Harbeth 40.1 vs spendor sp100r2


I would like to know if anyone compared them using 75 watt tube amps?
rugby1

Showing 2 responses by salectric

I have an older version of the Spendors---the SP-100---and I have never heard the Harbeth 40.1, so my comments are not exactly what you're seeking. However, I wanted to say that Spendors have a reputation for being more compatible with tube amps than do Harbeths. This seems to be true across the model lines but particularly so with the big models. The Spendors have higher measured sensitivity which certainly helps, but they also have a less demanding impedance than Harbeths. In my case, I have used the SP-100s with a single ended 300B amp, 8 watts or so, as well as higher powered push-pull amps ranging up to 50 watts. The Spendors seem quite comfortable with all of them. My current SET is only 1.5 watts and I will admit it is a bit underpowered, but even so it does a surprisingly good job with most music on the big Spendors.
Chazro, I read the same comment and had the same reaction. But I suppose that's why companies make both tube and solid state amps. Some folks genuinely prefer the sound of ss gear and somehow do not hear what I believe are the obvious strengths of well-designed tube amps. Our brains must be wired differently.

In any event, the Spendors fare well with tube amps despite the designer's having voiced them using transistors.