[launche]

Having gone to another jam session at a fellow enthusiasts place it occurred to me again, a simple yet very wonderful advantage of my present setup.

Gallo 3.1
Cayin 688 Intergrated Tube Amp.

I can literally throw this system in my trunk (as I do all the time) and take it with ease to any jam session or get together.
Throw in my laptop and you have an instant mobile relatively "hi-fi" setup.

This is great for me because I love to audition other gear and I can take my gear with me to hear a side by side comparision.  And I can say that this simple system is rarely ever outclassed, it may give a little here and they but most people really enjoy its sound.  And I'm afforded the opportunity to easily have direct system comparisions and this has helped me greatly as I consider future upgrades.

It's always a reminder for me about the beauty of the Gallo 3.1 system and it's flexibility, from the sound quality to the visual appeal to its artistic styling to it's ease of placement etc...  It's not the best speaker, I've pitted it against better it may have been beaten at times but never knocked out  and the opponent almost always has said that is one helluva little speaker (the opponents are usually bigger with more muscles) It may not run in rarified company but few can match its all around benefits.  With that being said I'd sell 'em in a minute if I found something that did all it does better.

My Cayin is a very nice unit, with upgraded tubes and killer looks, it has "always" presented itself well. Even when I thought it may have met it's match, roll some tubes, change the powercord or interconnect and this sucker just rises to the challenge.

This is not to stroke my simple system, as it's probably far from great (although I've heard it next to some really nice stuff and I was not ashamed to own it, usually the other owners are asking me how much do those components cost) but more to speak to the advantages of some simplicity.

And there have been some that may question the build quality of the Cayin products, I can speak with 100% confidence that my unit is built like a tank and at 90lbs when I'm lugging it all around it feels like one too.

Thanks for the ramble
And I'd be interested in any other simplified or small systems that compete with the big boys.

[seraph321]

It's interesting to think of the Gallo Ref 3's as mobile.
I have a set myself, and with a modded SB2 as the source, it's a pretty simple system. I've added a modwright preamp, but it's not strictly required for good sound. I DO think, however, that it's kinda unfair to pit the Gallos against bigger rigs if you aren't driving their second voice coils. These speakers are only truly full-range when you add that bass amp to the mix. This goes double when you're driving the top end with low(er) powered tubes as opposed to SS.

[launche]

It's interesting to think of the Gallo Ref 3's as mobile.
I have a set myself, and with a modded SB2 as the source, it's a pretty simple system. I've added a modwright preamp, but it's not strictly required for good sound. I DO think, however, that it's kinda unfair to pit the Gallos against bigger rigs if you aren't driving their second voice coils. These speakers are only truly full-range when you add that bass amp to the mix. This goes double when you're driving the top end with low(er) powered tubes as opposed to SS.

Well there aren't tons of speakers that perform as well and are as manageable?
I haven't gotten the sub amp yet because I was waiting to see if I was going to stick with theese and I wasn't crazy about the price either.  I have an ACI Maestro that I bring in where the Gallos roll off just for a little more bass foundation.  But even with the sub amp, still very portable.

And when I said they gave a little here and there, I was surely speaking of absolute bass performance for one.  My tube integrated is 70 watts using EL34 tubes and since the Gallos respond well to current, it drives them very well IMO and I've heard enough SS amps to know not to let those big watt claims fool me, power is nice but I'll take the character of the amp anyday,.  I always hook them up to the different systems as well.  Once again this is not a pissing contest, I'm looking to further learn and explore the capabilities of my and the other gear, it's all fun for me.  I also hook the Cayin up to other speakers and they also do a good job driving other designs. 

This weekend's jam session, the other gents system was the 400 watt SS Mcintosh MC402 amp, a McIntosh tub preamp and Piega C10 Limited Speakers etc...  My Cayin drove those Piegas well, we didn't feel we were missing much if anything at the same volume level, as per the owners comments as he asked me how much I paid for it.  There is a version of my Integrated that retails for $5000... http://www.sonicflare.com/archives/integrated-amp-3k-to-6k.php  go figure.  Cayin price would be around $3000 I believe. Now if any of the gracious hosts wanted to trade gear, I'm all in as mine is often less expensive  .  I liked the Piega's alot and as the Gallo's sounded "sweet" literally, on the Mcintosh gear.

I enjoy this alot and have had the ability to hear some nice gear and here my gear in different combinations.  Next weekend will be some custom tube amps, Supratek Chardonnay tube preamp running Maggie 3.6's.  Now that gent surely ain't haulin' that to my house.  As I sat thinkin' about possibly getting some Salk HT3's built, I can't carry those things anywhere easily, I can't carry no VMPS 40's around.  And for me I would say that would take some of the fun out of it for me, as I'm having a ball gettin' out and comparision listening with this footloose and fancy free setup and it's better that buying tons of gear on my own, save for my room I get a really good idea of the sound of different pieces of gear.

And I'm meeting some really cool folks, learning as I go and hearing wonderful music and that's the best part for me. And people are usually happy to hear the Gallo's as well. I don't have a New England Audio Enthusiast group etc..., no Rocky Mountain Audio Fests down here nor would I say I have a strong dealer network either. I've been waiting months for someone local to get some Salk HT3's for me to hear.  And I haven't gotten a call sayin' I'm bringing my HT3's over yet.  But when I contact someone, they almost always say sure bring your gear over and lets jam and I'm happy to be able to do it.

[Carlman]

I just bought an MC402 and am driving the Piega P5 Limiteds.  I'm waiting for it to break-in or 'sweeten' at the moment, as it is only 1 day old.   That's a lot of power and is a pretty amazing amp overall.  I actually had air from the ports blowing my hair and clothes around at 8 feet away.  The Mac/Piega combo is the real deal and I enjoy it immensely.  However, it is far from inexpensive or portable. 

What I don't understand is how you can pick up and go and then deal with the re-positioning over and over.  I have to get the speakers setup to within a mm of each other to be satisfied.  And that takes some time.

Glad you are willing to go, though!   A dedicated audiophile.

[KKM]

Launche,

Thanks for posting your impressions, interested in hearing your upcoming sessions with the 3.6's. I sold them for the 3.1's and would like to hear your opinion.

[launche]

I just bought an MC402 and am driving the Piega P5 Limiteds.  I'm waiting for it to break-in or 'sweeten' at the moment, as it is only 1 day old.   That's a lot of power and is a pretty amazing amp overall.  I actually had air from the ports blowing my hair and clothes around at 8 feet away.  The Mac/Piega combo is the real deal and I enjoy it immensely.  However, it is far from inexpensive or portable.

Carlman, I enjoyed the Mcintosh very much, I assume this is the amp that you preferred over the Butler for your present setup?  Yes that amps looks HEAVY.  The Piegas were very nice and much to my surprise the ribbon tweeter was integrated very nicely. It's a speaker I'd love to own and that Piega/Mcintosh combo was lovely and not cheap as you say. I will be  on the look out for some used P10's for sure.  When I say the McIntosh combo sounded "sweet" with the gallos I really mean it was like a little honey dust layered the sound on female vocals as compared to the Piega's which were that much more transparent, that custom ribbon was most impressive, never edgy, irritating or fatigueing to my ears.  I hadn't heard the Gallo's sound that way before, me and the other gent said they sound "sweet" at the same time so there was no BS involved, we wanted to keep listening to female vocals, it was seductive.

What I don't understand is how you can pick up and go and then deal with the re-positioning over and over.  I have to get the speakers setup to within a mm of each other to be satisfied.  And that takes some time.

Well I find the Gallo's to be easier than most to place (plus I have tape marks on the rug    In fact the owner of the Piega's said he had just done some positioning before I got there to dial in the midrange a bit more.  Later, we just plopping down the Gallo's (as I always do) in front of the Piega's and listen and he goes, "No way, were just throw them down and they are imaging this well."

By the way he had the 8th Nerve Adapt room treatments (my first experience with them ( I have the cheaper Response Series)
and I was VERY impressed by them.

[Carlman]

Yes, the MC402 was the Butler's replacement. I kind of wanted the 501's but I didn't like having 2 really big amps in my small room, plus they cost even more.  It's got to end somewhere, right?  I figured the 402/Piega combo are a long-term solution so the investment seems worthwhile. 
-C

[warnerwh]

"I figured the 402/Piega combo are a long-term solution so the investment seems worthwhile."

If I said that to my wife she would roll her eyes up in her head If I said that to myself I'd actually believe it, but now I don't know what to believe anymore

[launche]

"I figured the 402/Piega combo are a long-term solution so the investment seems worthwhile."

If I said that to my wife she would roll her eyes up in her head If I said that to myself I'd actually believe it, but now I don't know what to believe anymore

Warnerwh, I know what you mean. This "audiophile game" is something else.  The gear swapping, which is fine but it's just too frequent most of the time.  I was this close to getting additional  speakers again, I sent Salk a few emails I was gonna get a custom HTS setup and actually during the next correspondence I was gonna say "You know what, Jim just build me some HT3's," luckily the man was too busy or whatever and forgot to get back to me.  That saved me from myself, otherwise I'd be sitting here on pins and needles waiting for my HT3's to be built for Christmas. I had it all planned out, I bought Carlmans Butler 2250 (since I'd heard good  things) I was gonna buy another and run them mono into the HT3's, I figured that should be pleasing and hold me for awhile. Instead, I'm gonna try to take that money and go on a cruise to Alaska 

Keep an eye out for my new book;

The Audiophile: The Struggle From Within

[Carlman]

I didn't mean for this to be a long post but oh well...

I've certainly made statements before about long-term investments... as well as 'this is the one' .... 'how could it get any better'... etc... And now I've realized what makes me happy and how long I can stay content with a system.

There is certainly a psychologogical effect to this hobby.  It's as if I was making up problems to solve at some point.  Luckily, I've turned off most of this part of my brain.  It's like, listen to that, you big dummy!  It doesn't 'need' to be any better.... or at least, not for a long time.  Once I got the Piega's I was satisfied for the long haul.  I heard a fellow AC'ers MC501's on them and fell in love with that presentation.

After having my prior speakers for 2 years, and having dozens before that, and loads of gear, I felt like I understood what it took for me to be happy.  I felt good that everything had come into place.  I found the right room correction and cabling (thanks to Gregg Straley for IC's and SC's, and thanks to Black Sand Cable for PC's) and all of that really tied everything together.  The system is very synergistic at the moment... It's tweaky and delicate, with everything in its proper place.  I don't want to change anything or have anything changed.

My wife and I have certainly argued about my obsession with hifi.  We've figured out how to make it work for us.  Basically, if the money is in my personal spending account, no complaints can be made.  If it isn't, it can't be spent.  Easy.  I feel like I'm finished and I'm calmly enjoying my system more and more.  The work and money to make it better at this point isn't worth it at least until we move, and even then, I plan to keep what I have... and I don't know when that'll be.

-C

[PhilNYC]

Having gone to another jam session at a fellow enthusiasts place it occurred to me again, a simple yet very wonderful advantage of my present setup.

Gallo 3.1
Cayin 688 Intergrated Tube Amp.

I can literally throw this system in my trunk (as I do all the time) and take it with ease to any jam session or get together.
Throw in my laptop and you have an instant mobile relatively "hi-fi" setup.

You must be very strong...!     We had the Cayin 688 at the last NY Audio Rave...that thing is heavy!  It took two of us to carry this thing down the stairs to my basement....

Here it is, on the floor (with the red transformer covers):

[KKM]

Launche,

You might want to try this cheap and easy tweak as described by Jerry in his review here:

http://www.10audio.com/gallo_ref3-1.htm

Haven't tried it myself but plan to in the near future.

[launche]

Launche,

Thanks for posting your impressions, interested in hearing your upcoming sessions with the 3.6's. I sold them for the 3.1's and would like to hear your opinion.

Well I've heard the Gallo's next to the Maggie MMG's stock and my modified MMG's, modified 12's, stock 3.6's and stock 20's.  I like maggies they were my first hi-end exposure on an intimate basis (the 3.5)  The 20's damn near bought tears to my eyes (and would have if two grown men weren't in the room.)  I'm a cost conscious guy and the 1.6 modified is one of my favorite speakers, I found the setup fun and musical.  But for maggie lovers the Gallo's are a good choice and much easier to live with.

You know I have a single friend who also has Gallo's and I swear Gallo could change his slogan from "Hear Everything" to "Chicks Love The Round Sound" because this guy gets girls back to his place, turns on the stereo and most girls say "These are so cute" and start rubbin' those balls  he says his same dirty joke everytime and it's a done deal.

Now while I save for my Dynaudio Evidence Temptation's I have to keep my spending and gear swapping to a minimum 

BTW I do know when to leave my little Gallo's home, I may be enthusiastic but I'm not stupid, for instance when I went to hear the Dynaudio Evidence Temptation's (and the like) I go in alone   

[Hantra]

Have to agree with Carl on the moving thing.  As much as I've wanted to go out and blow people's minds by taking my speakers over to meets and such, I just can't. 

I had the Gallo 3's in my listening room, or in fact they still are there in the corner, and I found them pretty easy to place.  The Piegas are easy to place, and sound good from the get-go, but once you get them locked in, a whole new world opens up, and your conscience will not let you move them EVER AGAIN.   

Also, while Piegas are expensive compared to Gallos, I think you might be surprised how even the least expensive models can really shine next to the Ref 3's.  I'm sure the 3.1 is better than the 3 though.

[launche]

While I surely agree that after the effort it takes to get the speakers positioned just right, one generally wouldn't want to mess with them. But it's really nothing an X marks the spot things can't take care of. I have four circles (the things you use to fix a tear in paper holes) adhered to my rug and I just set the spikes back inside those holes, works perfectly.  Obviously, if my speakers were larger and heavier I may not bother but the Gallo's are small, light and easy to carry IMO.  As Phil mentioned the Amp is more of a beast for me.  For me it's a journey and learning process and I find it to be extremely effecient. This method has allowed me to demo my gear next to and within over 30+ systems and rooms thus far.  maybe that's 3 pairs of speakers I don't buy, 5 preamps, 4 amps etc...to me well worth the effort.  There were many who wanted to hear my speakers and this makes it much easy to for them rather than spending the thousands to buy them or hear them in another space.

For instance, the Piega's maybe I would not have seriously considered based on U.S. marketing, dealer networks etc... but having spents 4 hours with them it's a speaker line that's now higher on my wish list and the same goes for lots other gear.

[seraph321]

Hey launche, speaking of placement and the gallos, I'm experimenting with moving mine around right now and I'm curious what you've found works best in smaller rooms. specifically, if you usually like the woofers facing in or out?
 my room is 12 x 14 with a low ceiling.
I've always had them facing out, but I'm not sure that's best. Also, how far apart do you usually have them? Do you find they need to be close (less than 6') in order to blend properly?

[MaxCast]

I say, if you can't listen to the stuff in your own room, the next best thing is listening to your stuff side by side in a different room.
Keep on haulin, launche.