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Since then something's happened; some type of click or design(er) epiphany. I believe that transcribing the Strada 2 advances to the boxy Classico concept won't work for a second time. Though the Classicos were warmer, meatier and more extended down low, they traded those enhancements for staging spectacle, speed and transparency. For most it likely was a perfectly fair trade. That tweeter still did its magic. Wood finishes and greater normalcy also must have inked numerous deals purely on cosmetic acceptance. Now comes the Strada 2 to make up the prior meat deficit in full though not the extension gained from ported boxes. Then it adds even more caffeinated wakefulness and that very tangible gushing generousness. Hearing it makes it seem quite implausible that it could be mimicked once more with a future box no matter how tightly stuffed with S2. For the full Gallo Monty, I dare say that round sound has been vindicated and reborn. While the Classico models have the name, this is the classic Gallo sound just elevated yet again.

Troubled Ref 3.5. At half the price, the original Strada + TR3 did some things better already due to zero filtering and (the option of) a frontal woofer. The latest arterial declogging and body building of the Strada 2 plus improved integration with the upgraded TR-3D have the Ref 3.5 bested without a doubt. What the Strada 2 doesn't have is the floorstanding package look. A pair of spindly-standed Stradas plus sub don't quite look the part. But on sound the combo exceeds the Ref 3.5 so a replacement seems due. Repurposing the Strada 2 without high-pass is key. The big challenge will be to integrate it with front-firing woofers into a coherent visual statement which remains manufacturable to control build costs and adds truly low bass with the same non-boxy 'denuded' qualities of the Strada 2's current bandwidth.


To me that reads like one tall story and order. Perhaps most sensible would be a Gallo version of EBTB's Scorpio which docks their Terra III atop an active subwoofer as integral stand?

With desires for the latest forever hopeful, what about Strada 1 to 2 conversions? "We haven't discussed this in great detail yet but should have answers soon. It is a little easier to work on the Stradas than the Ref 3 but still the two mid/woofers, PC board and matching transformer all would need to be changed. That's a significant job on both labor and parts costs."


Aha moments. If you've been at this hifi gig long enough, you'd likely agree. Coming across decisively better within a given category and price sector is the exception. Differences are a dime a dozen. Moving those markers in ways that transcend 'different' to become inarguably 'better'... that happens only once in a blue moon. Particularly on the desktop we face three common issues. 1/ close proximity often prevents multi-ways from cohering. 2/ The lower signal voltages involved (at one meter or less one simply doesn't play as loud) have most speakers still sound half asleep. 3/ A large computer screen bollixes up soundstaging. On all three counts the Gallo Strada 2 plus TR-3D go where I've heard no other speaker go. Gamers should be awed, people who work on their desk permanently distracted. Would KEF's cheaper but equally hi-tech LS50 pull even in such use? All I can predict is that it should make more bass solo.
An unexplored but likely stunning application is the wall-mounted Strada. Here boundary proximity adds bass to probably be sufficient solo. Given that many on-wall installs aren't primarily about best sound but whole-house (or boutique, office or restaurant) distribution, this could involve scenarios of pearls before swine. If I were a space-strapped type with haute décor sensibilities I'd seriously consider this though (ideally with provisions to get the sub off the floor). In the usual farfield where speakers stand free and cosmetics tall, I find the Strada 'on stilts' too visually challenged. Here we need the updated Reference 3.5.


To get the Strada off the desktop and wall, I envision either floor-to-ceiling type entertainment centers which integrate television, electronics and bookshelves to have Strada plus tabletop stands hop on a shelf; or a long console which allows for proper spread to unfurl that huge soundstage. Pierre Sprey's massive Mapleshade stands are actually intended for floor placement to exploit boundary bass boost (which explains their steep tilt-back angles too). Whether mature customers who've outgrown the futon-on-floor life style will find that cosmetically acceptable seems doubtful. Even so I bought a personal pair of 4" Mapleshade stands to experiment on both the desktop and main floor.