these speakers aren't for the very serious, high- end listener. But, if you have a small budget or a spouse who has had it with table size speakers, these are for you. gallo does a nice job with the space they have in make these sound clean and crisp. and the do crush anything from bose!!!!!!

I think the last reviewer had it right...these are speakers for casual listening...definitely not audiophile level speakers. But if you are into causal listening...save the money and get some lx-5's from radioshack. Yes...the shack...but they'll blow these micros away. I also
enjoy how john lafferty put in _two_ reviews. He must work for Gallo.
Give me a break.

Like most speakers with limited capability, these speakers sound fine when
played at low volumes. But at normal listening levels, I find the thinness
of the sound almost unbearable. The only redeeming quality is the softball
shape. But if you are into the gee-whiz factor, the new minijewel cubes from
Bose (I know...bose) are actually _much_ smaller and less invasive than the
gallo micros. You should definitely consider them as well.

Let me start by saying the reviews on the Micro's appear to be quite accurate. This is indicative of a few scenarios. Primarily, the speakers are not fully broken in. This is crucial for the S2 technology to work its magic. Once broken in, many of the complaints will be resolved. Another problem area that should not be overlooked with these special speakers is absolute phase on the amplifier end. Disregard what is stated as + and - on the amp and use your ears, the difference is substantial. It is important that an amplifier has a low damping factor as damping factor robs musicality. It is sometimes neccesary for hard to drive speakers but not in this case (tubes very welcome). Lastly, once they are fully broken in, the grills should be removed. You will remedy the lower treble forwardness, the harmonic smearing and the lack of extension in the highs. With proper attention to setup and areas mentioned above, forget "Bose Killer" you have a world class speaker!

After reading several brief reviews of these speakers, I bought these speakers this spring without hearing them. My system is a Rega Planet CD, Pass Aleph 3 amp, Cardas interconnects. I am using a Home HeadRoom as a single-source pre-amp.
A few observations:

1. These speakers sounded very thin but very crisp when I first set them up. Don't be alarmed. I actually called Gallo to figure out what I should expect re: the woofer. Gary told me the woofer would take longer than most speakers to break in. I am getting good bass sound now, though I'm sure the speaker will do better in a bigger room and in a proper corner. (The woofer is against the wall, but not a corner.)

2. I ended up putting a slab of granite under the woofer to keep it from tipping, as it was doing when I first put it on the carpet with the supplied rubber o-ring. This works to keep the unit stable and provide another resonating surface.

3. Though the soundstage is indeed wide, the imaging changes dramatically with tiny shifts in location. As with all speakers, it is worth getting out the tape measure. It is easy to get these speakers to sound lush and unfocused (like they were being run through a DSP to add delays, etc.) but difficult (in my experience) to get them focused. The sound never sounds like it is coming from the speakers in either case -- it will either sound like it is coming from all around you, or the sound will jump from side to side, or (when focused) will be locatable as a point in space in front of you.

4. My greatest pleasure in listening to these speakers is in recordings featuring vocalists. Kurt Elling sounds great, as do Dianna Krall, Patricia Barger and k.d. lang. The speakers get muddy and flat with rock and roll. They are OK with classical, but because they are not full range (i.e. only up to 18,000), you will notice the lack of air at the top.

5. The speakers are terrific at articulating mid-range stuff (like vocals). You will hear every sibilant sound, every breath, the "p" at the end of a word. (Credit goes to the Pass amp for much of this, of course.) They get boomy in the bottom end when the mix gets very complicated, however. Also, you know there is a bottom end that is not being articulated -- or "felt." (Though this will change a bit with better positioning, these speakers will never be full-range speakers.)

6. The speaker wire is not optimal, in my experience, despite what Gallo claims. I stepped up to a mid-hi-fi cable (AudioQuest Type 6+, $120 for a 10-foot pair)and notice the difference even before complete break-in. (These cables are for now emphasizing an existing Micro trait -- a bit edgy and grainy in the mid to high timbres -- but I expect them to mellow in a few weeks.) Because of the set-up, if you are going to get good speaker wire you have to buy twice as much -- one pair to run from amp to woofer, and another pair to run out to the satellites. Keep this expense in mind if you are planning to upgrade speaker cables and are comparing to non-satellite systems.

7. There is no other product that would fit in my current listening space, so I'm very glad that this product is available. They are probably the weakest link in my system right now, but they are a nice fit for the 30W Pass amp (which requires highly efficient speakers) and the small room in which the system is located.

Been living with the Gallo Acoustics micro for about a month and have them mainly in my HT setup. They are the most spacious, detailed, and harmonic speakers I have heard in there catagory. I would be hard pressed to get the sound stage and clarity from Bose or any other sub/sat system. I continue to be impressed as they break in more. I have listened to CDs and not heard the nuiances and openess with the box speakers I had owned before the Micros. I have found them to be very dynamic in HT use and they bring all the film has to offer into my room. Placement is very important as they will come alive with proper setup. When I opened the boxes containing the Micros a couple of speaker grills were dented. I emailed Gallo Acoustics with the problem and within a week they mailed me six new grill covers with a explaination of what had probably happened during shipping and their apologies. Along with great sounding speakers there also a great company to deal with.

Just picked up a set of five, sans sub (I'm waiting for a powered sub).
For what they are (big sound wrapped in a small, attractive, reasonably priced package), I'd give them a 5. For all speakers in their price range, they're more like a 3. That's why overall, I'm giving them a 4.

In my testing, I've found that they sound great for some music over others. In 5.1 (I have them hooked up to a Yamaha RXV992 receiver), I'm very happy with how they sound. Now, I'm far from being an audiophile or audio enthusiast. I know that these speakers probably would not satisfy those market segments. But at a $750 price point (for 5 satellites), why would they?

60% of my purchase decision had to do with esthetics. The catch, was I wanted decent speakers. They sound and look better than the Bose, for a nice price no less. B&O's were out of my price range. Heck, even the Gekkos are more expensive. B&W's in this price range are much better speakers, in my opinion, but I despise the way they look (remember that you can't buy a Nautilus set for under $1K USD).

I'm a sucker for good industrial design. A good analogy would be to call this the "iMac" of speakers -- not necessarily the best bang for the buck when compared to the plain vanilla PCs out there, but it does its job (respectably, I might add) in a very nice package.

imaging, size & finish

binding posts, low power rating, the "O ring" they sit on could be a lot better for about 5 cents more

These did not impress me at all in the store. They sounded edgy and foreward. However, after reading reviews by people who used them with tube amps, I decided to give them a try. Wow, tubes cured all of the problems. No, I don't think it is overkill to use a $2000 triode amp with these. That is what they need. I had tried them with my Marantz 880 and they still sounded cheap. I wouldn't use them with anything other than a tube amp unless you just want them for background noise.

For serious listeners, these are great with tubes. I did bail on the sub. I am using a custom made Bozak sub which is rated as efficient as the 94db Gallos. Wow, 25 watts is a lot with such efficiency.

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Optimus Lineaum LX-5 pro

Sound, style, Kick Ass ELITE Sound!!

Hell there is none!!

I must confess, I am not an AUDIOPHILE but I love music. I have lived with these Satellites for months now and all that comes to my mind is (ELITE). I was looking for a great Home Theater Sound about a year ago and I started looking on the (Internet) for just that. I found these speakers reviewed on audioreview.com and decided to check them out. To my knowledge I found them at Overture's (wilmington) DE. I loved them so much I bought a set - 5 (sat's) plus (sub) plus the stands. The Sub took more time to break in but I still love the whole set. I have the Satellites connected to the new Denon 3300 reciever. The sound stage and clarity is definitely worth a listen. I love having my friends over and telling them to close there eyes and listen!! I am a big fan of Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles dts and dvd cd's and they put these satellites to work!! I would recommed these speakers to anyone looking for a kick ass Home theater sound!! Thank you Gallo!!

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B&W the only one that I have listened to.

I don't understand the fuss about these speakers. To me they sounded dull and uninvolving.I compared these to a set of B&W 602 IIs (which retail for $100 less), and the difference was very
telling: the high frequencies of the Gallos were simply missing, I could hear all kinds of detail on
the B&Ws that just weren't there with the Gallos. They weren't bad speakers, just boring. But,
obviously speakers are a personal thing, I think you would like these if you valued the following
qualities: 1. Wide dispersion of sound. 2. A very small unobtrusive package. I don't think you
would like these if you value: 1. Crisp and articulate high end. 2. A precise soundstage. I agree
with those who said these are probably best for casual listening

I like the Gallo Micros with the sub just like many who have the chance to listen to them or have the speakers in their systems. But for those who really want to get the most out of these speakers, discard the speaker wires supplied and get Goertz MI-1 or MI-2 instead (you need 2 pairs, make sure to get one pair with banana plugs to connect to the little balls. There is no room for spade plugs.) and don't stop there. Get a single-ended Zen SE80 tube amp (only 5 watts and cost $500, www.decware.com) to give you the luscious tube sound that will warm you all over.I have this combination for a few months now and love the smooth, natural and seductive sound it produces. Don't let the 5-watt power of the amp fool you, it can drive the micros with the woofer plenty loud even in my 16W21L10H room. This low budget hi-end combination beats spending thousands on solid state amps. The The Micros will really sing for you at their very best in this combination for less than two grands. Excellent sound and good value.