I heard them in a small demo room and thought they were good but not magic. Admittedly, the room was too small, about 10x12, and the presence of a large plasma TV along the left wall probably scotched the imaging, so take my comments with a large grain of salt.
Despite the impressive-looking 10" woofers, upper bass was lean. Center imaging was good, but not as focused on vocals as my Spica TC-60s. The soundstage was much wider than the space beyond the speakers, though, probably thanks to the 300-degree radiation pattern of the tweeters. The treble was impressively extended. Clearly, these things go well beyond the range of human hearing. I wouldn't say they were bright, but I found the tremendous amount of treble information a bit overwhelming. I'm more of a midrange guy. I had a chance to get a used pair for $1,600, but preferred the sound of the Martin Logan Aeons for their detail and their wide, tall and ethereal soundstaging. I wound up getting a used pair of Aeriuses for $1,000 to replace my Spicas.
If you like a punchy, dynamic, tight sound with plenty of top-end detail and sparkle, you'll like the Gallos. If you want a rock-solid center image on vocals, a deep, deep soundstage, and slightly warm midrange, the Spicas do the trick. If you like a big, well-focused soundstage with the nth degree of detail, warm upper bass and smooth midrange, the Martin Logans are the ticket. All of these are superb. The choice is more a matter of taste than absolute quality.
Despite the impressive-looking 10" woofers, upper bass was lean. Center imaging was good, but not as focused on vocals as my Spica TC-60s. The soundstage was much wider than the space beyond the speakers, though, probably thanks to the 300-degree radiation pattern of the tweeters. The treble was impressively extended. Clearly, these things go well beyond the range of human hearing. I wouldn't say they were bright, but I found the tremendous amount of treble information a bit overwhelming. I'm more of a midrange guy. I had a chance to get a used pair for $1,600, but preferred the sound of the Martin Logan Aeons for their detail and their wide, tall and ethereal soundstaging. I wound up getting a used pair of Aeriuses for $1,000 to replace my Spicas.
If you like a punchy, dynamic, tight sound with plenty of top-end detail and sparkle, you'll like the Gallos. If you want a rock-solid center image on vocals, a deep, deep soundstage, and slightly warm midrange, the Spicas do the trick. If you like a big, well-focused soundstage with the nth degree of detail, warm upper bass and smooth midrange, the Martin Logans are the ticket. All of these are superb. The choice is more a matter of taste than absolute quality.