Differences between Harbeth, Spendor, Graham, etc. ?

@desktopguy 

I think the 30.1s have a truly lovely sound. I listen to a lot of classical music and jazz, and they are ideal for that. 

About 3/4 of my listening is to acoustic Jazz and other acoustic genres.  I think the 30.1's would be worth checking out. Thanks. 

Thanks for all the additional comments. When the time is right, it would probably make sense to take my Hegel down to Gene Rubin and compare the three brands, despite my general distrust of showroom demos. 

@pdreher 

Thanks for that useful clarification.

"Warm, dark, full-bodied and organic" is my preferred direction, although I lack the cash and room for something of the 40.1's dimensions.

@pdreher 

Thanks for the suggestion.

@yogiboy 

Are you driving them with tubes or SS?

I'm aware of G. Rubin -- thanks.

@yogiboy

... as I suspected. I’d prefer to stick with SS.

@simao

Unfortunately, I’m ignorant of the respective sonic attributes of ham and gravy. . .I can only assume gravy is "wetter"while ham accentuates the playful, humorous aspects...

@pdreher

I’m familiar with hi fi shark. Thanks for your suggestions.

@hilde45 

FWIT, I've had sound in my room that's run the gamut from euphonically warm with mushy bass to "skeletal" (or however one describes the opposite of "well fleshed out") with well defined bass and piercing highs. 

@riccitone 

Thanks for sharing your experience with the Spendor 4/5's. Good to know. What size is your room? 

@paullb 

Thanks for your comments. 

@campoly 

Thanks! 

@treepmeyer 

I have a Hegel H390 and Hegel shows with Harbeth, as @yogiboyaccurately states. 

@yogiboy 

Thanks!

@hilde45 

I meant FWIW, not FWIT...

@donquichotte

Thanks so much for taking the time to write such a detailed, clear comparison.

BTW, I wasn’t aware of the BBC dip. What is that -- equal parts stout, kippers and Stilton? :o)

@sounds_real_audio

OK. Lazy use of language on my part.

Didn’t seem to inhibit @donquichotte from providing exactly the sort of detailed comparison I was hoping for. 

@helomech 

Noted!  Thanks for offering your impressions. 

@yashu ​​@desktopguy :

Of those you've heard, which have the the most fleshed-out mids? 

I ask because for me, well fleshed-out upper bass/lower mids are critical for my emotional engagement.  

@desktopguy 

How far are you sitting from the 30.1's... or is the answer already provided by the "desk-top" portion of your moniker?  

@larryi

Interesting. As it happens, we have an A. Note dealer in Sacramento. My attempts to find prices for A. Note speakers have been unsuccessful, however, which has inclined me to discount them as a possibility. 

@larryi

It does not have the slight tendency to have a sharp edge or sibilance in the upper midrange that the Harbeth has, but, it sounded a bit drier than the Harbeth, so tradeoffs are involved.

I only just resolved a sibilance issue that plagued my system for well over a year so I’m particularly wary of introducing anything new into the system that might reawaken that particular sonic demon.

At the same time, "dry" is not an adjective that I tend to regard positively. Perhaps Spendor is a better direction for me to pursue than Harbeth or Graham. RE: amplification, I have no plans to replace my Hegel H390.

Are all Audio Note speakers designed for low wattage tube amps? ? ? 

@donquichotte 

I suppose that tendency for sibilance in the upper mids is another way of describing what I heard in the 30.2’s 

Thanks for your input. I'm inclined to try Spendor Classics first. 

 but that is your bespoke wart likely introduced by some link in yiurvsystem

???? 

@larryi 

 I don’t know of any speaker that is perfect in every way, so I mentioned what I heard as a mild weak point.  It may be a matter of a tradeoff—if that slight peak is tamed, something might be lost in terms of sense of speed and dynamics, for example;

Yes. There are (at least with gear I can afford) always trade-offs. Personally, I'm wiling to sacrifice some detail for the sake of taming  potentially fatiguing frequencies.  

Thanks for the detailed info on the A. Note speakers. I'm not a good candidate, given what you've explained. 

@yogiboy 

FWIW, I've received many different suggestions regarding my sibilance issue, including speakers. 

. 

@larryi

What I’ve noticed is that most often when reviewers use terms such as "lively" or "exciting" they then go on to say that whatever they’re reviewing presents highs in a tipped up, forward, accentuated fashion that prioritizes detail. I regard this as a red flag because I’m extremely sensitive to highs. I understand that verbal descriptions are no substitute for listening (and I’d never buy speakers without a home demo) but at this point I’m confused. Most descriptions I’ve encountered of Harbeths praise their "warm" midrange. Are you are saying they are both warm and lively? 

@larryi 

Thanks for your patience. Out of ignorance, I'm apparently oversimplifying things. 

@helomech

The common (perhaps unfortunate) misconception is that world-class midrange performance is the exclusive jurisdiction of these BBC inspired brands and their trademark polypropylene cones. The reality is there are many brands that match and even exceed the midrange performance. Good examples are some of the Joseph Audio and Tyler Acoustic models that employ magnesium Seas Excel drivers.

As much as I enjoy and respect these old guard brands (Harbeth/Spendor/Graham et al), they simply do not keep up with speakers equipped with top-shelf parts and drivers IME.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Will keep your observations in mind.

Thanks for the ongoing comments. I'm now less inclined to regard these brands as the right direction for me. 

Thanks for your observations. Jazz and other acoustic genres constitute a major share of my listening. However, for me, choosing a speaker primarily due to its presentation of vocals is too limiting. I need more of an all-rounder. 

@arafiq

 ...but at the end of the day, while they wowed me they did not engage me emotionally. 

Emotional and physical engagement are topmost priorities for me.  Have you owned any of the smaller Harbeths?   

@arifiq

Thanks for your response.

@big_greg

Thanks for your input. The Compact 7’s might be worth checking out. 

I'm curious. How would you rate their bass extension in your room? 

 I'm fairly sensitive to "bright" or "edgy" speakers, 

Yeah. I can relate. I'm very sensitive in this regard. I recently tried a speaker that many others praise for its non-fatiguing highs. Boy, was I surprised and not in  a good way.  

RE: bass, I was thinking more in terms of lower extension in dBs. 

@big_greg 

They only go down to about 45Hz, so don't expect them to make your bowels rumble. 

Yes; Hz, not Db.My mistake. 

I believe my Silverlines were rated @ below 35 Hz. 

Paired with the right amp and DAC, the bass is pretty impressive, given the size of the drivers. I don't know if trading their bass extension for the Harbeths' mids would be an improvement. Unfortunately, I have very little flexibility in terms of potential sub locations.  

@tjraubacher 

Thanks, Thomas. That's the impression I've gleaned as well. 

@tjraubacher 

Congratulations -- I hope they're everything you're hoping for and more !  

I'll be very interested to hear what you have to report about their tonality.

@tjraubacher 

Based on what I am hearing the Hegel is a great match. So smoooooth and rich sounding.

Maybe I'd like the Pulsars, after all.

You are using the Hegel's internal DAC? 

@bjesien 

 The C7 brings me very close to that liveliness and detail without crossing over the edge.

Good to know!