An upgrade ? From Sonus Faber to Harberh speaker

@auronthas a very close friend had a pr of Harbeth's so have had a chance to listen to then often and they never got my foot tappin. He as well didn't get along with them and since sold them. 

I’ve owned several Harbeth speakers and I have found the Chartwell L6s to be better in a small-room low-volume situation. The rear port gives them a bit of a bump on the bottom, that sounds very pleasing at lower volumes. Excellent all-around speaker within its size limitations. I really like them.  

@rsf507 Interesting...May I know why Harbeth is not recommended in your opinion?

What about ATC bookshelves passive speakers like SCM 7, SCM 11 , etc

Keep your current SF or try and find a newer pr but I wouldn't go the Harbeth route myself.

Firstly, thanks all for your valuable comments and recommendation.

@akg_ca Accuphase E280 amp , source from Auralic Aries Mini and external DAC with AKM 4499 on Roon platform.

@ryder hi, I just sold my 400xi lately , moving to small room, need a speaker that can produce sound at low volume level while retain the good imaging sound.

Well, I would observe more ... on C7ES3 version then 

I used to have the C7ES2 and  I agree the treble was a bit muted.But that midrange..... heavenly.

I have owned both C7ES2 and C7ES3, they are quite different in balance. The ES2 is much more laid back in perspective with the treble sounding a bit muted. The ES3 is more neutrally balanced and lively sounding, a much better speaker IMO. 

Typically older Sonus Faber of that era were a bit warm and less detailed.

Yes, correct.

I have read great things about the new or current Sonus Faber but the higher-end models are rather costly in comparison to the Harbeth. Great sound, beautiful and exquisite craftsmanship but high-priced.

Typically older Sonus Faber of that era were a bit warm and less detailed. Todays Sonus Faber are still extremely natural and musical, but with outstanding detail, exceptional speakers. My dealer / friend sells both and by far prefers Sonus Faber. I have owned Cremona, Olympica 3, and currently Amati Traditional. I have heard speakers many times the cost of mine… I consistently value the natural musicality of Sonus Faber.

I am not familiar with Sonus Faber Concertino Domus but switched from the Sonus Faber Grand Piano Concerto to a Harbeth many years ago. i don’t have experience with the C7ES2 but have listened to the C7ES3. I don’t know how the C7ES2 compare to the ES3 but the latter was said to be a better sounding speaker.

Personally I would suggest to go with the C7ES3 if you can find a used pair. The Harbeth C7ES3 sounds more balanced, refined and detailed than the Sonus Faber. I find the Sonus Faber Grand Piano Concerto to be rolled off in the treble and lacks clarity and detail. The SF sounds overly warm but matches well with upfront and/or bright sounding amps such as the Krell KAV-300i. The guy who bought my Grand Piano Concerto uses a KAV-300i and the match between the Krell and Sonus Faber was pretty good.

Depends on what you have driving them upstream.

The philosophy is clear. An affordable speaker with decent amplification and source makes more sense than an expensive speaker with a cheap amp and source.

c7 will provide better bass response, but has similar sonic profile