Gallo Acoustics Nucleus Question

Simon,
I have a Yamaha processor under the Telly, and that powers the centre and two smallish surrounds. The DVD player feeds the processor, as does the satellite and video recorder.
The Processor is connected to my Naim re via two phono's (using mayware). Yamaha's processors in IMO are VFM bearing in mind what they cost... and you keeps your Naim seperate but use the front left and rights accordingly. Only problem is if your tv isn't between the main speakers...

Andy,
Thanks for your response. Always interested to hear how people are tackling AV. Unfortunately my TV is not inbetween my speakers, and it would be difficult to achieve this despite my living room being quite big - another reason for trying to keep the systems separate, but of course only possible if the home theatre speakers are small - otherwise my living space is in danger of looking like a hi-fi shop (poor WAF). I have to confess I have no idea what mayware is?
Simon

Simon,
Mayware is the adaptor that converts a pair of phono's to a 5pin din suitable for plugging into a naim pre-amp etc.
I have a mate who has a similar problem to you, and he went for the Kef package (those that look like eggs) with the kef sub, and it don't sound half bad musically. surround wise its spot on, and they can be wall mounted etc...

Andy,
Thanks again. I see the KEF eggs are highly recommended - I will check them out. Is your mate also using a Yamaha amp? By the way - I wish Naim would start an AV forum - I am sure many of us would get a lot of value out of it and it would encourage the sale of some AV2s!
Cheers
Simon

I've only heard good things about the Gallo Micro's. From those who have compared them with the Eggs, the suggestion seems to be that the Micro's are in a different league. What they have on their side of course is, having just one drive unit, there are no complications with crossovers and driver integration.

One thing I do know, however, is that they require a lot of decent power - they won't sound their best on the end of budget AV amps - they need some oomph so, using Denon as an example, you should be looking at their 3803 amp as a minimum but preferably something like the AV11SR.

One other option you may wish to consider is using the slightly larger Gallo A'Diva spheres in preference to the Micros. They have a better frequency response (at both ends) and should allow you to use a crossover of 80Hz which is preferable to the (possibly directional) 100-120Hz that is said to be needed with the Micros. In fact, to keep costs reasonable you could use three A'Diva's at the front and then Micros for the surrounds.

So do have a listen to the Gallos and see what you think. Don't forget that they must be partnered with a decent subwoofer - the tiny Gallo sub is supposed to be very good but there are a multitude of alternative subs from other manufacturers of course.

Matt.

p.s. a search of "Gallo" on avforums.com will bring back loads of information and user reviews.

Best that you listen to the KEF's and the Gallos's yourself and make your own decision. I heard the Gallo's a little while ago and found them brash and compressed. The sub they do is actually very good though.
The revised Kef's (2005.2) are a lot cleaner than the old ones and the new sub is loads better than the old one.
Have a look at tha Arcam AVR200 for your surround amp, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles that the equivalent priced Denon's and yamaha's but it sounds a whole heap better and does all the real world formats you will need. I happen to know it's a great partner to the Kef's.

Go see a dealer and have a listen!

_______________
Hmmm, upgrades.

Guys - thanks a lot for the help. Luckily my Naim dealer stocks the Gallos so I will give them an audition. The assistance on suitable amps/ receivers is welcome, as I am starting by trying to find a suitable speaker system, then working backwards from there to the amp! Yoda - I will audition the Arcam amp with the Gallos, although it is a little more than I planned to spend but all budgets end up being revised in the case of hi-fi don't they?!
Best regards
Simon

Simon, FWIW I'm using a pair of Micros with the Dynavector SuperStereo to excellent effect but I have fullish range speakers up front. The DV only has 15W pc which is almost enough but not quite. From tomorrow I'll use a 110 to drive them.

I've heard the Micros with the sub and they sounded pretty good until you used the A'Diva or Duos instead, the latter two were miles better.

Alex

Simon,
my mate is using a denon amp - quite a new one - i will try and get the details for you...

I'm not really into AV, so I wanted something as easy and small as possible - so I got a Linn Classik Movie System with Gallo in Cobalt and the active sub - for movies they are fine, for music.....let's just say that the Denon DM30 in
my kitchen beats it hands down on CD's- however I do think they're the best small AV solution.

tim

Have you taken a look at / listen to the new Monitor Audio "Radius" speakers? I auditioned these against the Kef 2005.2 eggs and B&W VM1s and they won hands down. I listened to the Gallos at the Heathrow show and - room acoustics notwithstanding - recollect that they did a good job for their size (playing Roger Waters "In the Flesh") but that the MAs were better musically (and cheaper - R90 is £125; R180 is £150; R360 sub is £350). My daughter has ordered a 5.1 setup (4 x R90, 1 x R180, 1 x R360) in silver and will use the black grilles (you get silver and black grilles with each unit).

Take a look at http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk/products/radius/

I think they're cracking!
Graeme

Graeme
They look a real possibility! I will give them a demo. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.
Cheers
Simon