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Electronics for Harbeth, Especially Monitor 40 series

Hello,
Has anyone tried matching "fast" solid-state to the big Harbeths. Something like Goldmund, Soulution, Spectral, etc. The speakers have great tone but can be a little stodgy. I was wondering if this would open them up a bit. Also, has anyone tried using an LDR passive such as Tortuga or Lightspeed for the same reason
paullb
jayrossi13's avatar
jayrossi13
182 posts
 
@redwineaudio 

I experimented a bit this weekend with this config; it worked really well with my SHL5+. 

The depth of sound stage and the presence of the performers is really amazing. I also have three Argent Roomlens (one in between the speakers, approx. 6' behind, and one flanking each speaker). 

Thanks for the insight, I can see why an "off the grid" amp would perform really well this close to the speakers (I can hear some noise that I couldn't previously hear from 7' away). 

Jason


redwineaudio
32 posts
 
Hi Jason,

Very cool!  Glad you tried it and are enjoying it!

Vinnie
redwineaudio
32 posts
 
Hi Jason,

oops - i gave you the dimensions above that I wrote down for the P3ESR's.

For the 40.1's, it should be:
71" tweeter to tweeter
50" ear to tweeter

I double checked this last evening ;-)

Of course feel free to experiment!

have fun!

Vinnie
larryi
3,776 posts
 

I have only heard the 40.2 with tube amps.  It sounded particularly good with a new re-build of the old Western Electric 124 amp.  This amp puts out about 12 watts; I don't think high powered amps are a requirement with these speakers. 

If speakers sound stodgy and lacking in speed or life, I don't necessarily thing solid state is the way to go.  Yes, solid state can deliver a lot of power, but, that means playing the speakers at much higher volume to bring them to life.  With good tube amps, you get a livelier sound at lower volume levels.  If the sense of speed and liveliness is a priority, you should also look into output transformerless tube amps.

wolf_garcia
6,631 posts
 
I don't get the "speed" thing. I think tube amps are generally snappy, and am amused that somehow the term "speed' has been co-opted by reviewers and others who apparently have run out of adjectives. Like "metal drivers are faster"…no, they're not…expensive SS amps might have characteristics some find appealing, but actual music doesn't rely on horsepower or torque or sticky tires. When SS guitar amps attempted to worm their way into the Pro Guitar Player world, many tried them (including me) as they seemed interesting after decades of worrying about tubes exploding or needing replacement or whatever. To a man (or woman) pretty much everybody I knew, except bass players who need gigantic amounts of headroom, noticed a weird lack of instantaneous "picking" feel…I'm not sure why…but there was something just not kosher happening, even with the supposed Good Amps (Lab, Yamaha, Fender "London Reverb" stuff)…tubes feel snappy…that's maybe the most descriptive term I can come up with for an electric guitar player's feel requirements along with the usual tube "roundness," "grease," "they glow," "chicks dig it," (not 100% on the last one, but I digress), and tube amps simply continue to dominate the picker's world..snappy...
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