iPods – the design was so different and so efficient, anyone could see that the downloading phenomenon had come of age, and that this product would lead the way, spawning countless imitators.

It was with a similar “buzz” that I first heard about the Gallo Nucleus Reference3 speakers, although the noise was limited this time to the more rarified “audiophile” press. The first “wave” came with a now-famous article in The Absolute Sound, which fawned relentlessly over the Gallos, claiming that the bar had been raised for standards of quality in an affordable speaker. (Using the term “affordable” to describe a $2600 product, in a society in which speakers usually don’t cost even a tenth as much, shows just how “rarified” the audiophile press really is!) The chatter continued, through both print and online audiophile media. Everything about the Gallos was different, from their super-futuristic, alien-looking design, to their strange input terminal configuration, to their long break-in process (said to require playing at painfully loud volumes), and lastly to their uncanny, almost eerie, even scary ability to project 3-D holographic sound images, especially at ear-splitting levels. This quality, it was said, set the Gallos apart from almost any other speaker at almost any price. Yes, everything about them was different – and apparently, nothing would ever be the same again.

In this atmosphere of excited discussion, I decided that I had to try the Reference3's. Calling upon a trusted dealer acquaintance to fix me up with a pair (all the publicity has made them somewhat hard to find), I made the necessary arrangements to replace my three-year-old (ancient by the standards of my system) but still well-loved B&W CDM-7NTs with the Gallos. Parting from the B&Ws was traumatic, but I kept telling myself that “variety was the spice of life”. After a long road trip to pick them up (no Gallo dealers exist where I live, and shipping my new treasures just seemed so impersonal and dangerous), I had them out of their rather substantial crates (shipping would have been no problem) and ready to be hooked up.

Of the “differences” I’d read about in the press, the first I was able to confirm was the appearance of these speakers. In this regard, the buzz had it right – they are truly odd-looking. I worried that the missus would flatly disapprove of their looks (especially in the wake of the button-down, conservative British-ness of the B&Ws). But, she was happy enough with them – as long as the grilles were left on. I was surprised how conventional they could look in their fully-dressed state. Also, taking off the grilles is not as simple as on some speakers; they are attached by three solid bolts that affix to the speaker’s “tower” (or “Gallo’s pole” as one English writer quipped). The upshot of all this is that the grilles are on, and will likely stay on.

I did take a look at the speakers with the grilles off, however, and I won’t even attempt to describe them to you. Trust me; you can’t imagine what they look like unless you see a picture. For now, suffice it to say that the Gallos feature a side-firing 10-inch woofer (each speaker’s woofer fires in the opposite direction, and the manual is somewhat ambivalent as to whether the owner should set them up firing inwards or outwards – mine are firing to the outside, it’s a matter of personal taste), and a double tweeter assembly joined by a midrange driver in the middle. Supposedly, no crossover circuit is used, but that’s beyond the technical limitations of this review – or this writer.

Two other things I noticed on first viewing: First, they really are quite small, much more so than they appear in the pictures. With the grilles on, they are not really much shorter than my old B&Ws, but without the covers, the tapering “tower” gives them an unexpectedly diminutive profile. Second, these things are built like absolute tanks. (Well, tanks from some strange sci-fi future perhaps, but tanks nonetheless.) The build quality on these speakers is quite unlike anything I’ve seen in hi-fi equipment. They should last a millennium or two.

Finally, the time had come to hook them up. Here’s where another “buzz” issue came into play: the input terminals. Most “high-end” speakers have two sets of binding posts, one for the woofer and one for the midrange and tweeter drivers. This approach permits “bi-wiring”, in which separate connections are made from the amp to each set of posts, usually accomplished by specially configured (and expensive) cables. The Gallos, however, don’t work this way (and I realized that my expensive bi-wire cables would be going up for sale on E-bay shortly). The Reference3’s have two set of posts, but only one is for the inputs from the amp. The other is for inputs from a separate subwoofer amp (“soon to be forthcoming” according to Gallo; for what it’s worth, that has been repeated now for nearly a year), that will drive a separate voice coil in the woofer, supposedly plummeting the speakers to the subterranean bass response normally associated with subwoofers. Since I already use a sub in my system, I’m in no great hurry to look into this option (which is lucky since it’s not yet available!), but it does represent an intriguing upgrade path for the years ahead. (I’ve heard that some Gallo owners have driven the second voice coil with a non-Gallo amp, but at the moment I’d be skittish to do so).

I hooked up the speakers to my PS Audio HCA-2 power amp (150 WPC), which in turn was fed by my Cary SLP-88 tubed pre-amp. I’m not much for expensive cables or interconnects, so I used the cheapest things I could feel good about given the now-useless bi-wires that lay strewn in my listening room: I picked up a pair of $90 Silver Sonic T-14s when I bought the Gallos. A few moments later, I was ready to begin the audition. It’s always fun, when getting new equipment, to pick out some really interesting music for the first sound I hear through the new stuff. This time, I went with the new SACD release of RCA’s classic "Hi-Fi Fiedler", a golden age recording known for its range and stereo imaging.

Within thirty seconds, I realized that I have done the right thing with the Gallos. I immediately saw (or more accurately, heard) what the reviewers were talking about when they raved about the soundstage and holographic presentation. It’s hard to describe, but quite simply: The music was circulating around the speakers, but not coming from the speakers. Within my first minute of listening, I could literally stand directly in front of one speaker, and still have sound images coming at me from the space between the two of them. This has never happened to me with any other speaker at any price. Could it be the side firing woofer? The lack of a boxy enclosure to isolate the sound? I don’t know, but the effect is dramatic. With the grilles off, the effect is even more pronounced. Unadorned, the Gallos are like something out of a Dali painting, with music happening nearby. This may seem like hype, but it’s not – it’s the truly remarkable thing about the Gallos, and why they really may be destined to represent the revolutionary change that iPods and CD Players brought to the scene, at least within the high-end universe if not for the masses.

But there was much more. I immediately noticed a marked improvement in detail and midrange smoothness, along with bass and treble response at least equaling what I had previously heard. I started playing disc after disc, CDs, SACDs, and vinyl, through the Gallos, and each time I was delighted with the results. Everything just sounded better. One of my first auditions was Michael Tilson-Thomas’s recording of Mahler’s 4th Symphony on SACD, a recording that I thought was characterized by somewhat strident string tone. Now, the sheen was gone, and I realized why some reviewers had praised this disc to the skies for its sound quality. Yet, at the same time, the sound was not veiled in any way. Classical music through the Gallos gave me the separation of inner voices, clarity and detail that I normally associated with live concerts.

Switching to a different sound, I reached for the new 35th anniversary remaster of Gentle Giant’s contrapuntal masterpiece "In a Glass House". The detail and dynamic range I heard was astounding; every one of the thirty-some instruments the band supposedly employed for that album could be individually distinguished in a manner I’d not previously heard, even with the same remaster.

On and on I went, trying every imaginable genre and type of recording, and each time I was astounded with what I heard. I even tried different tube combinations, and was able to hear subtle differences, seemingly unclouded by the speakers themselves.

At this point in my evaluation, I tried to formulate an opinion about the rest of the “buzz” topics about which I’d read. The first had to do with the inordinately long break-in time. According to the conventional wisdom (and even backed up in the manual), the Reference3’s will sound good right out of the box, but then undergo a “metamorphosis”, through muddy bass and ill-defined midrange, before finally emerging from the cocoon and coming into their own, sound wise. In order to facilitate this process, the owner is supposed to play the Gallos at very high volumes (90 db is suggested – just below Who-concert levels!) for upwards of 100 hours before they are officially “ready”.

My experience has not exactly borne this out. I have noticed subtle sonic differences as the speakers break in, but not really the “curve” described from other listeners. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that these are by far the best-sounding speakers I’ve owned, but for me the have sounded good all along (albeit with subtle changes in sound as they break in). Who knows, perhaps the best is yet to come!

This brings me to the last of the Gallos’ “buzz topics” – the speakers’ love of volume. I have, in order to speed up the break-in process, played them at louder levels than I’m used to. (In fact, when I leave the house, I sometimes crank them up to a point approaching the deafening 90db threshold – much too loud for actual listening – before I walk out the door).

This experience brought me to see the truthfulness of the last point: The Gallos are at their best when played at higher volumes. I don’t know exactly why this is, but there’s something about the sound that encourages the listener to “turn ‘em up”. Perhaps the realistic imaging invites playing them at real symphony orchestra volumes? I don’t know, but it may be necessary for some owners to fight this impulse, out of respect for the neighbors (or one’s own hearing, for that matter). Having said this, it’s nice to know that such an experience awaits just by turning the knob.

The Gallo Nucleus Reference3 speakers truly live up to their hype. They represent a radical departure from traditional speaker design (readily apparent even to me, a non-technical music fan), and have the potential to rewrite what a speaker is supposed to do, despite its price. Look for many copycats in the years to come - Gallo has created a winner.

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Product Weakness:	See Above
Product Strengths:	See Above

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Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	See Above
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	See Above
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Various
Speakers:	Not Applicable
Cables/Interconnects:	Garden Variety
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	See Above
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

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