Harbeth 30.1 ? The Ultimate Speaker under $5K ?

My band was an utterly obscure blues band in Honolulu called "Cauldren" that was around for less than a year. I was part of a small group of musicians that did the endless bar band gigs in Hawaii for many years. 6 night a week...but fun. Also, the Cornwalls are too big for my tastes and my subs more than make up for the Heresy's 58 hz bass rolloff. The short stature of the Heresy IIIs makes them somewhat esthetically unobtrusive relative to the large sound they put out...I like that.

Call or E-mail Ty Lashbrook of Tyler Acoustics.
He's one of the good guys in the industry.
He will take the time to talk about your wants and needs.

  601 E 14th Street
Owensboro, KY 42303
Phone (270) 691-9500
Fax (270) 691-9600
tyleracoustics@mindspring.com

The key to your situation is your amplifier- the Marantz PM11S1 dual mono design is a superbly robust, smooth muscular amplifier that will bring the Harbeths alive in your room. I would recommend the C7ES3 vs. the 30.1 because they do have a bigger sound.
Locate them away from the back wall at least 2 feet- if you can go to 4 feet that would be ideal and they will really slam the bass.  
I have owned the C7s for a couple years now and they define the idea of detail yet no fatigue.  They have a natural sound that manages to eliminate the edginess that many speakers have.  Nearly all of my recordings sound great and if you venture into the Klipsch / Zu realm you will find that not to be true.
Again, with your amp and proper placement of the speakers on quality filled stands then you will be extremely happy with the sound of Harbeths.

You should address your room before you consider what speaker to buy. None will perform as intended in such a lively space.

Treat your room first. But when you do, klipsch speakers are a good choice.

Oz

exactly ! If he wasn't the best sound guy on the planet I'd divorce his opinions ! 

Wait a minute! There's an opinionated, jaded sound engineer out there giving advice? Who would of thought!  😄

They lack the initial impression of what Harbeth and Devore market but the Ryan R630 are the $5k speakers that made me look inward to seriously consider if being more ambitious was really worth the extra expense. They are ridiculously well balanced in sound and design with realistic vocals.

Nonoise - my sound engineer is THE most opinionated , jaded guy on the planet, he hates JBL .... :) I have a pair of old LX55’s in my studio right now , they actually sound pretty good for less expensive speakers...a little hyped in the high end ...those 4319’s look pretty cool , thanks!

Ask your recording engineer friend if he's heard of JBL 4319 monitors and cut at least 5' from the distance you listen at. I've heard the Harbeth 30.1 and they are very nice sounding but just a bit too smooth in the base for my taste. The JBLs sound leaner, at first, but you get tons of detail and texture. Just a thought.

All the best,
Nonoise

Wolf _garcia , we are cut from the same mold my man  ...kick drum therapy :) Im the same.. who was your band ? I play with Brad Gillis (Ozzy/Night Ranger, Patty Smyth and Hardline (Neal Schon’s old band)

I’ll scope the Hersey’s ..here’s my thing though , why not just get the Cornwall III’s ? Bigger , more speaker ! More kick! ...hard to find a pair in northern CA to demo :(

thanks!

"It's Heresy man." I’m a kick drum tone freak to the extent that I’ve required therapy for this from time to time, and my band opened for Led Zeppelin in early ’69, a thing that takes years to recover from if you’re a Bonham fan. I’ve also jammed with Mitch Mitchell (in town for a Hendrix show also in ’69) which made most other drummers seem...well...inadequate). In any case, after decades of being a kick drum aficionado (and working as a musician and sound engineer), my recently acquired Heresy IIIs seem to provide a surprisingly great sounding kick drum experience. You do need a sub or two with these speakers as they’re very accurate down to only 58hz or so, and 2 RELs are in service for that task in my rig. Also, recent recordings of Julian Lage with Kenny Wollesen (mixed a show of theirs a couple of years ago) provides some kick therapy. Jim Campilongo's band...oh yeah...uh huh...

Where can I demo the Tekton's in Northern CA ? Same with Klipsch Cornwall III , no one has them ...? Have to order and pay a huge return shipping if not satisfied :( 
thanks for all your help everyone 

I saw someone reluctantly say and and I'll go back to it - the Tekton Double Impacts.  

Harbeth are NOT loud rock speakers, especially in a large room.  You want a large speaker with some cone surface to work with, and the efficiency of the DI will do you well too.

@prof and @biscorbit: The Compact 7's ARE great--I owned a pair for many years. The question is whether they are the right speaker given the OPs room and listening preferences. To this I say probably not. 

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!!

Dunlavy don’t play super loud and are preferred by classical listeners not rock. They aren’t fast and punchy but have lovely tone. Dunlavy have a narrow listening sweetspot which is ill suited to your large room. Also, as you are a drummer I think Dunlavy will fall a bit short of your needs in the sound reproduction of drums.


https://www.mixonline.com/technology/high-end-studio-monitor-shootout-atc-scm-300a-and-dunlavy-sc-v-371391

Devore O/93 have a rather scooped mid range as do all speakers with a 10” woofer expected to cover the mid range.

Of your list that leaves only the Cornwall - a classic rock speaker and your best choice of the three.

I always gravitate towards : big room >  larger speakers and more of them , so: 

Klipsch Cornwall III
Devore 0/93 
Dunlavy SC-V (although these might end my relationship, gf killers)

any other big , authoritative speakers? 

Can't go wrong with the 7es3!  Fantastic speaker!   

I’ve Heard Harbeth sound the most like real with instruments and Klipsch will excite but aren’t as true

That’s the problem with relying on opinions of others. Everyone hears differently. Harbeths are good but I had the opposite experience in which Klispch Heresy 3s had greater tonal accuracy, to my ears anyway. Harbeth has a strong fan base and potent marketing, but they’re hardly the only competent player. Personally, I think most of the other BBC lineage brands: Graham, Stirling Broadcast and Spendor produce more accurate tone. I can’t exactly claim I’m a musician but my daughter is and I have guitars, a cello and viola at home. If you want a crazy accurate speaker in terms of tonal accuracy, you’d be hard pressed to beat the Stirling Broadcast LS3/6s at any price. They’re priced right at $5K. Unfortunately, they also are too small for your space.

The Devores will load your room. The Vandys 3As might be good as well, but like the BBC derivatives - they’re not really designed for high SPLs -- nor are they best for rock. For EDM and Rock, you want hard-hitting, kick in the chest bass. You won’t get it with the British monitors, or planars, or electrostats. You want a large-cone-surface speaker with high power handling.

I'd be a bit concerned about Klipsch in such an acoustically "live" room.

I could mount the speakers left/right of couch I suppose...run cables on ceiling or run underneath house, kind of a hassle :) 

any thoughts on Paradigm Prestige 95F's ? 

I’ve Heard Harbeth sound the most like real with instruments and Klipsch will excite but aren’t as true . Harbeth rep was pushing the Super Sh5+ for my room ...price is steep ..

I’m worried about spending big $ and not being satisfied . As Dodgealum pointed out my room is not treated and large / reflective . I need something that is clear and true , yet can fill a big living room . I definitely would be disappointed with an “excuse me” speaker 😂

Hate to mention the ubiquitous Double Impacts at $3k... but, here we are!

@tommypenngotti

I am a drummer so I love fat , tight kick drum. Rock i.e.: Rush , Prince, old 70s / 80s fusion/Jazz

Like another poster, this immediately made me think you are an ideal customer for the Devore 0/93 speakers (which I’ve been auditioning).They have a big fat, but controlled, punchy bass. Their sound is bigger and richer than most speakers, and their top end captures the tone of drum cymbals with particular accuracy. Having auditioned a great many speakers in the past couple years, no speaker has recreated drums as believably to my ears, or has made whatever the drummer is doing so pertinent in a song, as the Devore 0/93 (and 0/96) speakers.

They are very harbeth-like in sound, but more dynamic and expressive and can do BIG SOUND. The blew me away playing Rush (I’m a Rush fan).

You’d have to find them second hand, though, to have any hope to be within your budget.

That said, if you really like the Harbeth speakers, you might consider their C7ES-3. It’s a bit larger than the 30s, with lower richer bass, and so it will do drums even better than the 30s in terms of impact and depth. They give up a bit of refinement to the 30s, but they still have that gorgeous Harbeth midrange. (I’d suggest even the Harbeth Super HL5 plus, which combines the best of the 30s and the C7ES-3, with even more extended and accurate high frequencies, but that may be moving out of your budget).

You might want to check out the Vandersteen 3A. It will fit nice in a large room!
http://vandersteen.com/products/model-3a-signature

Used ATC 100A but you need to be lucky to find a pair for that price. At least you are in LA so they are easier to find there.

You need big speakers that can play loud with authority. That’s a pretty cavernous room. 

Agree with concerns about room size and distance from speakers to listening position. Your room dimensions, construction etc. suggest that a home audition is mandatory. Your room will likely present significant challenges in putting together a satisfying system. How you address these challenges (treatments, equalization, furnishings, speaker selection, etc) will have a big impact on the quality of your experience. The Harbeth's are great but they are not miracle speakers. I would not consider putting the 30.1s in a room any larger than 20 X 25 X 9. Maybe a used pair of Monitor 40s can be had within your budget. A much better choice for a large room.

I prefer the new Klipsch Forte, it would be a good idea to compare the Cornwall III's to the Forte III's.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/klipsh-forte-iii-purchase

I definitely need to demo the Klipsch Cornwall lll's , That speaker seems like my style and the brand has been on my radar since the 80s ....anyone like to chime in on Klipsch Cornwalls ? 

Give Gene Rubin a call. He will answer any question you have about Harbeth speakers. He will steer you in the right direction. I have purchased many Harbeths from him!
https://generubinaudio.com/

Here is a review on them!

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/harbeth-monitor-301-loudspeaker/

It's not so much your room size I'd be concerned with but the 15' listening distance. If you play your music loud (as heard from your seating position) you're likely to strain speakers of that size and power handling.

Whether they're the best speakers under $5K is totally dependent on your personal preferences, not any pro review or marketing hype. I found them to be underwhelming and tonally inaccurate - somehow they managed to make plastic and fabric diaphragms sound like metal. That's how I hear them anyway. 

I would look into a used pair of Devore O/93s or new Tannoy Eatons.

For fast and tight kickdrums, nothing I've heard at that price will beat Klipsch Cornwall IIIs. They can handle rock, classical and jazz with equal aplomb. Surprisingly, they're just as "warm" if not more so, than the Harbeths I've heard. They'll fill your space with rock concert SPLs if needed, but sound just as good at background levels.