Audiolab 8000s? That's funny, I own that amp too. I was using it for the second voice coils in the Gallos.
The Ref. 3's are an Audiophile's wet dream in several important ways. They do the "usual suspects" of imaging and soundstaging very well. The CDT tweeter is exemplary, probably the best I've heard. Its ability to portray nuance and tonality in the highest reaches is really special.
At the bottom end, they are quite good, and the ability to connect a second amp to get subwoofer-like response without separate boxes and their troubles is really neat. They sound much larger than they are and if you like speakers, they look really cool. The construction is outstanding and I think they are a great value. When I had them in the house, I was proud of them and liked to show them off, like a big, tough dog or a shiny car.
Or a hot girlfriend that you don't realize you don't love until you meet your soul-mate. The Druids have reprioritized my list of importance. Imaging and soundstaging are low on that list now. Coherency, dynamics and tone are at the top. Even with the Druids in corners, which I would never have tolerated for 5 minutes with other speakers (needing the "usual suspects"), I find them delightful. They deliver nuance and emotion and I feel great, personal love for them.
The Druids don't sound like speakers, they sound like music. Going to them from the Gallos is not like "cleaning the window", it's removing the window. No glass, no room, just cool breeze on a warm day, in the field with flowers and butterflies. They are a direct aural connection with the recording.
Without an intimate encounter with these, it's difficult to convey what sensitivity, dynamics, extension, flat response, and coherency will do for your understanding of what's possible. My expectations have been entirely rewritten.
