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This Anthony Gallo Acoustics system of A'Diva Ti and Micro Ti loudspeakers with TR1 subwoofer proved to be one of the most fun assignments I've had at 6moons. When you consider that a pair of the A'Divas plus TR1 subwoofer costs less than 9% of my reference speakers, you'll appreciate that these speakers didn't provide me with any revelations as I cycled through my favorite program material. But where they trailed my personal reference speakers, they did so in innocuous ways. No, they weren't as detailed or as nuanced but only direct comparison with far more expensive speakers will demonstrate just how little the Gallos miss.

At the same time, they gave my speakers a run for their money in several important regards: they cast a huge and exciting soundstage; they provide similar frequency extension; and they were more transparent and uncolored than they had any right to be. Their modular design makes them easier to fit into far more environments. From that perspective, they clearly trumped my reference speakers. In short, the Gallos have something for everyone. If you've got a ridiculously expensive system but want something good for not a lot of bread for a second system, you need to check out the Gallos. If you're just getting started with the assembly of your first (or second or third!) component system, you'll likely be amazed what you can achieve with them. And if you find yourself in the market for "Lifestyle" speakers, these are the ones you want. They easily best every other system in this genre I've heard. This system is so recommended! ...


For its combination of price, performance and a level of technology that makes them such a room-friendly and unobtrusive system, the Gallo A'Diva/TR1 system is undoubtedly worthy of our Blue Moon award and hereby wins my most vocal nomination. Well done, Gallo.

Stop the presses!
As the review process drew to a close, I encountered a little snafu. It was brought to my attention that Gallo had not yet accumulated enough product inventories to begin delivery on the A'Diva loudspeakers and I was thus encouraged to delay my review. As an incentive to hold my tongue, Anthony sweetened the pot just a bit. Inasmuch as I'd enjoyed the little TR1 subwoofer so much, he figured that I'd probably enjoy his more powerful and extended TR2 even more. I was quick to accept.


The $700 TR2 bears more than a passing resemblance to the less expensive TR1. It uses the same enclosure and 10" woofer (also shared by the Ref3). However, it then uses an entirely different amplifier module capable of 250 watts. While the feature set is similar to the TR, it differs in a few areas. First, the TR2 uses a three-pole power switch for off/always-on/auto-on. The latter cuts power after about 15 minutes of zero signal and powers up again when a signal resumes. Like its less expensive sibling, the TR2 offers low frequency tailoring but adds a +6dB boost. Anthony commented that the center frequency for the bass boost here is 28Hz. When using the full +6dB boost, the TR2 achieves a low frequency limit of –3 dB at 22Hz with proper boundary support.


After about a week or so of use, I decided it was time to throw the TR2 to the wolves. I dug out two of my favorite cinematic bass references: The Matrix and LA Confidential. Chapter 39 of LA Confidential is the shoot-out at the old abandoned house and contains shotgun blasts that can sound amazing on the best systems where they feel as though someone is sitting at the end of the sofa giving it lateral kicks. I then don't just feel the concussion; I feel which direction it's coming from. The best I've heard in that regard came by way of four 8-inch woofers and a total of 600 watts of subwoofer power bundled in the (then) $3600/pr Polk RT3000s. Did the Gallo sub measure up? Of course it couldn't match the Polks for brute penetrating force nor did I expect it to. But it came closer than anticipated. While the Gallo TR2 is a small subwoofer, it's no toy. It packed a pretty good wallop and delivered a good 85% -90% of the tactile sensation I was looking for. Those shotgun blasts were reproduced cleanly as well. The TR2 sounds particularly quick and doesn't slur its speech on low bass notes.
I had to return to the scene of the crime and run The Matrix again. I was hoping to better the performance of the TR1 by keeping the musical bass line as pronounced and distinct as I remembered. I played the scene loudly - louder than I did with the TR1. The TR2 hung in well but I have to say, I still didn't entirely get what I was after. The Gallo just didn't separate out the music from the mayhem. I have two theories. First, maybe the A'Divas just can't reproduce the dynamics in the lower midrange of big speakers and hence fall slightly behind the subwoofer in articulation when really pushed hard. A fatal flaw? Definitely not. Keep in mind that I'm comparing the Gallos to systems I've used that cost multiples of what the Gallos retail for and are much bigger to boot. Those were systems so large and costly that if you're reading this review, you probably don't want them in your room.

Theory #2? That I remember this scene as sounding just a little better than it actually did. Certainly there are moments when the scene produced the musical bass line exactly as I've heard it (during breaks in the gunfire the Gallo sounded superb) and maybe I mistakenly remember the entire scene as having the same kind of clarity. And as well as the mighty balls did on cinematic fireworks, they did even better on music.


The Eagles' Farewell 1 Tour was a blast over the A'Diva/TR2 system. The word tight kept coming to mind. Love 'em or not but the Eagles are one tight band which the Gallos matched note for note. Tight bass drum, tight electric bass lines -- not just in terms of excellent tonality and a lack of overhang or bloat but tight as in a superb sense of timing -- permeated the listening experience. The opening bass synthesizer and bass lines on "Dirty Laundry" were both inspiring and plain fun to witness. Crank this one up! There was an uncanny sense of ease to the music that one usually gets from much larger and more efficient speaker systems. As if speed and tonality weren't enough, the TR2 packs solid punch as well even at levels beyond my norm. The little TR2-that-could never seemed to run out of gas and never gave away its location either, something rather surprising given the relatively high bass cut-off when paired with the A'Divas.
Here's what it all boils down to: the TR2 sounds a lot like its less powerful and less expensive sibling, the TR1. Particularly on more demanding material, it did exhibit a slightly greater sense of ease and it certainly packs more punch on the big cinematic stuff. On music, however, I found them both relatively interchangeable. This is good news for both subwoofers. If your budget is small and you don't care about crazy bass level, the TR1 is a great choice. If your budget can reach higher; if you enjoy raising the roof from time to time; if you'd like to avail yourself of a few additional cycles of extra bass extension - the TR2 obliges happily without the sonic penalty which often accompanies the greater brutality factor of larger (and slower) subwoofers within a manufacturer's line. As far as larger subwoofers go, I haven't spent much time dwelling on how small and unobtrusive both Gallo subs are. That's because I've grown accustomed to the superb Velodyne SPL800s, which are more expensive than the Gallo and don't go quite as low and are similar in performance. Still, I'd be remiss if I didn't at least comment on the fact that these Gallos are small subwoofers more likely than most to fit in out-of-the-way places.
Conclusion:
One facet of the Gallos' design that I have up until now completely ignored is the fact that both the A'Diva Tis and Micro Tis are single-driver speakers and by definition both time and phase coherent as well as completely crossoverless throughout their range. The natural byproduct turns out to be one of the quickest and most coherent speakers you can find at any price. Rhythmic? You better believe it. No timing errors mean there's no slurring of speech and both pace and microdynamics are extremely well presented. This adds greatly to their appeal and realism.
I'm not going to end this review -- as others might -- by urging you to run out and buy this stuff before Gallo comes to their collective senses and raises pricing on these wonderful products. It would be ludicrous to even suggest that Anthony Gallo doesn't firmly know the value of his offerings. It's equally inane to suggest to any manufacturer that just because he can charge more, he should ignore his price/performance advantage and raise the rent. I prefer to conclude by commending Gallo on
offering the kind of value and price/performance ratio that audiophiles should demand. It's not that Gallo's products are too cheap. It's that the competition is overpriced. As a -- very -- final note on that subject, this Gallo system is too good to send back. I'm keeping it. All of it. The whole works. Best money I've ever spent, too. That's the honest truth, your honor...
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