Gallo vs. Quads ESL 57

I guess authority is what I miss in my system. The Quads are wonderful but if you listen to complex symphonic music (or even complex opera pieces) you feel like there is something missing, even with the woofers. Also, per Elevick comment, my listening room is fairly small, so perhaps I am not optimizing the quads' potential (although the combination preamp and amp should work pretty well with them).

Shadorne, are you saying the "perfect" speaker cannot exist? I thought the addition of the woofers might solve my problem...it definitely improves the situation but it does not solve the problem fully. An audiophile I trust claims one of Triangle's high-end models (the Magellan Cello) gets close to what I am looking for, but I believe they are not imported in the US. I've also heard very nice reports about the new B&W 802D. Apparently they have a wonderful midrange and we all know the quality of its bass. The problem for me is that I have a small room, and the 802D probably needs more space.

I think the problem with Quads owners is that we get spoiled...the emotions it gives you with voices and jazz are hard to beat. But when you move to Mahler's 5th, it becomes a pretty standard speaker...

Actually I was talking to a friend this afternoon, a pianist and old audiophile, and he suggested that I look into an old pair of Polk Audio SDA. I don't know these speakers but they look pretty cheap...I wonder what is the trick.

Also, what's behind all this hype about Emerald Physics? Are they a true revolution like the Quads in the fifties, or is this just hype?

Bongofury, thanks for your suggestion. I never tried the Harbeth's but I think I should. On paper most of them do not seem to reach below 40hz, but that is probably enough for a small room. I wonder how the Harbeth's (for instance their 7es3) compare to the Reference3a DeCapo i, which I use in my second system.

I like your warm red wine metaphor! I have a Shindo/EAR combination, and they are wonderful. The Shindo adds realism, but it's not too warm. It's just real. The EAR I own (the 890) is fairly neutral and strong in the low frequencies. the music has weight. Just because I like to experiment, I have been thinking about replacing my EAR with a Shindo amp, but apparently Shindo and Quad is not a good combination...if I move to a different speaker, I might move to a full Shindo rig too.