Topic: Gale Speakers

[bumblebee]

thanks for the quick welcome and the fast reply, bumblebee. i agree this is a great and wonderful forum.... by pinoys and for pinoy audio/videophiles. lots of useful info especially if you can navigate through the chaff some ppl put out here. btw... i'm from marikina but the office is in qc.

i just called robinson's ED and they're out with SR4400's already. what they have is the SR7400 at P25K which is way over what i can afford.

i have listened to a broken-in gale 3030 at 5th ave. north edsa and it sounded fine to me. couldn't say if it was great coz i really haven't tried the other offerings, like the diamonds. i'm just going by the comments here about how great sounding (for the price) the gale's are and how the diamonds sounded a little dull (at least to some ppl, maybe it's the AVR that's driving it).

i also find the 5.5" drivers of the gale a good match for 10" subs as i plan to use them as my music setup too. what i'm aiming for is balance and clarity. the wharf d9.2 at 6.5" would be a match for 12-incher subs but i guess that will be too much for our small receiving area. i will try to audition the 9.1 (5-incher) to hear if it will give the clarity i'm aiming for and then i'm all set to choose what's the best for me.

O.T. - the vaunted warmth of the marantz sound is what's drawing me to this AVR. the other choice is the rx-v450. i think i can live with its average HT performance (compared to the yamaha's) as long as it delivers the musicality i'm looking for. agree with the general comment about yammies being "bright", but i've read reviews for the 450 and they say it is a little musical now, too as compared to previous yamaha offerings.

OT:
the sr4500 can be had for 17k in 5th ave. since you've visited 5th in sm north, you may want to listen to some mordaunts. though more expensive, they are better built to say the least, and sounded better for me.

you also might want to drop by digital dreams (katapat lang). they sell the HK avr130 for 17+k. not much bells and whistles, but quite powerful and is also warm.

the diamonds are a bit laid back. "dull" would be too harsh a term to describe them. i once owned the 9.1's and for me, sounded really good.

if you can, try building your system little by little so you'll have no regrets in the end.

hope to hear more from you, sir. happy hunting.

[Jairus]

Hi potpot...Welcome to PinoyDVD Do try the HK, their very good in music as well as in HT and will pair well with most of the speakers discussed in this forum.  I agree with Bumblebee's suggestion (if budget is limited ) to build your system slowly piece by piece.  Audition...audition....audition 

Happy hunting 

[jerix]

bros, how about an update of prevailing prices on the different Gale models --  thnx 

[gearhead]

hi bumblebee/ jairus...

seems medyo OT na tayo here so just head over to the marantz thread for my reply. thanks again.

jerix (para di OT). here's the latest gale speaker prices:

3010 (3.5" mid, 4-8 Ohms, 85dB, 80W, 90-20khz) ............. none available.
3020 (5.5" mid, 4-8 Ohms, 90dB, 100W, 55-20khz)............ P5,995.00
3030 (5.5" mid, 4-8 Ohms, 90dB, 100W, 39-20kHz)............ P6,595.00
3040 (dual 5.5", 4-8 Ohms, 90dB, 120W, 39-40kHz)........... P8,995.00
3050C (dual 3.5", 4-8 Ohms, 87dB, 80W, 70-20kHz)........... P4,100.00
3060B (bipolar 3.5", 4-8 Ohms, 88dB, 90W, 70-20kHz)........ P5,150.00
3070W (8" Long-throw Woofer, 65W, 40-150 Hz)............... P7,700.00
3080W (10" Long-Throw Woofer, 100W, 25-150 Hz)........... P9,895.00

di po ako dealer.... 5th avenue is. na-research ko lang po yan as part of my "hunting" odyssey.   

[jerix]

hey bro Pot888,

Thanks for this instant info --  considering this beauty also for my second set. 

[gearhead]

hey bro Pot888,

Thanks for this instant info --  considering this beauty also for my second set. 

forgot to mention you can always ask for a discount as long as you pay cash. it is with free delivery, too. 

[gearhead]

hey bro Pot888,

Thanks for this instant info --  considering this beauty also for my second set. 

hi bro jerix.... ano pa ang hinihintay mo... bili na. 

i have gotten my gales together with a marantz sr4500 just this afternoon and after having my final audition of the wharfs and the gales at park square, it all boiled down on w/c to get - the 3030 or the 3040.

i will not try to elaborate so much on my impression of the wharf d9.1 and d9.2. all i can say is i find the gales more transparent and forward-sounding, if ever there's such a word, so much so that i picked it up over the diamonds. you can really hear the spread and the great (i'll reserve excellent for later)  imaging of the 30-series. you can say these are the sleeper boxes from the current crop of entry-level speakers.

i have decided on getting a floorstander so i was left with the 3030 2-way and the 3040 3-way. both are great but i preferred the slightly brighter 3030's. if you have or is planning to have a yamaha avr, i feel that the 3040 is what you need to tame the at times overly bright yamahas.  also, sitting on a couch with the center speaker at ear-level, i find the height of the 3040 to be almost perfect already. as it is, i'm now left hunting for a proper stand for my 3030's.

[greg]

hey potpot_888! Congrats on your new set-up!! Pareho na tayong proud gale owners!! The only difference is that i use a yammie avr and i've got "4 towers" instead of the usual 2!  Sulit talaga itong gale and i believe they really are a good match for marantz receivers (super lambing combo) or for other brighter receivers like my yammie (complementary combo) hahaha! 

Your choice of getting the floorstanding 3030 over the bookshelf 3020 is damn correct!!! you do not need a stand for your 3030 just use a 3"-5" wooden platform and their height wood be perfect!! magmumukha pa syang 3040!! that's what i did for my surrounds

happy "Home-Theater-ing" bro!!

[gearhead]

I got 1 center and a pair of floorstanders (3040), powered by my yamaha rxv350 amp. I'm very much satisfied with my set-up, specifically with the gale center speaker, which has a very high voice clarity. But my floorstanders aren't as versatile as expected. They're great with war/action movies, and hip-hop/RnB music but they lack the acoustic clarity i'm looking for at times hehehe...

still looking for that clarity? why don't you try opening up the speaker to have a look at the crossover? the spec says that it's a 3-way 1st order crossover... so more likely than not the high-pass filter is just a single capacitor. trace that speaker lead from the tweeter and look up the value of the capacitor. if it says, for example, 3.3uf the cutoff freq. is around 6khz for 8 ohms so try changing it to, say 4.7uf, to encompass some voice frequencies around 4khz.

[gearhead]

hey potpot_888! Congrats on your new set-up!! Pareho na tayong proud gale owners!! The only difference is that i use a yammie avr and i've got "4 towers" instead of the usual 2!  Sulit talaga itong gale and i believe they really are a good match for marantz receivers (super lambing combo) or for other brighter receivers like my yammie (complementary combo) hahaha! 

hmmm... didn't see your posts about the 2nd set of 3030 before i posted my crossover suggestions. seems that even the yamaha didn't manage to open up the 3040, eh? yun nga lang ang napansin ko sa 3040, parang me dip somewhere sa response nya. di naman kulang sa highs pero wala yung raspiness ng vocals di gaya sa 3030. sayang, astig pa naman talaga ng porma.

Your choice of getting the floorstanding 3030 over the bookshelf 3020 is d**n correct!!! you do not need a stand for your 3030 just use a 3"-5" wooden platform and their height wood be perfect!! magmumukha pa syang 3040!! that's what i did for my surrounds

happy "Home-Theater-ing" bro!!

basically, that's what i'm planning nga, eh. about 4-6" nga rin balak ko para ma-align sya sa height ng center speaker ko. talaga? nagmukhang 3040 sa extension mo? me pics ka ba dyan? suggestions naman kung paano ko paangatin itong 3030 ko... or kung saan pwedeng mag-source nung ginamit mo.

[greg]

still looking for that clarity? why don't you try opening up the speaker to have a look at the crossover? the spec says that it's a 3-way 1st order crossover... so more likely than not the high-pass filter is just a single capacitor. trace that speaker lead from the tweeter and look up the value of the capacitor. if it says, for example, 3.3uf the cutoff freq. is around 6khz for 8 ohms so try changing it to, say 4.7uf, to encompass some voice frequencies around 4khz.

pot my friend!

Thanks for the advise but i dare not open it until the warranty lapses. Anyways, clarity greatly improved after bi-wiring. Thanks.

[greg]

hmmm... didn't see your posts about the 2nd set of 3030 before i posted my crossover suggestions. seems that even the yamaha didn't manage to open up the 3040, eh? yun nga lang ang napansin ko sa 3040, parang me dip somewhere sa response nya. di naman kulang sa highs pero wala yung raspiness ng vocals di gaya sa 3030. sayang, astig pa naman talaga ng porma.

basically, that's what i'm planning nga, eh. about 4-6" nga rin balak ko para ma-align sya sa height ng center speaker ko. talaga? nagmukhang 3040 sa extension mo? me pics ka ba dyan? suggestions naman kung paano ko paangatin itong 3030 ko... or kung saan pwedeng mag-source nung ginamit mo.

bro what's your email? so i can send you pics of my set-up and the customized platform.

[greg]

here's my gale set-up

[greg]

Heads up gale fans!!

potpot_888 and his bro went to my place last night to audtion the 3040s (3-way floorstanders) and 3030s (2-way floorstanders) i have. test materials were audiophile voices and some accoustic cds. the result were pretty consistent with the finding of some members here about gale speakers. the 3030 floorstanders were really outstanding. no meant to downgrade the 3040s performance (since i am a very satisfied user of these 3-way speakers especially for HT) but the smaller variant seemed to have a better range and clarity for audio. It's very much comparable to other more expensive stereo speakers!

i also gave potpot_888 a taste of my HT experience (w/ the 3030s as surrounds). the test movie was star wars 2 car (or shall i say craft) chase on the early chapters of the film. having a bigger surround definitely boosted the rear sound image, making the experience more theatre-like!!

with this i really recommend both 3040s and 3030s for HT while 2.1 set up composed of 3030s and any decent subwoofer (a liitle help when going low) would probably satisfy your audio urge. that could be a next proj!!!:)

(Please take note that i have elevated the 3030s with a 4 inch platform for better sound staging as it is a bit short.)

[gearhead]

Heads up gale fans!!

potpot_888 and his bro went to my place last night to audtion the 3040s (3-way floorstanders) and 3030s (2-way floorstanders) i have. test materials were audiophile voices and some accoustic cds. the result were pretty consistent with the finding of some members here about gale speakers. the 3030 floorstanders were really outstanding. no meant to downgrade the 3040s performance (since i am a very satisfied user of these 3-way speakers especially for HT) but the smaller variant seemed to have a better range and clarity for audio. It's very much comparable to other more expensive stereo speakers!

i also gave potpot_888 a taste of my HT experience (w/ the 3030s as surrounds). the test movie was star wars 2 car (or shall i say craft) chase on the early chapters of the film. having a bigger surround definitely boosted the rear sound image, making the experience more theatre-like!!

with this i really recommend both 3040s and 3030s for HT while 2.1 set up composed of 3030s and any decent subwoofer (a liitle help when going low) would probably satisfy your audio urge. that could be a next proj!!!:)

(Please take note that i have elevated the 3030s with a 4 inch platform for better sound staging as it is a bit short.)

hey... thanks a lot for accomodating us for the 3030/40 "shootout. i really liked your system a lot that i'm still contemplating upgrading to your setup. 5th avenue says that i can still upgrade my system so i'm thinking of trading in my 3060B bipolars for the 3040 (and tweaking it..... ooops, my warranty). 

again, would like to reiterate you can't go wrong with the 3030(Front)/50C(Center)/3020(rear) setup.... the jury's still out on the 3040 and the 3060B though.

thanks again, bro. greggy!!! happy HT'ing, everyone!

[greg]

after comparing both gale 3030s and 3040s last time for audio, i decided to repeat an a/b test, this time for ht or movies. both really fared well in the action scenes of my test materials (saving private ryan / lotr: rotk / starwars: episodes 1 and 2). both gave clear, crisp, and realistic soundeffects and background music, especially for the 3030s (still a best buy for me)!! but for movies, i'm sure everyone will agree that there has to be power and not just clarity for speakers. here's a trait which the 3-way 3040 clearly has an advantage over it's smaller brother the 2-way 3030. both can really go low and deliver unbelievable bass performances despite their compact cabins, however i must say that after hearing the 3040's punches and explosion, there is no way i can appreciate the other (3030) any better. the 3040 even outdoes my sub for some scenes... and upon realizing that, i tried to make my test much more intriguing by turning off my subwoofer (usaudio508a). to my surprise... i missed nothing!! (naku i might have to upgrade my sub soon!! ( )

to conclude, the 3040s really excelled in ht!! all i can say is that i'm definitely happy with my gales! if i want music, i got my 3030s. if want movies, i have my 3040s! I just wish that gale can make better subwoofers for me/us to complete our gale set-up.

[gearhead]

stop it, greg..... you're whetting my appetite again (coz basically, i have about the same conclusion from my auditions with you.) 

[ASuL]

baka medyo off-topic po pero how do these compare to the more popular wharfedale diamond 8 and 9...

thanks!

plus ano finish ng speakers...real wood or parang vinly...thanks again

[who102]

after comparing both gale 3030s and 3040s last time for audio, i decided to repeat an a/b test, this time for ht or movies. both really fared well in the action scenes of my test materials (saving private ryan / lotr: rotk / starwars: episodes 1 and 2). both gave clear, crisp, and realistic soundeffects and background music, especially for the 3030s (still a best buy for me)!! but for movies, i'm sure everyone will agree that there has to be power and not just clarity for speakers. here's a trait which the 3-way 3040 clearly has an advantage over it's smaller brother the 2-way 3030. both can really go low and deliver unbelievable bass performances despite their compact cabins, however i must say that after hearing the 3040's punches and explosion, there is no way i can appreciate the other (3030) any better. the 3040 even outdoes my sub for some scenes... and upon realizing that, i tried to make my test much more intriguing by turning off my subwoofer (usaudio508a). to my surprise... i missed nothing!! (naku i might have to upgrade my sub soon!! ( )

to conclude, the 3040s really excelled in ht!! all i can say is that i'm definitely happy with my gales! if i want music, i got my 3030s. if want movies, i have my 3040s! I just wish that gale can make better subwoofers for me/us to complete our gale set-up.

bossing greg,
ano po ang gamit nyong receiver during testing?

[greg]

bossing greg,
ano po ang gamit nyong receiver during testing?

isang dukhang yamaha rx-v350 lang po ang gamit ko. OK naman yung match!

[pogz213]

me too , im impressed  decent sounding talaga ,  i auditioned  bookshelf 3020 with my own NADC320BEE wow !!! wala akong masabi..
 buying mode na rin....

[greg]

me too , im impressed  decent sounding talaga ,  i auditioned  bookshelf 3020 with my own NADC320BEE wow !!! wala akong masabi..
 buying mode na rin....

goodluck bro! di ka madidisapoint sa gale... though i suggest you get the 3030 na!

[Rhandz]

Guys how many years do you think these speakers would last?

[greg]

plus ano finish ng speakers...real wood or parang vinly...thanks again

i think vinyl... not sure though hehehehe

[greg]

Guys how many years do you think these speakers would last?

Gale is an old ang known british brand. Production is now in China but i believe they have still maintained the quality of their speakers. They even got a high rating with What Hi-Fi early last year! With low prizes, high quality products, and hopefully good distributors (5th ave/SM), GALE is a brand to stay!!

But if your're asking about their durability? I have no idea since i've been a Gale user/fan for only less than a year. So far, i'm still impressed.

[who102]

isang dukhang yamaha rx-v350 lang po ang gamit ko. OK naman yung match!

thanks sa info. its encouraging na gale(or even cguro wharfe(?)) can still deliver when matching it with a not so high-end receivers.   balak ko po kasing low-end konzert avr muna temporary ang bilhin ko kasabay ng 3040. baka kasi magupgrade si bayaw ng receiver at maipasa niya sa akin ang yamaha rx-v795a at kenwood sub.  iko-convince ko kasi siya na HK o Denon or any other expensive receiver ang nababagay sa canton(FS)/tannoy(sur) setup niya.   

[itgbkj]

Who102.  Tama decision mo.  Antayin si Bayaw na magpalit ng gamit - akoin mo yung meron na sa kanya!  Cheaper yun!  Pero hold your money in your pockets ha... it will be very tempting to buy the stuff once you are auditioning the wares!

[Jairus]

Anybody tested/auditioned these speakers with a Denon receiver?

[gearhead]

Anybody tested/auditioned these speakers with a Denon receiver?

you can read greg's review matched with an rx-v350. he's using the 3050 and both the 3040 and the 3030 with it. basically i have the same experience with the 3030, 3050 and 3060B with my marantz 4500. as you can see, even with the lower end yammie these babies deliver, so i see no problem matching it with the higher level (as compared to the rxv and my sr4500) denon's.

the trick here is matching them with a good subwoofer. otherwise, they do deliver oh-so-nicely in the mid to high frequency ranges.... neither too grating nor too dull.

[greg]

hi guys!! tingin nyo what would be a good receiver to complement these gales aside from yamaha and marantz. heard gales performing well with either yamaha or marantz but im intrigued if they would result to a better combo with hk, onkyo, denon, and nad. this should then be true test of gales' versatility! we all know they're good for both ht and audio, but can they also deliver with other avr brands? share what you know... im looking again at a possible receiver upgrade  7.1 naman!!!  

it's nice to imagine having a pair of 3040 (3way floorstanders) as fronts, a pair of 3060B (bi-polars) as surrounds, a pair of 3030 (2way floorstanders) as rear surrounds and 3050c center speaker!!! that would only cost around P24K!!!! plus a decent sub worth 15K...whew!!!

btw, for those questioning gales' durabilty... i had no problems with them so far. i'm a happy gale user/fan for almost 1 year now. i listen to music around 2 hours per week and use them for HT for around 4 hours per week at a little more than midlevel volumes . that 's a total usage of 24 hours per month. hhmmm... mahina pala ako sorry, i can't testify yet on their durability. hehehe. so far... so good!