Are there any Harbeth owners in central Florida?

Well for my case, i have the leben on laScala from klipsch and klipsch and leben is a very good match! if you have the chance to try it, go!

Naim, Creek, and Audio Note

Muzikat,

Thanks for the info. Maybe I'll have to add another post asking about Devore owners in central Florida :-) BTW, what amp did you use with each of these speakers?

Mike

You said it...the Harbeth's prefer SS, especially British SS. They can work with tubes, but generally prefer more power than the Leben can give.

Gibbons are designed with tubes in mind. John Devore has even used the Leben in shows. My Gibbon 8s were never bright or picky. I am using Gibbon 3s right now in a very small room, excellent.

These are my opinions, yours may differ.
Buy either one used and you should be able to resell w/o much loss.
Good Luck!

Muzikat,

Considering you are in the enviable position of having heard both speakers, could you elaborate a little more on why you think the Devore's may be a better match. Specwise, they look similar except that the Gibbon's go down lower. I think the thing that has me leaning towards the Harbeths is the descriptions I have read about the tonal balance. The CS300X is a bit tilted up in the mids and treble region, especially with the Sovtek tubes. I have read that the Harbeth's are bit more subdued in those regions. In addition, they do not seem to be picky about what they are connected to - although I have also read they seem to like lots of SS power. The Gibbon's seem to be more picky and can sound overly bright with the wrong components or setup - or so I have read. On the other hand, the designer seems to be a tube guy so there might be more synergy with tube amps. I'd be really interested in your thoughts on the two speakers and I would also like to know what amps you have tried with them.

Thanks,
Mike

I'm not in central FLA, but I have owned both the Compact 7 and Devore Gibbon 8.
IMO,the 8's would be the best choice. I don't think you would get the most out of Harbeths with your amp.