Long-awaited "Big Brother" to our acclaimed Reference 3.1, the Reference 5LS builds upon its smaller sibling's considerable strengths, achieving even greater performance in virtually every aspect of sound quality. Measuring 78 inches tall, this all-new loudspeaker is the closest any line source has ever come to being omni-directional. The Reference 5LS spans the gamut of frequency and dynamic range, yet its slender 7" width and 11" depth enable it to excel in virtually any listening room and blend beautifully into most decorating schemes.

Reference 5LS is the culmination of everything Anthony Gallo has learned so far in a lifetime of speaker design.

At the cornerstone of the Reference 5LS' standards-setting performance is our patented CDT II™ tweeter, whose power-handling, off-axis response and efficiency approach the textbook definition of ideal. Midrange drivers employ Gallo's spherical enclosure technology, which virtually eliminates enclosure resonance and diffraction while enabling a broad 300-degree dispersion. The 5LS is also the world's first speaker to use multiple CDT II™ tweeters. To form the line array, Gallo deploys seven CDT II™s and eight 4" carbon fiber midrange drivers, each housed in its own 5" spherical enclosure.

Although most line sources must horizontally offset their various drivers, the Reference 5LS alternates tweeter cylinders with midrange spheres, one atop the other, in perfect vertical alignment. As a result, the phase and dispersion problems caused by driver offset are entirely eliminated. Twelve aluminium, rear-firing 4" subwoofer drivers equal the surface area of a 15" driver, but reproduce bass with a speed and transparency that no large driver can approach. The tubular stainless steel bass enclosure is stuffed with Gallo's patented S2 Technology, which further enhances the quality and quantity of low-frequency output.

Capable of being driven by a single, capable amplifier, the 5LS offers the options of bi- or tri-wiring, as well as bi- or tri-amping. Although able to handle massive power, the crossover-free design and high efficiency of both the CDT II™ tweeters and carbon-fiber midrange drivers are perfect matches for low-powered, high-performance amplifiers. The first-order low-pass filter used for the bass drivers (the ONLY crossover employed in the 5LS!) can be bypassed, enabling the LF enclosure to be driven from the LFE output of a processor, or from a separate amplifier. Gallo's (optional) Reference SA amplifier, which features volume, phase and crossover adjustments, is ideal for this application, as the speaker can be placed for optimal imaging and soundstaging performance and then fine-tuned for bass using the SA's control facilities.

Whether judged in terms of its output capabilities, spatial performance, aesthetic appeal or system and room compatibility, Gallo's new Reference 5LS is a triumph of design and engineering innovation.