deaux Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 Hi, I recently restored a pair of vintaged Gale speakers. This was and is my second pair of Chrome Gale. I acquired a pair of new ones in late 80's and sold a few years later. I am an audiophile since then and was not able appreciated or knowing how well sounded they were. Now with the restored second pair, they are the most or one of the best nice sounding speakers have heard. I will update more info later. Me 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deaux Posted July 8, 2021 Author Share Posted July 8, 2021 Here is the photos prior restore 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deaux Posted July 8, 2021 Author Share Posted July 8, 2021 Here are the drivers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deaux Posted July 8, 2021 Author Share Posted July 8, 2021 crossover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deaux Posted July 8, 2021 Author Share Posted July 8, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deaux Posted July 8, 2021 Author Share Posted July 8, 2021 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooogh Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Great work deaux. Lots of fans of the mighty Gales here in Adelaide. The most important thing we have learnt is they require HUGE amounts of power up them before they show what they are truly capable of. @Peter_F is the resident Guru on all things Gale here on SNA. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubularbells Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Nice. I'd really like to listen to a pair of these legends someday. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimbo Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 I've got a mint pair. Love them. Had to get another power amp to accommodate them and that was really worth while. Will be getting the side caps polished soon. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THOMO Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 I just sold a musical Fidelity A5 Cr power amp.That is a great go-to amp for Gales without spending a fortune.They do 255 watts into 8 ohm and 414 watts into 4 ohms .Gales are usually best with a good valve preamp too. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 (edited) I have been looking for a pair with chrome end caps for months now. A good pair are few and far between. Ken Edited July 8, 2021 by Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooogh Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 2 minutes ago, Ken said: I have been looking for a pair with chrome end caps for months now. A good pair are few and far between. Ken Hi Ken, The chrome ended 401a’s are definitely the style icon, absolutely beautiful in the right setting. In comparisons however we have found the 401c to be the superior sounding speaker, removing the interference the chrome caps cause due to covering a third of each woofer has an audible effect. It also makes servicing far easier, those caps are glued on and very hard to remove. Personally I find the subtlety curved grill of the ‘C’s a beautiful piece design. However the old chromies will always be the iconic combination of style and sound. Good luck with your search. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THOMO Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 I have had all the types here including the C version but found one pair of 401a s with the chrome ends to sound the best.Although the differences were relatively small.I think they vary slightly in sound which is probably what you would expect with something using drivers over 40 years old.From what I have heard however some pairs can sound a bit choked up which I suspect is due to the fibreglass stuffing material packing losing some of its bounce and packing down a bit .In which case replacing it with the same amount of new equivalent is worth doing.My take on the chrome caps is that they should sound better because they are a tight fit and therefore add extra cabinet bracing. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimbo Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Interesting comments lads. My end caps are not that hard to take off, so I might take them off and reappraise. I'm from the school of " Let the drivers be free" but when I first listened to these, I found them uncoloured and clear. ( I used to own Maggie 2,5 R's and Quad ESL 63's on Arcici's.) They create a very open soundstage giving width and clarity to the back of the soundstage and of course drum kit. Definitely not choked up with no slurring of vocals. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christosd Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Welcome. Worth the fixup I reckon. As @Oooghhas mentioned, there are a few of us Gales lovers around the traps. I'm still surprised how good they can sound. This is the room where music is on everyday. Currently, I am enjoying them closer to the wall where the bass is a bit fuller. I get a bit more punch and mid range speed out from the wall a bit.... Depends what's playing. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leinster Lad Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Fantastic sounding speaker. I have a pair of @Peter_F 401C's and they really do live up to their reputation. I have found with mine however, when driven hard, the woofer voice coils can bottom out on the magnet and make quite an alarming crack sound 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippi Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 (edited) The first I heard of and then actually listened to Gales was during the first ever Classic Albums Sundays event in Adelaide at The Jade. Was immediatelly taken by the spelbounding somewhat unreal cool look they've got. Then a bit of an inspired talk by Hugh @Ooogh about the gear being used including the Gale 401 speakers. And then the sound - it really felt like having been transported to the Hansa studio in West Berlin during the recording of Bowie's Heroes album. Although the intentional unusually forward and hot mastering didn't lend itself to presenting the Gales in the best light - it was trully otherwordly.... The followup CAS album a few weeks later- the Kate Bush debut The Kick Inside confirmed the formidability, scale and finesse of these uber stylish speakers. And all this for much maligned speakers (in the 70's and 80's) that nearly (or actually) sent the manufacturer broke - purely for the fact that there were hardly any amps at the time that could drive them and do it justice hence derive their true potential performance. I mean - if you had a lifestyle and the means of a James Bond villain, then you may have had a chance in ten of owning an amp with sufficient oomph and agility to do the job. I've also pondered - how much of this performance that we can hear today was foreseen and expected by designer and manufacturer - given the uniqely powerful and agile amps it takes today. And how much was a bit of a fluke and a by-product of the pursuit of style and quality without compromise - even at a risk of being bankrupt, laughing stock among peers and at large. It certainly proves the synergy between components should be looked at carefully and not taken for granted - throughout the signal chain - from the cart/tonearm/TT (or a digital frontend/DAC/CD player) through to the speakers . I guess us die-hard stereophiles aren't (completely) silly afterall (crazy would surely be too harsh a word - surely). A great project @deaux !!!!! Kudos mate!!!! Edited July 8, 2021 by zippi 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLAH BLAH Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimbo Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 10 hours ago, Leinster Lad said: Fantastic sounding speaker. I have a pair of @Peter_F 401C's and they really do live up to their reputation. I have found with mine however, when driven hard, the woofer voice coils can bottom out on the magnet and make quite an alarming crack sound Have you talked to Peter about that. Might be lazy surrounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THOMO Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 1 hour ago, Wimbo said: Have you talked to Peter about that. Might be lazy surrounds. Could be processed bass too.There is a lot of that around.And it is not just modern electronic music.Those much loved audiophile favourite recordings by Jennifer Warnes and Patricia Barber have it too.Such fakery should be banned!Almost as bad as Auto-tune. There is also some chance that they might need new spiders. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Macfarlane Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 14 hours ago, Leinster Lad said: Fantastic sounding speaker. I have a pair of @Peter_F 401C's and they really do live up to their reputation. I have found with mine however, when driven hard, the woofer voice coils can bottom out on the magnet and make quite an alarming crack sound What power amp are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leinster Lad Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 Perreaux SM3 into PMF 3150 This has happened on two occasions and once heard, volume was reduced quickly. Pretty sure is was not a clip, as the Perreaux has very long legs, and this has never happened with it driving my Cerwin Vega D9's I had heard that the Gales could bottom out and that there was a modification to the voice coil former to sort it. I never followed thru with it as it is very rare to play at these levels. Just like everything, there are limitations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 I have previously owned the 401C's some 40 years ago. I would like to try 401's again in this home with my current amps, this time the 401A's. I agree totally with zippi above that the amps of the 1970's / 1980's lagged a long way behind some of the speakers of the day, and it was the speakers that were blamed not the amps, simply because most of us knew no better. Since I sold my modern expensive speakers I have tried revisiting memories from earlier years and with decent power amps it is remarkable how good some older speakers sound. I am currently running well sorted Kef 105.2's, with good amps they can sound amazing. Ken 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Macfarlane Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 Very strange LL. I have owned 2 pairs of 401's since I was in my teens and never manged to bottom either pair out. Your amp should be more than capable of starting and stopping the bass units as the company I worked for in Scotland was the main Gale and Perreaux dealer and sold many of the combos without issue. I imagine you have spoken to Jason at the Speaker doctor about the issue but you can contact Dave at Vintage Gale in the UK , who is also very helpfull. There is also a foam sealer you can paint on the surrounds but no idea if this would help. https://www.simplyspeakers.com/speaker-repair-cone-edge-sealer-mi-1291fg.html. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leinster Lad Posted July 9, 2021 Share Posted July 9, 2021 THB I just have not bothered to follow this up, as it only happens at really really very very loud levels, and as such, is not an everyday pressing concern. Maybe @Peter_F will chime in at some point (or Jason, but not sure if he is on here) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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