Integrated Amp Pairing for Harbeth 30.2

I always suggest Gryphon Diablo 300 unless there is a reason not to. I see no reason here, except that I have never heard Harbeth/Gryphon pair. Should be great, but it's my guess. Gryphon Dac and phono stage are excellent.

I have Harbeth Super HL 5 Plus and used to power it with the top of the line Hegel integrated and I didn’t like the match. My local shop got me a deal on a lightly used Accuphase E-600 and it suits my needs perfectly. If I was younger it wouldn’t be enough power for me but at almost 60 it’s not lacking anything. There’s much better matches with Harbeth than  Hegel. Nothing against Hegel. They have their place, but not so much with Harbeth IMO.

That’s useful. Hegel is highly recommended by the Harbeth designer but I don’t trust him after reading his views on amplifiers. Accuphase is nice. The E-650 is highly recommended by many and supposed to sound better than the 600. 

I had the same experience when I demoed Hegel 390 with Harbeth 30.1. It took in a dark tone and was over damped, at least for my taste. The best pairing was with Audio Hungary Qualiton a50i. It added that extra bit of airiness at the top that some Harbeth models lack. 

@layton64 

Here you go.  I had an ARC GSi75 for a couple years and it is a fantastic integrated with a superb phono and DAC.  

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650164993-audio-research-gsi75/

Ryder, I love my Harbeth's but I was really turned off by Alan Shaw telling people the speakers sounded just as good sitting on a stack of books. It's not true. I wasted a lot of my time and money figuring my old CS7's out because of his misleading information. Harbeth's need to be on stands with an open top (the surface the speaker sits on). I don't remember the stands he recommended because I've blocked it from my memory. All I remember is filling them with sand, telling the manufacturer that they sounded like trash and then they told me to try kitty litter. I found this stand maker called Resonant Woods based out of New Hampshire I believe that make stands specifically for Harbeth and they're the reason I still own Harbeth and love them. The difference was a jaw dropper.