Schweikert VR4-Jr vs. Gallo Reference 3 with SA

Hi Guys,

Spoke to my dealer again. The shipment is leaving in 2-3 weeks. The amplifiers are apparently ready and waiting, it is the Ref III's themselves which are taking their time due to the high demand (and South Africa aint exactly high on the priority list of countries :)

So the questions begs: wait till end of year/beginning Jan for the Ref III's with amp, or go for a pair of VR4-Jr's which I can currently get at a roughly equivalent price??

Music I listen to is light rock (cranberries), light classical, new age (adiemus, vangelis) but the majority is female vocals.

X

I auditioned both extensively before purchase. I ended up purchasing the Gallo Ref III's. Much like you, pricing was not a factor in this choice.

It is not easy to explain the differences between these speakers. The VR4-Jr's sounded heavy and somewhat slow, but with a very smooth and full overall presentation. In comaparison, the Gallo's are very transparent, extremely fast, and also very smooth all the way through their frequency range. To me, the Gallo's sounded more lively than the VR4-Jr's.

On the high-side of the frequency response, the Gallo's have a clarity and extension that has to be heard to be believed. They do this without sounding at all bright or fatiguing. I am a big fan of electrostatic speakers, so the electrostic-like speed and clarity really drew me to the Gallo's.

I have read some read some reviews that claim the midrange on the Gallo's is somewhat lean. I have not personally experienced this, but I am using Cary 805c's to drive them. Since the Cary's are known to have a particularly lush midrange, these amps and speakers most likely balance each other nicely. I would not argue, however, that the VR4-Jr's are probably fuller sounding through the midrange.

In terms of bass, I would rate the speakers about even. The VR4-Jr's go lower than the Gallo's without the 2nd voice coil, but the VR4-Jr's bass is a little bloated for my taste. On the other hand, the Gallo's still don't quite have the tight bass that I would prefer. I plan to purchase the subwoofer amp when it is available with hopes that this will tighten things up down low.

I will comment that the Gallo's particularly excel with female vocal reproduction since you said that is important.

I am curious about what amp you plan to use with the speakers. This might make a difference. I strongly prefer the Gallo's over the VR-4Jr's when used with tube amps; however, I may have gone the other way if I had planned to use solid state.

I hope this helps,
Jeff

Hi There,

I currently have an Electrocompaniet ECI-3 integrated amp. I really love it as it is SS but has a warmth and smoothness that is very tube-like. I also have a tube CD player which is very synergistic.

If I were going for the VR4-Jr's I would most likely add a an Electrocompaniet power amp and bi-amp (the ECI-3 can be run as a preamp with its own channels still functioning thus allowing bi-amping). However with the Gallo's I would not need to. The ECI-3 would power the Ref III's full range (minus the second voice coil) whilst the Gallo SA would take care of the subs. That would give me the tube like quality in the mids/upper range with the bass grunt handled by the SA.

X

I agree with Jeff 100%. You should a pretty good match with the ECI-3.
Xenithon, another deal breaker may be the weight of the speakers. I used to prefer "the heavier built the better" until I have to move equipment around once or twice too many times. What's attractive to me now are components that are solidly built yet not too heavy to break my back. The Ref3's certainly fit this criterion more than the 4-Jr's.

I have give it a lot of thought and have pretty much decided on the Ref III's. There are a number of reasons including:

- I do not require a change in amplification (a headache on its own, not to mention the associated changes that may be required such as properly matched cables etc.)
- the proper amount of power will be supplied to the speakers to get their full potential (ECI-3 plus the Gallo SA) whereas I may find myself lacking with the VR4's
- I really prefer quick, dynamic sound especially with vocals and from all sources I have read/heard, the Gallo's excel here while the VR4's can sometimes be a bit 'heavy'

Those are nitpicks really. Some more important influences are:
- The VR4-Jr's I would need to import. That is an added, uncertain cost (until it lands I do not know final cost) and there is always a risk of shipping damage
- The warranty with the VR4-Jr's would require shipping back and forth (most likely at my expense) if a problem should ever arise)
- I do not have the luxury of checking the speakers physically myself (important since the VR4-Jr's I would be buying used or demos)
- The Gallo's I will buy new, from the official distributor, with full warranty. Buying locally saves many headaches and reduces many risks to imports. This is especially important since VSA is not distributed here anymore and thus I would have nowhere to go to with any problems (as unlikely as they may be).

To owner's of Gallo Ref III's, I have two requests please
1. If you can perhaps send me some photos or links to photos it will be much appreciated. WAF will seriously come into play and some convincing required methinks
2. Please let me know what spades the speaker terminals (speaker in and sub in) need - normal spades or oversized spades? I need to reterminate my speaker cables would like to change from banana to spade as I believe it is better.
3. What colours do you recommend? :) I am thinking of Steel Accents and either Black or Maple base.

X