Taters, you are spot on! Harbeth being neutral is an oxymoron
I moved from dynaudio to ATC for further neutrality and even truer dynamic range. |
I thought the reason people buy Harbeth speakers is because they are warm and colored sounding. When I was looking for speakers about 4 years I auditioned the 7's, 5's and 30's. I decided on Dynaudio C-1's because they sounded more accurate to me and more dynamic. |
Facten, I meant sonically less true. |
What's false in your mind about the speakers he has listed , Pani? |
Have you heard an ATC ? I mean a good demo ? IMO, everything else you have listed and many other speakers discussed in the audiophile community sound false and cooked after one listens to a good pair of ATC speakers. Check it out, there is no harm. |
I owned JMR Trentes and really loved them. I sold them and got Audio Note E silver (kit) for the more full range sound but always missed the Trentes magic midrange which was super revealing and musical.
Bob Neill is a JMR expert (IMO) he owns Amherst Audio
you may want to contact him
http://www.amherstaudio.com/ |
I recommend you buy both and spend 3-6 months listening and comparing them, and then sell the ones you like least. Seriously. It will require the larger up front investment, which may seem radical, but if this really is your last set of speakers then you want to get it right. If you buy both, listen to each pair for a week at a time then switch off, back and forth, one of them will make itself obvious as your favorite and you sell the others. Sure, you'll take the resale loss, but if you buy either one by itself and it turns out to be the wrong choice you'd take that resale hit anyway.
Getting other peoples' opinions is valuable and helpful - I've been there myself - but in the end it won't get you to where you want to go. |
The 30.1's filled my room very nicely. I guess the reason I am interested in the JMRs is that there are the several reviews from folks that have Spendor and/or Harbeth preferences/tastes/leanings that favorably compare the JRMs. In the review here:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue48/jmreynaud.htm
The reviewer concludes: ["I am notably monogamous when it comes to loudspeakers: while I know plenty of audiophiles who "flip" their speakers with regularity, my relationship with the Spendor/Harbeth/BBC school lasted from the mid-'90s to 2009. But that relationship has finally been supplanted, and these two brilliant offerings from Reynaud are my new ideal of sound—the standard against which others are measured."]
I know each to their own in terms of the sound they like, but this seem like pretty high praise that at least begs some mental consideration of the JRM Offrande Supreme 2s over the 30.1.
I live in the Chicago area and the Harbeth dealer here is very good. In store auditions were done with Rogue preamp and Cary tube amps. Sounded very good.
Anyways, thanks for everyone's thoughtful replies. |
If you had the Harbeth's at home and you fell in love with them,why would you look at anything else? BTW, I have owned many Harbeth and Spendor speakers and if your taste runs with that sound then you should look no further! |
I have not had Spendors or Harbeths so I can't compate for you against my JM Reynaud Offrande Supreme 2s. I do find the JMRs to offer a very balanced and refined sound with good soundstaging. Purchased them w/o auditioning and never regreted the decision; not saying that you shouldn't but if you are in a situation like me with no audiophile retail stores anywhere near I wouldn't have the anxiety that some have. Original drove them with Ayon Spirit 2 tube integrated and now with Modwright LS100 pre and KWA100SE separates - both have matched well |
There's no substitute for doing an in home demo. You tried the Harbeths in your system, and liked them enough to buy them. If you can't do the same with the JM Reynaud, I wouldn't even consider it. I don't care how good the reviews are, there's just too much that can go wrong.
What part of the country do you live in? I know a really good Harbeth dealer. His whole store is built around the "British" sound. That's his specialty. Harbeth, Spendor, Rega, Naim, Audio Note, Nottingham, and some others. |
I owned the baby Spendor 3/5R's, and played them in a very small 11.5' square den. I had great success with them in that little room. I auditioned Harbeth P-3's in a dealers showroom, that was likely about the size of your room, perhaps a bit larger. I can't help with your specific question, but did you feel the 30.1's filled your room pretty well. The 3's certainly didn't at the dealers where I heard them. One more thought would be the JMR's are supposed to be more tube friendly, if that matters to you. I bet those 30.1's are wonderful. |