[Ric Schultz]

I read on some forum that someone was running them all day at super loud levels and even after several hundred hours they kept getting better.   So, the question is.  Can a Gallo ever be burned in at at dealer?..I mean...how much very loud listening is a dealer going to put into a pair of speakers?....not very much.....so going back after a few weeks to a dealer who has played them maybe 20 hours at medium to loud volume is not going to burn them in.   I have a pair of Reference IIIs here that I have torn apart....being the tweak I am... and just looking at the speaker suggests major burn in is a must.....The caps in the xover are big bipolar electrolytics which would require many hours to sound their best, the woofers surround is very, very stiff and heavy so many hours needed there and the surrounds on the midrange are small and stiff which would require many hours.....Fortunately I can put them on all night at 95db and will do so starting tonight.  Unfortunately, these are not my speakers, so I will only get about 32 hours of loud music in them before the owner takes them back...So, I won't know how good they REALLY are.

The xover is a simple series crossover.  There is one cap (2 50uf caps in parallel=100uf) and there is one iron core coil (5.3mh).  The tweeter is run after the caps as well and the switch on the tweeter just controls different secondary taps on the transformer.  There are no other parts besides wire (cap, coil, switch and transformer).....This is NOT a no crossover speaker as some have said.  But the xover is simple and naturally can be improved by better parts and many other things can be done to the speaker to improve the sound.....I will be getting a pair and tweaking them to the max and probably offering mods on them.   If you think they are good stock and without much burn in then you are in for a great treat once super tweaked and broken in.

[Val]

I will be getting a pair and tweaking them to the max and probably offering mods on them.

That would be great. I know Gallo is coming out with some mods too.

Val

[brj]

I will be getting a pair and tweaking them to the max and probably offering mods on them.

That would be great. I know Gallo is coming out with some mods too.

Can you elaborate at all?  I'm curious about the improvements themselves and whether they will simply be updates to the current speaker model or cost-extra options?

Thanks!

[Val]

I'm sorry that's all I heard, but I'm sure Ric can imagine a few.

Val

[nathanm]

As much as I feel burn-in is a fairly minor issue, one entwined with other issues as well, I am inclined to agree with Ric's assesment, especially concerning the woofer.  Although I do wonder that if burning in a woofer means that the spider and the rubber surround are more 'worn' and limber than when originally built why not use thinner and more flexible materials to start with? Hmmm.  

I thought it would be cool if the MTM drivers were rotated to one side so that the woofer would be front-firing instead of side firing.  (it also makes the speaker look cooler facing sideways, IMO)  I am not sure how the balls are attached or if that would be feasible, but hey it's fun to imagine.

[djbnh]

Something old, something new - aren't the Gallo Reference 3s going to be named product of the year or something by "The Absolute Sound"? If this is true, congrats may be in order.  

I know availability on the current Gallo 3s is slim to none. FYI - I also believe the Gallo Reference 3 speaker version to be available/shipping starting sometime in mid-late Feb. 2005 will no longer have the tweeter switch .

[Val]

I also believe the Gallo Reference 3 speaker version to be available/shipping starting sometime in mid-late Feb. 2005 will no longer have the tweeter switch

Hmm, I bet it will also be more expensive.

Val

[audiojerry]

The Gallo's are using electrolytics? Everything in the signal path above the woofer (tweeter and midrange) goes through the electrolytics?   Well, I guess for cost savings it's necessary with such a high value cap, but wouldn't it be a foregone assumption that replacing those large electrolytics or at least bypassing them would substantially improve sound quality?

[Val]

wouldn't it be a foregone assumption that replacing those large electrolytics or at least bypassing them would substantially improve sound quality?

Yep, I'm sure the upcoming Gallo upgrade has to do with that, similar to what VMPS offers.

Val

[djbnh]

I also believe the Gallo Reference 3 speaker version to be available/shipping starting sometime in mid-late Feb. 2005 will no longer have the tweeter switch

Hmm, I bet it will also be more expensive.

Val

FYI - Price from the dealers I spoke with is the same price as for the current model Reference 3s. Perhaps this is due to less labor, parts, inventory costs...