[8thnerve]

So -  lets start naming a few.

Definately agree on the Gallo Reference 3
also:
Von Schweikert VR-2
Devore Fidelity Gibbon 8

I have yet to hear anything else at around $2500 that can touch these three speakers.  In my experience, they work in small (i.e. 11x11) to large (24x28ish) rooms with ease.  All will reward excellent upstream components but won't fall on their face with lesser gear (I am REALLY enjoying the Ref3s right now with my iPod (using the volume control, not line-out) connected to Flying Mole amps and to the Ref3s with Audience Conductor Speaker Cable).

I know many will say this model, that model, etc.  I have heard a LOT of speakers, and I would only be surprised if someone listed a speaker that competes with these three if they had at least a full hour of experience with each of these speakers in a competent setup.  Far too many audiophiles are eager to point out that the speaker that they have is better than all this other stuff because they auditioned that stuff before.  An audition is like a first kiss, some are amazing, some are awkward, some are just terrible, but NONE of them can reliably tell you what the real nookie will be like.

[8thnerve]

However, none of the above are capable of excelling in every regard.  Personal taste aside, a pair of vintage $250 dollar Polk Audio SDA's will trounce the living daylights outta  all three of those speakers when it comes to producing a "live" sound.  All three will also fail horribly to capture the brute force and power of the 2000's.

...

I respectfully disagree.  If personal opinion were set aside, 90% of listeners would find your claim that a pair of vintage Polk anything would "trounce the living daylights" out of any of these three speakers to be absurd (your word).  This is plainly evidenced by the modest acclaim they have recieved already from experts and reviewers alike.  And I can only assume you've never heard any of the above speakers in an appropriate setting if you really believe that "all three will also fail horribly to capture the brute force and power of the 2000's" or ANY other speaker for that matter.  These three speakers fail horribly at nothing.  Even compared to $10,000 + speakers.  Perhaps you exagerrate to make your point but when help is requested, I think we should be as accurate as possible in our comparisons.

My point is that all three of these speakers does actually excell in all areas.  Times are changing as you should be able to attest to with your excitement over inexpensive digital amplification.  They excell so well in all areas in this price range and under that there is no reason to purchase a speaker that significantly compromises in any individual area in any price range.  If you don't believe this, I don't believe you have heard them properly.  

Perhaps I am wrong though.  Can you describe your listening sessions with the listed three speakers and describe the faults that you noticed, especially where they were trounced by $250 competition in one area or another?  And if you wouldn't mind being a little bit more descriptive than "live" sound?  That would help us since "live" sound really just means what we think is the most faithfull to the source, which is an overall attribute.  Details will help us understand what "live" means to you.

[JohnR]

The guy's entitled to his opinion, why does he have to defend it? It's not like you've provided any information to back up *your* opinion.

Besides, he's probably right. A lot of supposedly hifi speakers sound pretty constipated to me as well.

Why don't you tell us again which lines of speaker you sell?

[8thnerve]

The guy's entitled to his opinion, why does he have to defend it? It's not like you've provided any information to back up *your* opinion.

Besides, he's probably right. A lot of supposedly hifi speakers sound pretty constipated to me as well.

Why don't you tell us again which lines of speaker you sell?

I am always upfront about what lines I sell.  I have mentioned in Market Square that I am a dealer for Gallo.  (albeit a terribly small one and only able to sell in the Nashville marketplace)  That is the only speaker listed above that I sell.  I am also upfront about selling lines that I have auditioned extensively and truly believe in their performance.  John, you are a customer of mine, why would you suggest that I have an alterior motive.  I didn't even mention speakers, I was asked by A6M-ZERO to list speakers that I felt proved my statement.  Then he proceeded to say that my opinion was absurd, said that these speakers that have INCREDIBLE reviews, and are all known by real industry experts to punch WAY above their price, would be blown away by an old pair of Polk Audio speakers.    What's wrong with me disagreeing to even half the extent that he was positive that these speakers did not match my claims.

I agree also that most hi-fi speakers are congested and flat, but that doesn't mean that you can assume that they all are.  Most speakers in general sound like sh*t, not just hi-fi speakers.  I work with studios in Nashville that have some of the best monitoring equipment available, and most of it sounds like crap.  My goal is to find those speakers that stand out as incredible speakers by any definition and THEY DO EXIST.

The reason I responded the way I did is that it seems to me that he baited me to tell me that my initial statement was wrong.  He asked for me to list speakers that filled my requirements, then said they were all bettered by $250 Polks with no explanation.  The only reason I can assume that he felt it important to say such a thing is that he has not found a speaker that can do this at that price point.

And besides, what good is your opinion if you are not willing to defend it?  He said that all these speakers would be blown away by the Polk's.  He should be able to say why the Polk is better than each of these speakers in order to support that statement.  If he chooses not to, that's his choice, but it certainly doesn't strengthen his position.  What is this message board for anyway if not for that?  I thought the whole point was that we talk about equipment and its relative strengths and weaknesses in comparison to other equipment for the greater good.  I have nothing to gain by recommending any of these speakers.  I know the people on this board in my selling territory and they know how I feel about the equipment I sell.  Saying it here is only for the benefit of others searching for their own musical nirvana.

I offer my opinions here as I have the benefit of spending time with a great deal more equipment than most do.  My involvement on this board from a business perspective is in regards to our Eighth Nerve products, and I am very careful to never mention the product except in the case of a direct question about it.  Even in the acoustics forum I offer advice on DIY solutions and never "push" my product there.  Electronics are simply not a significant part of my business, period.  I have repeated this over and over again John.  However, since you control this site, if you would like me to not talk about equipment ever, simply tell me not to.  I will without question oblige.  However since my vocation allows me to gain a large amount of hands on experience with products that people on this forum are interested in, I want to help where I can.  There is no conflict of interest, I have no agenda, and am always willing to admit that I am wrong when shown the truth.

Since you asked for supporting documentation for my claims that these speakers really are the cat's meow, here are some excerpts from some well respected sources:

Gallo Nucleus Reference 3:
Absolute Sound Issue 150-
Recommended Component, Editor's Best Buy
"Here is some of the most focused imaging and three-dimensional soundstaging you'll hear at any price.", "it is a landmark product whose performance will blow monds throughout the high-end audio community, recalibrating upwards what a $2600/pair of loudspeakers can be and do."

Bound For Sound - 2004
"I think the Nucleus Reference3 has the potential to be a classic in the truest sense. Not since the Vandersteen 2 has a loudspeaker come on to the audio scene with such assuredness of success. Not since the Vandy has a speaker so outpaced the competition in terms of quality and value at its price point as has this Gallo loudspeaker."

6moons.com - April 2004
"It seems completely risk-free to predict that this speaker is destined to become a true classic in due time. While nothing in our material world is perfect safe for new love, the Anthony Gallo Acoustic Reference III is about as perfect as any under-$5,000 speaker has a bloody right to be. It also has the cheekiness to force many higher-priced entries into having a lot of fancy explaining to do."

Positive Feedback
"In summary, with only a few hours of listening the Gallo Reference 3 seems to have considerably raised the standard for what is possible at three thousand dollars."


Von Schweikert VR-2
Absolute Sound Issue 150
Recommended Components
Reviews at www.ecoustics.com


Devore Fidelity Gibbon 8
Blue Moon Award - 6 Moons.com
"It took all of two minutes to know. I was in the presence of something very special indeed. Complete. Astoundingly communicative. Truly in the service of music in a most unusual, Buddhist sense of suchness - presence. No remains of personality, character or ego. No tacit reminders of self-reference, effort or specific emphasis. No attempts to impress. No manipulation. Just unqualified music. Very non-audiophile."


Obviously reviews never tell the whole story as there is a good review of just about every component.  These I have found in my extensive PERSONAL experience to be class leaders at their price.  All three of these speakers excell equally at classical, jazz, rock, techno, bluegrass, ambient, pop, funk, grunge, metal and folk.  All three offer full-range performance.  All three work well in small to large sized rooms when set up properly.  This is what I claimed speakers could do in this price class and these three are the examples I used when A6M-ZERO asked me to list specific models.

All I am asking for are examples of their faults.  Honestly, I'd love to know if any exist, as I have been unable to find any of significance at this price level.

[JohnR]

Sorry, Nathan.

Maybe doug s has a point.