Are Harbeth Super HL5 XD right for me?

There are better values for the money, British speakers in the US are usually pricey

I have gone through multiple speakers in the last 5-7 years ranging from $3K to 18K. Harbeth SHL5+ is a great value for anything under $10K. There's a reason people are willing to pay more for the Harbeth sound. I agree it's not for everyone but for those who like 'em, there's not much else that can match these amazing speakers. No other speaker does vocals as well as Harbeth (probably true for other BBC-inspired designs as well). That super tweeter is just amazing and it's so well integrated with the other drivers.

Last year I bought Joseph Audio Perspective2s. They were supposed to be a replacement for the SHL5+ in my main system. I briefly listed the SHL5+ for sale but just couldn't bring myself to part with them. I moved them to my second (home office) system and they are so good that I can't imagine giving them up any time soon. Since my home office is not as big as the main listening room, I could not pull them out more than 13 inches from the front wall. I was worried that they might sound boomy, but I was wrong. Being front ported actually helps in this case. They sound glorious driven by a Willsenton R8. Next year, I will purchase a better amp that is worthy of SHL5+. But even with the R8, they sound big, full, meaty with a decent soundstage. There's just something about the SHL5+ that speaks to my heart in a way very few speakers have.

Are they better than my Joseph Audio Perspective2 speakers? Well, no. But they're by no means embarrassed by the much more expensive Joseph Audio speakers. Of course, the OP needs to audition before buying. But if he can buy used, they can resold with very little loss if they don't fit the bill. Good luck!

@jdougs At the risk of sounding like Captain Obvious, please make sure you give yourself ample time to get to know the sound signature. These speakers are very balanced and don't favor any specific frequency range. They might sound less detailed than some other speakers but they get the tonality and timbre so right that it is tough to give it up once you get used to it. I also find that they are very sensitive to toe in. Good luck and I hope you love them as much as I do.

@grislybutter 

So possibly, from that lens, the more expensive Harbeth models are more bang for the buck

I agree with you regarding the lower end models from Harbeth. With the current pricing for their smallest bookshelf speakers, P3esr, I think they are no longer competitive. At that price, I would much rather get a Fritz speaker than the P3esr model. But the SHL5+ is a unique speaker even in the Harbeth lineup. 

@avanti1960 That's what I was thinking too. When I replaced the SHL5+ with Joseph Audio speakers, I wasn't sure if they would be suitable in my home office where I couldn't have pulled them out more than a foot due to the layout of the room. I almost sold them thinking they would not work. But guess what, they work wonderfully. I don't really hear any bass boom so to speak. But I usually listen to jazz, vocals, classical at moderate volume. So I don't know how they might behave with hard rock or EDM type of music. I'm glad I didn't sell them though.

@jdougs First of all congratulations on acquiring a world-class speaker! In my home office, the SHL5+ are also placed roughly 13 inches out from the front wall and they sound pretty damn good. But, of course, these speakers will perform even better if pulled out further, with the most noticeable improvement being soundstage depth. When I had them in my main listening room (they're in my home office now), I had them pulled out by almost 5 feet. The soundstage depth and imaging was glorious. I was skeptical when I moved them to the home office but I was pleasantly surprised. They still have the trademark Harbeth sound that I love. And as a bonus, they sound very good even at low volume listening.

If you have the space, try to spread them further along the horizontal plane and increase the toe-in angle by another 5-10 degrees. At least in my room, I'm able to improve the depth and image precision a bit more by doing this.