Gallo 3.1 sounds slow and veiled...why?

YEs, thanks. I did intend to mention to take break in time into account before passing any final judgement. It may all work out in the end once the system and your ears adjust.

I think you have an underpowered tube amp for those speakers.

A high power, high current SS would make a big difference I'd bet.

I'd try a good Class D Icepower, like Wyred, Bel Canto or others. Wyred would not set you back too much.

Well, I might expect a SET to do some things well in theops area of concern with those speakers, but it would surprise me if a set could drive them to their max.

I do not believe these speakers to be inherently tube friendly though and I also do not believe an 80 watt tube integrated, no matter how nice a piece otherwise, to be capable of driving them to the max.

Class D done right might still not be a match to a tube amp affectionado's preference, but it is a viable option that can sound very good done well and can also be most cost effective. Big high current monster SS amps like Krell or similar others are another option for sure if pure size and power consumption is not a concern.

No, but I have auditioned them and considered buying them at one point and have also done some research and read comments by owners as part of that.

Never heard them on a set amp.

I do not doubt they do some good things with a SET, particularly at lower volumes and with some kinds of music, but it would surprise me if any speakers in their efficiency category could be driven to the max off a SET, although those few watts available with a set probably do deliver maximum bang per watt.

Whether or not that matters to any particular listener, particularly SET affectionados, is a different thing. I'm just stating a mainly technical observation based on what I know. I could be wrong....

The thing with SET amps I think is they clip and distort in a less harsh way than SS amps. That allows them to go louder than one would expect off a few watts.

Regarding SS, I think you have to throw the kitchen sink current-wise at speakers like these in order to max out the performance. My OHM speakers are similar. Less power and more current can trump more power but less current. I've found the Bel Canto enhanced IcePower designs accomplish this as good as anything. The sound is not unlike some more neutral sounding tube amps I have heard, but not tube like in the euphonic sense that many enjoy.

Dop,

Are you saying the impedance curve is near flat 8 ohms at all frequencies?

If so that would indicate more tube friendliness in general.

Most things I've read about the gallo's suggest using high quality SS amps and the more power the better for the bass. that would suggest a less than flat impedance curve with lower impedance at lower frequencies, not an uncommon thing with speakers these days.

It's hard to know these things for certain unless it has been measured and reported for a particular design. have you seen something like this for the Gallo's?

When I heard them, a tube pre-amp was used with a higher end NAD SS amp, not sure the model. This combo also drove a pair of Quad ESLs very well in comparison.

I would really like to know this for sure. I have considered experimenting with a SET amp in my house, but I do not believe most of the speakers I currently run to be particularly tube friendly. Despite that, I could see it working well perhaps in a smaller bedroom system or such even with the less than optimal speaker matching.

I did do a comparison of the gallo's when I auditioned them with the top of the line Quad ESLs, which cost 4 times as much.

They were slow and veiled I suppose in comparison, but many speakers are.

Maybe a good SET amp can fill the bill if lifelike SPLs and a larger room is not in the equation.

I landed on my newer OHM 5s which ended up costing me about the same as the Gallos with sale price and trade-ins using refurbed cabinets.