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Harbeth Owners - What do you think?

I just heard from someone who said he finds Harbeths " a little clinical sounding " but admits he only heard them in a store. I'm looking for a 2nd system speaker and was seriously considering one of their finely reviewed products but would not have the opportunity to audition as no one carries them near me. What's your opinion of the various models? How low power tube friendly (in a small room) are they? How do they get the supposedly smooth sound with metal dome tweeters? Do they sound better with or without grilles? Thanks in advance, people.
tomryan

Showing 5 responses by drubin

drubin
3,277 posts
 
Wow! I have a pair of HL5s coming shortly (should be very different from my Thiels). Y'all can come over and listen.
drubin
3,277 posts
 
Dodge, I used to have ProAc 2.5's. When I get the Harbeths, I can comment on how they compare.

The ProAcs are one of those speakers with "magic" in the midrange. They are expressive or communicative or whatever you want to call it--you connect with the music. As great a thing as that is, I found myself craving clarity and resolution. I found them too soft on top. I also found the bass too loose and insufficiently tuneful.

My switch to Thiel was in response to these shortcomings of the ProAcs, and the Thiel 2.4 indeed resolves every one of the complaints I had about the ProAcs and I like them very much--I've had them for 18 months and they could be a long-term keeper. (Except that I loved the way the ProAcs looked--and so did my wife--but I don't care for the look of the Thiels.) But that magical musical connection is not as strong with the Thiels. Hence my upcoming experiment with Harbeth and a current experiment with the Ref 3A (which initially strikes me as delivering expressiveness in spades but at a huge price in loss of accuracy and fidelity; jury still out).

Maybe I can have everything I want, but I have not found it yet. The journey is the reward, I suppose.
drubin
3,277 posts
 
That's good to hear, but I will be surprised if they do give me everything I am after. I can't imagine that they will deliver detail and resolution at the level of Thiel. We shall see.
drubin
3,277 posts
 
I am familiar with the HUG and have read it from time to time.

I'm using a First Sound preamp and Rowland 201 monoblock amplifiers, with Audience AU24 single-wire speaker cable. Might be overkill.

Dodge, sorry if this was mentioned before, but Harbeth introduced some new floorstanders at CES last month. Have you considered those?
drubin
3,277 posts
 
Correct, they are "petite". the First Sound is one of the truly great tube linestages.

Have you listened at all to ATC speakers? They make a smallish floorstander.
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