Help Me Choose or Confuse Me More


Hello All

I need some help. I have tried asking this elsewhere but need a group of well-rounded, more brand-agnostic opinions. 

Moved into my home office when covid hit. I needed a quick set up, because it was temporary. Now it's not temporary. So I'm upgrading some things.

I'm in the command chair about 15 hours a day. I'm on video conference meetings an average of 5 hours, the rest of the time is split between music via Tidal, or Amazon Prime TV. So I'm either paying attention to meetings, working on docs projects/sending or answering emails/approvals or projects while listening to music or background TV. 
 
Current Set Up: 2017 13" Macbook Pro > Samsung QN50Q80T > eARC Out > Certified 4k 2.0 USB-C to HDMI > Bluesound Powernode 2i > Kimber 4VS bare wire > KEF Q100s on SoundRiser Pro stands and a Rythmik F12 sub crossed at 80hz sitting in the corner. The home office was a spare bedroom at 11'2" x 9'11" with 8' ceilings. I've added moderate room treatments about 60 sq ft with some bass trap in the ceiling corners. I've gotten a bigger desk 74"W x 39"D and use a desk-sized mouse pad to help with reflections. Also hardwood floors, but I put a runner rug down with carpet pad underneath. 
I am nearfield at the desk, about 36" - 40" from tweeter, and usually the phone dB meter is between 55-65 dB.       

Upgrades Coming: Mac Mini (more ports and faster guts) and NEW SPEAKERS. I just don't know which ones.

Short List (in no order)...
Kef LS50 Meta - about $1500. I like the Q100s but know there is better. The LS50 folks love them, but is there THAT much difference from the Q100 to the LS50 Meta?  
Harbeth P3ESR - $1500-$1700 range used. The Harbeth folks love them, but historically I haven't loved standard 2 way speakers. Something about sitting distance and time alignment.
Omega CAM - about $1500. I had a pair of the Super 3i about 5 years ago and liked the sounds, but had them in my man cave system and they weren't big enough for the room. The Omega alnico guys love them, but I'm not going to use tubes for 15 hours a day.     

Even given the sub I have I wouldn't describe myself as a basshead, but some highs are very unpleasant to me. After a recent hearing test I'm out at 15KHz.

What should I get? ≤$2k and used is ok. I do not live in a part of the country where I can go listen, basically 2+ hours from anywhere.  
128x128mpschenck

Showing 1 response by arafiq

Between KEF LS50 and Harbeth P3esr, it will come down to your preferences in music, as well as what you prioritize in terms of sound signature. KEF is an imaging champion, so if that's what you want in your music, I'd go for the LS50. I owned the LS50 wireless version and really liked them. Crystal clear highs, excellent imaging, the music will come to you as if you're sitting in the first row. However, I found it to be a bit lean sounding, especially in the mid bass region. Also, it can sometimes sound bright depending on the recording.

Harbeth P3esrs (which are a mainstay in my home office system) are the ones that I didn't like much when I first bought them. But, man, do they grow on you once your ears adjust to their sound signature. Very balanced top to bottom, with a midrange to die for. The vocals are about as good as you're going to get in a speaker of this size. I don't know how Harbeth does it, but the way they present vocals has something so natural and satisfying about it, as if the singer is present in your room. They are a sealed design, so placement will be easier compared to the KEFs. Now on the down side, the P3esr's start to fall apart if you dare to go above moderate listening levels. All the magic that makes them so good seems to evaporate. They're also not the most dynamic speaker out there. So if this is something you care about, I would look at the LS50s. And lastly, I felt that the LS50s were more of an all rounder when it comes to casting a wider net for multiple music genres. The Harbeths will do exceedingly well on jazz, vocals, acoustics, classic rock, etc. But yeah, they'll fall apart if you lean towards EDM or heavy metal. You are going to need a small, musical sub (e.g. REL T/Zero or T-5i) to augment the bottom end on either one though.

Hope this helps.