Harbeth 30.1 ? The Ultimate Speaker under $5K ?

Hi Tommy,

Never heard Devore or Klipsch speakers. Would be very interesting. Harbeths I tested some. May buy the p3esr some day. Very beautiful for some music but under model 40 I think not made for playing especially loud. My main systems are ATC 150ASL (a legend) and Tannoy DC10A combined with two SVS SB-16 subs. So I'm able to "feel" the music when I want to. My secondary more intimate system is Lipinski L707 or Tannoy DC8 combined with two ATC C1 subs. 
My opinion is that for all music and especially rock you need to start in the bottom, that is to have two subs that can play with high resolution (low distortion) at high spl levels. Then to compare these subs with a good monitor. Most big speakers (except for large ATC) are not good enough in the bass (they just sound bass without definition and with lots of distortion). I'm not sure your SVS can play as loud as you want. But if it can then buy another. Rythmik is another good choise. You must have at least two subs for good bass. Then cobine these with good monitors that doesn't play to much bass on their own. I can happily recommend a used pair Tannoy DC8. It has the dual concentric speaker which can play very loud with very high definition and also presents a very fine sound landscape with superb imaging.
You can also try used active monitors. Favourites of mine are the JBL LSR 4326P or 4328P, which also have inbuilt room eq and dac, so you only need a streamer to listen to digital music (Tidal). Forget your LP's... :-)
Buying used your budget will easily be suffcient. Good Luck!!

@wolf_garcia 
@tommypenngotti
For some kick drum therapy :-) may i suggest
Janis Ian "Guess you had to be there" from "Breaking Silence". An audiophile recording. Play at moderate level. Shows a simple cd is enough for very high quality if you have the technical skill and the recording company wishes to make a statement! Other fenomenal audiophile recordings on simple cd:
Terry Evans "Blues for thought" - loud
Aaron Neville "Warm your heart" - moderate.

Sorry to say, I don't play anything. However I would say the kick-drum, the bass (acoustic or electric or bass tuba (read Hans Theessink) are the single most important instruments. Together with the voice. The rest is just the icing on the cake :-) So why are these so often hidden in the recording, especially the kick-drum? Another thing, would you say that the Klipsch speakers are voiced in a way that highlights the kick-drum? Do they move the air? 

Good fullsize speakers are often extremely overpriced. Buy used or as I suggested two good subs combined with monitors that doesn't play too much bass on their own (for integration purposes). Important they can play really loud without any stress, which most modern speakers can't. Lots of real furniture - thick carpets, curtains, bookshelves, leather sofas and other garbage. If possible use a room that is far from quadratic. Finalize with a room eq system like Antinode 2.0 or Lyngdorf RP-1 or Dirac. Especially for acoustic music or low listening (for loud rock listening - doesn't matter much....). Those eq systems works mostly great in the lower frequencies.
Easy :-)
Look forward to read your impression of the Harbeth's. Play them loud and see what happens. They are built to add to the music, which I think work great for some but not all music.

There's also a whole world of active studio monitors out there if you're not buying for the looks. A midfield monitor can play loud without breaking up. Take ATC, Neumann, Focal, JBL, PMC etc etc. I like them, but they are built to play flat so might not always be so exciting and are very revealing for bad recordings. But for good recordings....:-) Suppose you knows all about this. 

Hi, Harbeth has a passive studio version of the 40.2 that is quite less expensive. Not the great looks of course.

And why not try to hear the JBL LSR 6332 passive studio monitors. They with a sub would also play you out of your room :-) Can be had used within your budget. 

@helomech
How would you describe "don't hold a candle"? Are Harbeth speakers muddy in the upper bass/midrange? My references are ATC and Tannoy large models which I would describe as quite the opposite of muddy. Interested to complete with a BBC derivative just to be able to compare the sound. 

Just to make clear. ATC 150 are my reference. Will have them forever. But the fact is that a lot of the music I listen to are not well enough recorded to play really loud on the ATC. Hurts my very sensitive right ear! Sometimes also you need another speaker to compensate for lack of bass in a recording or just to make it listenable. I use a vintage Yamaha M-85 amplifier with the possiblity to connect three speaker pairs.
Fine, often see recommendations for DeVore. Not easy to get hold on in Europe unfortunately. Will keep you posted!

@ Helomech

Thanks for your input. Yes, my next speaker set need to provide me with a little more warmth when playing not so perfect recordings (like most rock and sometimes pop like Adele). I thought the Tannoys DC10A would bring me that, but they are merciless...(like the ATC 150). I'm still running them in (letting my head get used to them) to later compare them direct to the ATC. On good recordings they are fantastic though with the best soundstage I experienced so far (yes, including ATC). Extremely precise. I run them with their big DC subwoofer.

Maybe I already got the "warmer" loudspeaker in a pair of Gamut M7 which I pair with two SVS sb-16 subs (Lyngdorf 2200). They are both warmer in the mids and softer in the highs (Scanspeak revelator drivers) and can play very loud without disturbing distortion. However, for good recordings the ATC and the Tannoys for me are superior. So, maybe it's of no use for me to think about a traditional english speaker to complete my setup. Maybe I should look for something else. Vintage Tannoys?

Recommend a listen to Bonnie Raitt "In session" - early live acoustic.

Any opinion on the bigger PMC pro/home speakers? In a year or so the used price for a passive IB2i may come down to something within the budget of the OP.