You may explore Graham. I switched from Harbeth SHL5+ to Graham LS5/9. Another option is Rogers but they have limited models.
Current or Previous Harbeth Owners…
For those of us that have had or currently have, are there other speakers you’ve listened to that you found sounded “better”? I’m eyeing stepping into a set of 40.2 or 40.3’s, but am also willing to step in a different direction. I realize “better” is subjective, but a speaker that does what Harbeth does, but better.
I have a set of Pass Labs XA100.5’s, FWIW.
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@donquichotte had you listened to the M series previously to getting the Classic 100’s? I wish I had a shop near my home, closest is about 2 hours, w/o traffic, and unless I’m interested in DAgostino + Wilson, I’m SOL. |
I've never owned Harbeth's but have heard them dozen of times at shows, at a local dealer and a good buddy ownes the 40.1. Just not my cup of coffee, seems too colored and honestly WAY overpriced. (But what high end equipment isn't). Have you listened to Joseph Audio Perspectives? More accurate & musical IMO
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@toddcowles : I have owned the Harbeth M30.2 and the Spendor SP2/3R2 at the same time for about an year before selling the Harbeths. That was a couple of years ago or so. The Spendor Classic 100 was a very recent affair and I ended up returning them (which kinda broke my heart, so to speak). The 100’s were offering better separation, much stronger / more impactful upper to mid bass and a slightly clearer and extended treble compared to my SP2/3R2s; however, the midrange was a bit darker and there was a sort of cloudiness / weirdness in the upper bass / lower midrange region making some piano chords sound almost as if the piano was a bit out of tune(!), there was definitely less of the one driver seamlessness of the 2/3s in the bass to midrange area. The bass extension was also less than expected. Overall, I was hearing more sounds but less music. Sad. |
It's a matter of picking which poison you can live with. What Harbeth does well- a fatigue free sound with very good detail, vocal timbre and tonal realism and a superb midrange- I have not heard another speaker that sound better in those areas. What they do not do exceptionally well is bass articulation, speed and dynamics. If Harbeth made a higher sensitivity floor standing speaker I would be all over it. My last Harbeth (SHL5+) required subwoofer support for world class bass but with an open port and lossy cabinet perfect integration was not achievable. My current Spendor D series floorstander gives you the dynamics, bass and articulation without losing too much in the midrange.
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i added an ATC C1Sub MK2 premium build subwoofer to flesh out the bottom octave to my 30.2XD’s using the high-level connectors.. . Integration was EZPZ and flawless. I’ve now matched the audio performance of the larger 40.2XD’s.IMO …Because the 30.2’s have the same drivers as the 40.2 but without the latter’s added bass driver, https://atc.audio/hi-fi/loudspeakers/subwoofers/c1-sub-mk2/
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@avanti1960 i felt the very same way about all my Harbeths until I auditioned ATC. They have the potential ( setup dependent) to portray that incredible transparent midrange realism of properly setup Harbeths, but the ATC’s extend top and bottom aspects of the performance. First speaker I’ve had since Harbeth, that imho, does Harbeth natural midrange better than Harbeth. |
@akg_ca I’m not familiar with that particular sub, but I would trust anything ATC makes. I pair my 30.1s with a JLAudio e110 10" sealed sub (receives signal from a very fine electronic crossover), and it’s perfect. @dpac996, I had a modest but amazing sounding pair of ATCs here on the desktop for several years, the SCM12 Pros (passive 2-way). The tweeter is exceptional, just as everyone says, and the 6" mid-woofer is pretty amazing, too. I ended up "trading up" to two pairs of sealed 2-ways that are larger, borderline too large for my desktop (vintage KEF 103.2s & Harbeth 30.1s), both of which have a 8" woofer. As I suspected, the bigger woofer moves more air and gut-punches me better than the ATC could. But really, that’s more a testament to my bass/mid-bass addiction than anything else. True, the Harbeth isn’t as good in the bass/mid-bass as it is in the midrange on up (where it is world class). No problem, though. I’m about due to swap out the 30.1s for the KEFs, which are far more dynamic in the lower register but still sound great on top. What can I say? Life is good.... |
@rubicon15 I’ve not compared them, but had owned B&W early in my hifi journey. Spent time listening to the 805 D3’s & 804’s. Certainly had some qualities that I liked, but the two speaker brands are on the opposite spectrum. You either like how B&W sounds or don’t, I believe the same goes with Harbeth. I recall the B&W’s being a little too bright and didn’t have enough of the midrange tone I prefer. I also found them to be fatiguing, all of the B&W gear was driven by McIntosh. Coincidentally, it’s what led me to divest myself of the B&W + McIntosh combo. Having said all of that, the combo is very “lively,” almost wet sounding…which is great for having an energized listening session and some really do prefer that. I do not. |