Big Harbeth fan, but never heard of the Compacts until now. I think you would be better off asking at the Harbeth Forum. My only thought is they might have drivers that are no longer available. As far as waiting for the price - if you love them that much, maybe you should consider buying before someone else does because I don’t think you’re very likely to find another local pair you can inspect and listen to before buying. Good luck.
Harbeth: HL Compact vs HL7 Compact
Harbeth fanatics, I need your help:
I fell in love with the good old HL compact. Heard them powerd by some GM 70 monos recently and must say I was blown away - absolutely agile, lively, transparent, beautiful tonality and lots of impact - looking at such a small cabinet.
Just can`t get them for an adequate price at the moment while a HL7 compact would be available but I live too far away for from the seller to hear them before I hit the button.
I tried to find a brief comparison between these models but did not find anything helpful.
How does the successor perform compared to the early HL? What are the main differences soundwise?
I`m happy for any assistance!