Are Harbeth S HL5's As Good As Reviewers Claim?


I'm looking at acquiring a pair of these but have gotten mixed opinions. The reviewers say they're the best thing since sliced bread but some say they are dull, boring and a bit on the "warm" side. Any thoughts, experiences would be appreciated.
mikesmith

Showing 2 responses by drubin

Very warm. Not transparent to what comes before them in the chain. Not highly resolving. Tweeter is fair, not great. Dynamics not great. Can be boomy in some rooms/systems. Delicious on vocals and acoustic instruments. You may love them or ask, WTF?
Jerry Seigel at 10audio.com published a quite critical review of the Harbeth Monitor 30 a couple of years ago. I've owned several pairs of Harbeths (no longer) and I think that, for all the positive press they get, many audiophiles would react to them very much as Jerry did. IMO, it's a very fair review.