Are Harbeth the only warm and euphonic speakers in town ?
I've looked far and wide especially for bookshelf speakers with prominent full mids and a lush sound. So far the only name that comes up is harbeth. Maybe Sonus faber but are there other speakers that have similar tone but are made by a different company?
cal91 - I did strongly consider the SHL5Plus. Went to listen to them at a friends house and thought they were great speakers. A very different setup from mine though. He has very high power tube amps powering them and I have Pass INT-25 powering mine. He has a big house and I have a smallish apartment. Room setup was completely different. But given these variables the 30.2XD's were my choice for my music in any case. He likes symphonies. I like jazz. He likes opera. I don't (not that i don't, but I don't feed on opera often). Again, for my musical taste and setting the 30.2xd's just work better for me. I loved the SHL5Pluses though. They sounded like great "speakers" and the 30.2XD's sound like monitors (instruments).
That said, I added an SVS 3000 Micro sub to the system a couple of months ago and it was a distinct improvement under let's say 55 hz or so for the down deep ambient space. Had I gone with the SHL's I would not have needed this sub.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Magnepans. I have the Harbeth SHL5+ speakers and love them. I wouldn’t describe them as warm, however. They sound very detailed and natural in the mids, and without coloration. After owning Klipschorns, Tektons, and others, these are my endgame speaker. Based on what you said you’re looking for, I think the Harbeth 30s would suit you perfectly.
I also have Magnepan 1.7i’s and LRS speakers. The Maggies have very nice, rich mids. For me, the Harbeths are superior to the Maggies in most areas, but the Maggies sound very nice, and I enjoy switching them into the system every now and then. I would suggest that you’re on the right track by making tonal quality a priority. There are plenty of speakers with a detailed, analytical sound, but I greatly prefer the organic, natural sound of the Harbeths and the Maggies.
I’ve been down the expensive speakers road many many times and don’t regret it at all- when I relocated to the tropics I never thought I would have to give up
tube equipment but I did! Also I gave up the large speakers bec my 12’x14’ cave
was what I wound up with-I should have thought this one out but I did not.
in Sum I purchased a pair of Andrew Jones Elac 2.0/b 6.2 and a SS integrated amp
And I lucked out big time! The resonance of the room and the speaker output is a great marriage . Also got a pair of EPOS Epic 2- unreal!
And all at the a fraction of the expense of past gear!
The integrated amp is Rotel A-14- best kept secret - versatile great sound stage programmable auto shut off and it works!
this is a long way financially from my Boulder equipment to mentions few !
Stirling Broadcast are far and away the best value going among that speaker class. They cost less than Harbeth but can play much louder without strain. Just a better built speaker all-around.
The old Epos Mi series is a great value also, though not quite as warm.
The warmest are Audio Note speakers. Classic Spendors are also good warm speakers. ProAcs, such as DB 3 are also nice, warm, speakers. Nola standmounts should also be considered. Any of the copies of BBC designs, such as Falcon speakers qualify as well.
Something like the Harbeth 30.2 and Falcon LS3/5A speakers are nice warm sounding speakers, but, for some reason the Boxers are overlooked and they are considerably cheaper than the likes of the Harbeth 30.2. They certainly should be auditioned.
I am particularly fond of Audio Note speakers, but, they are a bit more expensive. They are made to be put near the corner of the room, which is often a plus with small stand-mounted speakers, but, that does mean a shallower soundstage. Still, at a local dealership, most of the walk-in interest is in Harbeth speakers, but, those that are willing to listen to alternatives, often end up walking out with Audio Note speakers. There is less of movement in the other direction.
If you're looking for the BBC sound, I agree with Big_Greg, the Sterling LS3/6 is hard to beat. I own the Harbeth M40.1 and the Sterling LS3/6, both are great speakers. The M40.1s work well in a big room and because they need a lot of space. The LS3/6 works well in mid sized rooms. I use to own Harbeth SLH5 speakers and I like the LS3/6 quite a bit more.
I also vote for VA and another brand we don’t hear much about lately is meridian, they have a nice midrange tame tweeter and good bass, self powered though.
Just got the Haydn grands yesterday and definitely its much smoother, warmer, relaxed and musical compared to ATC. I find the ATC a bit thin sounding versus the Haydn. Will keep listening.
To me it would be in the smooth and warm category more so than "fast." This is a bit of tricky dichotomy because some of the speakers that are characterized as fast, detailed, etc. give that impression by being a touch lean in the upper bass and lower midrange or have an upper midrange peak that emphasizes the initial attack of the voices and most instruments. Good electrostatics actually don't have that kind of punchy initial attack that some characterize as "fast" and they have a natural "ease" and "poise" while not sounding sluggish. In that sense, the Boxer is sort of like an electrostatic--the dynamics is not hyped up like some other "fast" sounding speakers (e.g., Zu speakers).
Hi @smodtactical, I find the Boxer 2 smooth,and on the warm side of neutral. This is in comparison to Graham Chartwell LS3/5, and Hornshoppe Great Horned Heils that I rotate.
They are tons of relatively good speakers and from all speakers types out there...
Why?
Because it does not takes only a genius to relatively make good one, this technology is mature ...
Anybody focusing on his favorite "brand name" and who want to impose it for everybody and for all rooms with all piece of gear is wrong.... Why?
Because the room and the gear+ speakers are a "team" each one must be adapted to the other ....
And this is acoustic science methods which make us able to adapt speakers to a room and more importantly make us able to tune the room for specfic speakers and for our specific ears....
"Brand name fetichism" is only our personal taste at best, reflecting our own needs, and ignorance at worst ....
The real question then is not what brand name speakers will take me to heaven, but nevermind the speakers type and brand name i will choose , how will i make it working at his optimal level and how my room acoustic can serve this goal ...
I can assure you that there is no comparison at all between a speaker in a treated and mechanically controlled room , before it and after it.... No comparison at all.... it is night and day for any speakers of any types ...
Acoustic/psycho-acoustic rule ? Why ?
Because we hear sounds which dont come from the gear so much than from our head/room....
Recorded sound is an acoustic perpective trade-off set of choices CONVEYED by the gear but TRANSLATED in the acoustic perspective of our room by our 2 ears/ brain/head....
Reproduction is a misleading word here...
When you hear any sound source you translate the resonant body of this sound source in a complex set of variable INFORMATIONS , quantitative one but more importantly qualitative one... No set of electronical measures is able to explain that and certainly not few measures numbers of a specs sheets from some gear company or from measuring tools fetichists...
a great speaker for sure, but a different kettle of fish than harbeths
not that this makes his put-down on harbeths cool if taken seriously... quite the contrary,,, but we will focus on his emoji ... think his comment is just a jokey pokey...
Thanks Steve. I admit that I was curious. I guess no matter how open minded we might be, a lot of us still feel that what we listen to is superior to anything else out there.
Speaking of which, I'm loving the Spendor SP100's.🤗
I'm in the Reynaud camp here and have been for 20 years. I think Harbeth's are better than Spendors (less boring) but Reynaud's have a special quality especially models w an external tweeter (though Bliss Silvers are beautiful too.). Dali, Sonus Faber, DeVore, Audio Note, Nola - there are probably others - reside on the warmer part of the spectrum. I for one do not like speakers with metal drivers. As far as Harbeth's I think they are best w classical music where their "bloom" adds richness to vocals and acoustic instruments but wouldn't be where I would go if you liked modern overly processed pop music (though a new Lana Del Rey cd would sound amazing.
@secretguynot every audiophile is focused on accuracy. And everyone has their own personal preference for what resonates with them the most sonically. There is no need to disparage others who think differently than you.
While I have Harbeth 30.2 XDs, I have to agree with the earlier posts that so much of the sound depends on the other elements of your system. When I upgraded to my Koetsu, the experience changed. Same thing happened when I changed my phono stage and once again with a recent amplifier and preamp switch.
At each stage, the Harbeths have been up to the task and continue to bring me a great deal of pleasure with each LP I play.
@thr1961you have a wonderful selection of gear. I’m looking for ARC Ref 160M’s because I think they’d do well with my Wilson Sasha’s and my other room with Harbeth. Hoping to score a preowned pair.
Out of curiosity, where did you get the Palmer 2.5i? I’ve been scouring the market for that turntable. It’s the most beautiful table I’ve seen.
“ ….Harbeths...Dull as a a dishwasher. With what amp….”
AMP?
- how about the REGA OSIRIS integrated amp , a killer upstream powerhouse. Or the Luxman L-590AX Mkii amplifier, or Hegel H390 Integrated Amplifier.
- if you pair them with crummy upstream components, their transparency will religiously expose all those warts and deficiencies.( and dullness …) BUT …..Drive them with quality build hefty options, and they excel in the extreme.
DULL?
- Hardly. You are in the very distinct minority, sir. …. there’s a big army out there that will immediately oppose your opinion.
“ … I’ve owned a lot of speakers, both big and small, and it’s rare that I find one so engaging and musical, so at home with all types of music. This is a speaker that makes you excited about listening to music, makes you want to hear as much as possible and offers a connection to the artist that you don’t always find easily. The 30.2 XD is not just a speaker that I want to listen to music on, it’s a speaker that I want to live with, so much so, I put my money where my editorial mouth is and sent the distributor a check. Hats off to Shaw and co for producing a world class musical product.…
” ….Not having the pre-XD version of the Monitor M30.2 XD to compare the new model with, I cannot comment on the improvements. Yet I’m well able to applaud what’s now on sale. Certainly, this Xtended Definition edition is easily the best Harbeth I’ve heard so far – to me, it sounds very special, especially when playing through a serious amplifier. It may not offer any particular technological frills, but this is still one of the finest speakers around at its price and will put a smile on many faces. ..”
Stereophile: Herb’s verdict: "the most tuneful, accurate, neutral, fun, and music-loving stand-mounted two-way speaker I’ve heard."
- Hardly. You are in the very distinct minority, sir. …. there’s a big army out there that will immediately oppose your opinion.
Since this is all personal perspective/tastes, there is also most likely an equal army out there that will not place Harbeth any where near the top of their lists for speakers that are highly dynamic (i.e. fast), highly resolving, throw a massive soundstage, etc. Driven by a Hegel or not.
I've listened to a few Harbeth speakers and liked them; but compared to other speakers I've owned (Revel F52s, Magico S1s, Klipsch Cornwalls IIIs, Spendor D9s) and demoed (Kaya 45s, Fleetwood DeVille), DULL could certainly be used relative to my list. Many in that Harbeth army will likely say all of the speakers in my list will make their ears bleed, etc... and that is fine.
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