Venom's New Toys - Hint: Gallo Ref 3.1

[venomclan]

Hi Guys,
Just brought these puppies home. I purchased them used & local but only 3 months old and not broken in yet. Came with a pair of custom order Sound Anchors. So far they are bitchin. :)
V

P.S. Please ignore the rats nest of wires.

[Midnite Mick]

I have wanted to hear those for some time.....congrats.

Be sure to give us a review.

Mike

[dudeinaroom]

Nice score

[dane_peterson]

They're just not any fun with the covers on. Very attractive speakers with a lifelike sound. You'll enjoy them.

[Gaara]

Wow the sound anchors stands look better then I imagined, congrats on the purchase

[engtaz]

Congrats

engtaz

[george daniel]

very nice,, congrats:)

[Early B.]

Very, very nice. I like the sound anchors, as well. Looks better with grille on, IMO. I'll bet they sound great.

[JimBRICK]

those look wild art in music

[wingnut4772]

Atsa veery nice! I am excited to read your reviews. I know you have been looking forward to getting these for a bit now.

[F1nut]

The tweeter in them is hella cool. Congrats!

[ESAVINON]

Heard them. Great speakers. Enjoy.
Get the amp for the second voice coil in the woofers. It's supposed to extend the bass down to 22 hz.

[danger boy]

very nice... speaker's that also double as works of art. that can't be bad at all. I look forward to reading your thoughts on them after you have some alone time with them. ha ha

[Ricardo]

Cool; I like the looks and have always wanted to hear those. Waiting for your review.

[TroyD]

Funny thing about those is...if you look at the ads, you think that they are much bigger than they really are.

Cool speaks.

BDT

[polkatese]

Very nice! congrats..!

[venomclan]

Hi Guys and Gals,
Thanks for the posts. I am looking forward to doing a detailed review. This may take a while because the 3.1's need a full 200 hours for break in according to the manual. We are at about 40 now. I will play them a few hours a night.

So far the wide soundstage is the biggest improvement over my B&W's. The Bimmers are nice, but with the Gallos there is no true sweet spot on the highs. We have an "L" shaped sectional couch in this room and no matter where I sit, the tweeter image is the same. Bass is also improved and I plan to get the sub amp soon to help further. My wife noticed the improved sound that I expect to only get better.

As for the grills, I would love to have these sans grill, but our bulldog has already expressed an interest in these so the grill must stay. These are heavy speakers. 47lb. each and the stands are filled with lead and at least another 50lbs. I love the minimalist approach to their design. There is no crossover over 150hz. No ports to chuff or box to resinate. When I demoed these at the previous owners house in a great audio environment, these just disappeared and really set the stage nicely. More to follow.
V

[RuSsMaN]

I'm glad you found a pair finally broham.

Cheers,
Russ

[halo]

from your description, they sound awesome! Congrats!

I think they look really :cool: too ;) :)

[zombie boy 2000]

Congrats Venom... I'm sure they sound stellar.

[unc2701]

yeah, get the sub amp, or even better, buy that ICBM that's been sitting in the FM and throw on the amp of your choice!

Anyone else with Gallo's here? Gaara, me & now Venom....

[halo]

Anyone else with Gallo's here? Gaara, me & now Venom....Sounds like Normanality, me, & SCompRacer with the InnerSound Eros (although BlueMDpicker has the InnerSound Isis) :)

[unc2701]

heh. just noticed that Gaara is the one selling the ICBM :)

BTW, how much does the InnerSound Amp/crossover cost? Have you tried powering your bottom end with anything else?

[no-cure]

Congrats, they look very nice indeed! What do your friends/family say when they came over?? It's like having some Michelangelo artwork right in your living room no??

Btw, if you're anxious to break them in, I recommend playing the tuner at relatively low volumes when you're away from home, it should get you closer to that 200hr mark in to time!

Enjoy the sound and look of these bad boys!

[halo]

heh. just noticed that Gaara is the one selling the ICBM :)

BTW, how much does the InnerSound Amp/crossover cost? Have you tried powering your bottom end with anything else?

The Crossover Amplifier / Bass Amp is included with the speakers new from InnerSound. I did use it strictly as an active crossover while using a pair of TAD-60 tube amps in a horizontal bi-amp.

A new ESL amp from Sanders (http://www.sanderssoundsystems.com/ESL%20Amplifier.htm) is $3995. You can find used InnerSound amps from time to time on the 'gon @ $1500 +

[Shizelbs]

Cool.

And yes, they do look smaller than I imagined.

[Bill Ayotte]

Those look sick...What do they look like with the stock stands?

[Bill Ayotte]

Nevermind......Just took my lazy ass a second to find the site....I like the anchors a lot more than the stock.....Those are just sweet man.

[venomclan]

Nevermind......Just took my lazy ass a second to find the site....I like the anchors a lot more than the stock.....Those are just sweet man.

Thanks Bill, the Sound Anchor stands are used in conjunction with the stock stands. The stock ones are about 1" thick and they sit atop of the SA Stands with double sided tape that came with the SA stands. I may switch to blu-tac later on. I am using the spike feet that came with the 3.1's for the spikes on the SA stands.

I would like to upgrade the spikes on the stand, more for looks as I like the wider pyramid-like spikes more. Another option is to spike the 3.1's sitting on the stand and spike the stand, but these will not be stable enough for our dog. Here is the stand from mapleshade. Not sleek enough IMHO, but may perform better (?)
http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/audioproducts/gallostands.php
V

[LuSh]

Hi,

Have you or anybody on this forum had a chance to compare the Gallo's with Gershman Acoustic Avant garde RX 20's? I'm looking to replace my totem's ( I can't stand the Totem's)

[unc2701]

I heard a pair of RX 20's a while back (before I owned my Gallo's) & I wasn't floored. I heard them back to back with B&W 804's and I prefered the 804's. The Gershman's bottom end just seemed sloppy to me... but get your ears on both. To each his own.

[venomclan]

I heard a pair of RX 20's a while back (before I owned my Gallo's) & I wasn't floored. I heard them back to back with B&W 804's and I prefered the 804's. The Gershman's bottom end just seemed sloppy to me... but get your ears on both. To each his own.

Well I preferred the Gallos over the 804's so there ya go...:)

[venomclan]

Here are a few shots of the Sound Anchor Stands.
V

[venomclan]

Whoops, here

[Bill Ayotte]

Dude, these just made my short list of things to own before I die.....If they sound half as good as they look, I am sold. The Sound Anchors make them look even better.

[LuSh]

UNC: What was it about the B&W you preferred? I've never really heard a BW speaker that I liked, I found them too thin sounding with a hot treble. The small footprint of the Gershman's is what attract's me most. I have a very short wall I'll be putting these speakers, hence why I orginally chose the Totem's in the first place.

I've been told that the Gershman's sound warm and full. Lush is a warm usually associated, I don't have many local dealers so I considered the used market. Gallo's was another option. With my musical tastes leaning towards Massive Attack, Zeppelin and Alice In Chain's I need a speaker that is forward yet warm with proper authority.

[unc2701]

UNC: What was it about the B&W you preferred? I've never really heard a BW speaker that I liked, I found them too thin sounding with a hot treble. The small footprint of the Gershman's is what attract's me most. I have a very short wall I'll be putting these speakers, hence why I orginally chose the Totem's in the first place.

I've been told that the Gershman's sound warm and full. Lush is a warm usually associated, I don't have many local dealers so I considered the used market. Gallo's was another option. With my musical tastes leaning towards Massive Attack, Zeppelin and Alice In Chain's I need a speaker that is forward yet warm with proper authority.

Well damn. Massive Attack and Zeppelin are two of my favorites, so go get yourself some Gallos!

Anyhow, the B&W's really didn't sound like they were ported on the bottom end. Very punchy, tight bass. Granted, they COMPLETELY came apart at low volumes- and did sound "hot in the treble and a little thin".

The Gallos really do tear up Massive Attack. You'll get your full 22hz out of them w/ mezzanine- maybe not so much with Zepplin, but Bonham will have you appreciating the Gallo's sealed subs. There aren't many speakers that can kick like they do. So find a pair to demo- make sure they have the sub amp and see what you think.

[RuSsMaN]

You think you are getting bass now, wait until you get the amp to drive that second voicecoil on the woofer. Shit your flathat type stuff once you get it all dialed in - I'm NOT kidding.

Uncle Charlie and I made do with a Jeff Rowland and Paradigm X-30. There is no crossover on that second coil (bottom posts). Once the Gallo amp became available, he was the FOURTH person in the world to receive one - and it was jaw dropping. No kidding.

Cheers,
Russ

[venomclan]

UNC: With my musical tastes leaning towards Massive Attack, Zeppelin and Alice In Chain's I need a speaker that is forward yet warm with proper authority.

The first CD I played on the Gallos was Alice In Chains MTV unplugged. You have to hear Down in a Hole on the Gallos. Spooky real.

[venomclan]

Dude, these just made my short list of things to own before I die.....If they sound half as good as they look, I am sold. The Sound Anchors make them look even better.

LOL, That quote should be on the Gallo home page. I felt the same when I first saw them on the cover of The Absolute Sound 2 years ago. They won speaker of the year. I demoed them later at a local dealer, the room sucked but the Gallos just disappeared and with the sub amp, they pounded tight and hard. They may sound better then they look. IMHO
V

[venomclan]

You think you are getting bass now, wait until you get the amp to drive that second voicecoil on the woofer. Shit your flathat type stuff once you get it all dialed in - I'm NOT kidding.

Uncle Charlie and I made do with a Jeff Rowland and Paradigm X-30. There is no crossover on that second coil (bottom posts). Once the Gallo amp became available, he was the FOURTH person in the world to receive one - and it was jaw dropping. No kidding.
Cheers,
Russ

Working on the sub amp. You are right Russ, I could not believe how hard and fast they hit at the dealer. I do not own a sub so that will work for me. Uncle Charlie had good taste and it sounds like he knew his gear.
V

[unc2701]

Venom- get your ass over to the Audio deals of the day thread:

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50838

Gaara just posted a link for a Gallo SA w/ a great price.

[unc2701]

You think you are getting bass now, wait until you get the amp to drive that second voicecoil on the woofer. Shit your flathat type stuff once you get it all dialed in - I'm NOT kidding.

Uncle Charlie and I made do with a Jeff Rowland and Paradigm X-30. There is no crossover on that second coil (bottom posts). Once the Gallo amp became available, he was the FOURTH person in the world to receive one - and it was jaw dropping. No kidding.

Cheers,
Russ

And it's mine now, BITCHES!!! Totally checking out the serial number when I get home :)

Anyhow, Russ really nails it there. I couldn't wait & started up some music when I first got them w/o the SA. Nice tight bass, but nothing crazy. Hooked up the SA and holy shit! I'll be honest, I run it a little hot most the time but with the crossover cranked as low as it'll go you don't get bass bloat- just a Bruce Lee punch in the chest every time the bassdrum hits.

[venomclan]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the heads up on the SA amp. I am looking at a different one, but thanks. Still working on break in. I notice that my dog goes a little crazy when he hears these. I think the Gallos go up to 50khz, way above human hearing but perhaps the dog can hear it? He also looks around a lot since the soundfield is so wide, he can't tell where the sound is coming from.
V