Are Harbeths really "all that?"

They are modern day Bozaks...colored but sweet to the ear. Not something one listens to for Audiophile hallmarks but for nice sound. Overpriced nice sound of course, but nice nonetheless.

Funny Bozaks are mentioned.

I actually got to hear a pair of BIG, old Bozaks in good operating condition the other day at a local dealer who had taken in a pair in a trade. They were "sweet to the ear" indeed, but the dealer thought they were colored. I didn't get to listen long enough to say, but I suppose they were. Afterwards, we listened to some brand new B&Ws in the next room and I was still liking the Bozaks! They did have a certain warmth and ease about them whereas the B&Ws were way more detailed like most modern speaks yet also way more "in your face".

To answer Rebbi's question, "yes they are".

I owned the M30s for 3 years. They were recently sold as I upgraded to my first full range, the Verity's Parsifals (used).

Their strengths lie in the midrange and voicing. All I can say is that my wife really enjoyed listening to Maria Callas or Diana Krall on the M30s (btw, she's not so convinced that the Parsifals are better at voicing). Also, the Harbeths are no slouch in presenting fast and well defined lower notes.

Are they expensive for what they appear? Perhaps. I think in part because of unfavorable exchange rates (saw this with Spendor prices over the last 5-8 years). Despite the "cheapy" appearance of their cabinets, Harbeth uses high end drivers/components and are still hand made in the UK. The drivers used are either internally developed (radial cone technology) or externally sourced (e.g. high end SEAS tweeters or Audax). I bet if Harbeth licensed out it's radial technology or mid-bass driver, you would see this driver taken up by other manufacturers. It's that good.

Anyway, that was my experience with Harbeth. ............

If you have an opportunity to audition them, your ears and mind are the best judge. btw, yes they look "retro", which does not appeal to everyone........

happy listening!

I can only comment on the original Monitor 40. In a properly sized room it is a very neutral and realistic sounding loudspeaker. It has a midrange to die for. It doesn't do anything wrong, but in any single area of performance you can readily find other speakers that will out perform it. The Harbeth has first rate soundstage/imaging, but it's not state of the art. The Harbeth has great bass, but other speakers will go deeper. The Harbeth highs are quite good, but other speakers have more air. The Harbeth plays loud, but other go louder. What makes the Harbeth special is how balanced its performance is. Price wise it's currently not a particularly good value, but in a world seemingly overflowing with $30k plus speakers... The Harbeth appeal to music lovers, pro audio types and experienced audiophiles.

I've had two unsatisfactory experiences owning Harbeths, yet they continue to appeal to me every time I hear them at shows or a dealer's. So I'm about to make a third try. (This would be the definition of insanity, right?)