JA Pulsars vs Harbeth 30.2

Day 1 with the JA Pulsars. Talk about disappear. It was like there were no speakers and the music just existed. A little warmer at the treble end then my B&Ws. Fantastic detail and very musical. I was just enjoying the music. 😀

@pdreher Yes I picked up a pair of C7esxp's and really enjoy them. Now my room did change and as a result I'm positioning these (moving them) when I really want to sit and listen. That said they're really enjoyable and there is real magic happening between these speakers. For a speaker that is so listenable, they have great transparency. A sub or two or three is needed but that's many speakers under $15-20k these days. 

Nice to hear from you its been many years. Best, Bryan

@Tjraubacher congrats, never heard Joseph but I'd buy them unheard, well done.

Nice! Great price!!!

@soix 

yes original, rosewood and $3600

Congrats!  I’m sure you’re gonna be thrilled and look forward to your thoughts.  If you don’t mind me asking, are they the original version, how much were they, and what finish did you get?

I have purchased a used pair of JA Pulsars. Once they arrive ani I have a chance to listen to them I will provide my feedback on them. Very excited can’t wait.

@bjesien  you've had a lot of good speakers.  Are the Harbeth's now your primary speakers?   What version C7 did you buy?

I finally bought the C7 Harbeth and really enjoy the sound and dimensionality with the Naim Supernait 3. I got burned out with chasing presence and hearing brightness, etc. The Harbeth is somehow very present without brightness. These are keepers. For a while anyway. 

You should get some floorstanding speakers if MORE bass is one of the goals. 2 subwoofers with the speakers you own might also solve what you think you are missing.

on the subject, from what I read here, for your room size and amp

JA Pulsars

But only your ears can tell

@grislybutter 
I am going to pass on the bee farm. Way to much buzzing noise in the background.

@tjraubacher unfortunately I have no experience with these speakers but I would look at 

https://speakerchoices.com/

@grislybutter 

interesting idea but I will pass. Any speaker advice?

Is it true the Revival lacks resolution? 

I am not particularly fond of the bee sound

Bee farms have a very natural sound

@grislybutter 

Yes interesting I had not considered that option. Definitely a more natural sound. Generally speaking I am used to ur responses being a little more on point. 

Must have meant Harbeeths :)

…hope they’re not African bees

I think you should buy a bee farm

Agree for OP Harbeth is better choice than Pulsar:

• bigger and fuller soundstage
• smidgen warmer treble/highs
• better musicality

Harbeth fits better

• i love clarity in female/male voices

Not specifically clarity, but the Harbeth is known for emotionally engaging voices

Agree that Harbeth + Hegel is a well known great match. This is a fabulous musical combo I hope to own as a 3rd/4th system. I also love the Devore Orangutan O/96, the most musical speakers I’ve demoed, maybe with a Leben CS600 or some other tube amplification.  My current systems are neutral-linear and flea watt floorstanders.

Seems the prevailing opinion is the sonic uptick from Hegel H390 to H590 is negligible so it’s not worth the increased price.

I have owned a pair of the JA Pulsars, which I switched back and forth with Focal Utopia Diablo III’s.  I have also listened to but haven’t owned the Harbeth 30.2’s, so I can opine on the comparison but I really know the JA’s as I owned them and listened to them all of the time, whereas, the Harbeths I only listened to at a dealer.  I am a huge JA fan.  The Pulsars are an amazing speaker for $4000 used.  I would pick them over the Harbeths.  For a little speaker, the Pulsars have a surprising amount of bass and the overall JA “house sound” is very pleasing to my ears.  Plus, they are beautiful speakers and you can sell them for what you paid for them used. 

@tjraubacher

If... as you said... you listen primarily to acoustic music - you will have a very difficult time to find anything that matches the Harbeth’s rich, warm, life-like sound and imaging - except for the ESL 57’s and maybe the Maggie LRS+, which I also have, and like as well as the Harbeths.

Especially with strings, horns and all things acoustic!

Though, if you want a bit more of a "bite" in the instruments - the SHL5 XD will provide that, as well as the 30.2 XD - perhaps at the expense of a bit of some of the smoothness.

@tjraubacher 

I would expect your H390 to sound very similar to the Harbeths driven by the H590 - there is not that much difference between the 2 amps.  I believe several of the Hegel amps in the Harbeth videos on YouTube are the lower powered amps. And... Hegel often uses lower powered amps to drive them in shows.  

Also, you may note that the McIntosh MA252 is driving them in some of the most impressive of those videos, which is only 100 watts into 8 ohms and 160 watts into 4 ohms (Harbeth's impedence).

And... if you prefer a different sound after you've tried them for a while, they're very easy to sell.  They will require a few hours of burn-in to sound their best (if new).  But... for acoustic sounds... you'll have difficulty finding anything to match their rich, warm, airy, life-like sound and imaging... or... have to replace them with a pair of Quad ESL-57's!  

I don’t have the Pulsars but I do own a pair of Tyler Taylo Reference speakers that use the same Seas drivers (albeit a larger woofer) as the Pulsars. 
 

For me the choice would be easy, I’d go with the Pulsars. They have a tweeter that retails for nearly twice the price of the Seas unit in the Harbeths. The improvement of the costlier tweeter is definitely audible to my ears.

The 30.2s paired with Hegel will give you a very warm and easygoing listening experience, but you’ll also be leaving a lot of detail and resolution on the table vs speakers like the Pulsars, especially if the latter are paired with more neutral electronics. 

Definitely go for the 30.2 if you’re planning to audition. Harbeth has tuned the 30.2 to be a bit more open and airy (better treble) compared to the 30.1. If you feed it with good amplification it will not be ‘soft’ at all. What it won’t do is to throw the detail in your face. You will notice that all the detail in your music is still there, it just doesn’t ‘prioritize’ higher frequencies compared to the rest. This makes for an excellent speaker for long, fatigue free sessions. 

Besides the obvious cost difference between the Harbeth 30.1 and 30.2 does anyone have input on what the difference in sound is?

@freediver 

Thanks for ur input. It is very difficult with such divergent takes on the same speaker. Which gets us back to how the sound of speakers is very personal. I do believe that both of these speakers are excellent. I have to admit that link that @bassdude had did not sound mellow to me. Very confusing 

@rsf507 you should have your ears cleaned & a hearing test!
 Harbeth midrange is only soft if they are driven by a low powered SET amplifier..There are VERY VERY few speakers with the midrange clarity of the Harbeth's.They are absolutely the closest dynamic driver speakers I've ever heard to electrostatics..
 I listened to Chicago & Delta Blues,Classic Rock,Reggae,Classic Jazz,Big Band,Classical,you name it on my M30.1's,driven by a Single Ended,KT150 tube amplifier & NEVER heard anything but sweet,beautiful music!

Oh crap! Well I don’t listen to elevator music. Blues, acoustic, folk, folk rock, rock and classical encompass my tastes. Emphasis on blues. Love the blues guitar, harmonica and saxophone. Love female voices too. 

@tjraubacher my guess is if you went with the Harbeth's you would be disappointed with their mellow character unless you only listen to elevator music. I've heard them and midrange is wonderful but very soft sounding just didn't get me wanting more. Just my opinion we all have our on views which is why there are so many speakers to choose.

@tjraubacher :Alan Shaw actually uses Hegel in his shows..Check this out...
https://youtu.be/lhuaUn8Tqag?si=MJdV_3CioaFrq9WW&t=356

@bassdude 

Wow OMG what a beautiful sound.  Harbeth are back on my list.  Will my Hegel H390 be a good match for the Harbeth 30.1 or 30.2.

Tom

Here ya go!  Listen to these - you will be amazed! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E8ExBUC64c

I have both the 30.2's and the 40.3's - both of which sound very much like the Quad ESL 57's - which is one of the best sounding speakers at any price.

Though... these all excel with jazz, classical, blues, country - and all things acoustic!  You may prefer alternative speakers for rock, or similar sounds.  

If you're into those types of music... you will have difficulty trying to best Harbeths.

But... they must be driven with great, powerful, SS electronics - such as those Harbeth demos their speakers with at shows (Hegel amps).  I drive mine with the Hegal H590 - which produces their best sound.  Harbeths are not at their best with lesser electronics.  

With the right electronics they have a warm, rich, full sound with great clarity, which is not hard and strident.  A sax, or cello, or upright bass - sound live - like they're in the room with you.  

Listen to the above demo (and similar demos on YouTube), and you'll get a good idea of how live they sound.  And... if you want greater treble and dynamic emphasis - the SHL5 XD will provide that, while still providing the rich, warm, full sound.  

@tjraubacher

I’ve owned both Joseph, audio speakers and Harbeth.

I’ve got a good bead on their sonic qualities.
(You might also look up Herb Reichart’s review of the Joseph pulsars’s

As he compares them to the Harbeth monitor and he nails the essential difference

1. Look up the audiogon thread comparing the Harbeth SuperHL5plus

speakers versus the Joseph audio perspective speakers. In that thread, I do an extensive Comparison between the Harbeth sound qualities and what you get with Joseph. Pretty much everything I say there applies to the basic differences between the Harbeth 30/pulsar.

2. Don’t worry about driver corrosion. I’ve never seen any
Joseph audio owner report it. Bit more to the point:

Joseph audio updated their drivers quite a while ago

To The Graphene coated versions. The main point of

the graphene coating Is that it stops corrosion. (Which is only an issue in certain climates anyway).

Pulsars with a pair of quality subwoofers would be an interesting way to go.  

the Revival Audio Atalante 5 sounded bass and midrange centric and did not have the resolution of the Pulsar.  It does have a big bold sound that the Pulsar cannot compete with.  

@tjraubacher the top of the line one for $5K I forget the name but it is the model 5

What revival speaker is on par with the pulsars?

@bigkidz 

thanks on ur input. I am going to read up on the Revivals.

Very interesting dilemma. I have the Harbeth 30.2 40th anniversary. It is one of the best if not the best monitor speaker around. For those who like the monitor sound. A big plus is its midrange, fluidity and ability to convey lifelike instruments with impressive precision without getting earring fatigue. However, I agree it is not the most dynamic speaker. The pulsars may be better fitted for rock and come with a little price premium. I'd be interested to listen to them side by side with different types of music. Good luck and keep us posted on your choice!

op we are getting revivals as well they are excellent I would also look at the new dali rubikore series as well

Dave and Troy

audio intellect NJ

kef,atc, dali, cabasse alta audio dealers

When buying speakers you do need to listen whenever possible. As I mentioned earlier I have the Opera Callus speakers that have the SEAS magnesium cones. They are similar in size and look to the JA Pulsars and I loved the sound of the Callus speaker.

I have always liked the sound of the Harbeth speaker as well and earlier this year I found a used pair of Harbeth SHL5 on USAMart for a very good price and purchased them. I listened to both speakers side by side in my listening room for many days and to my ear the Harbeth was a little bit better. I could very easily live with either speaker.

To me the best part is looking for the next piece of equipment. Good luck!

Thanks for clarifying and good luck in your search

@2tuby @macg19 

I can see why you thought I was referring to the Harbeths having magnesium cones. Poorly written response by me. I know the JA’s have the magnesium cone. I have a feeling the Harbeths may be a little to laid off on the high end for my tastes. I like highs just not overly harsh. It would be nice to hear both side by side.

@tjraubacher 

The Pulsars are amazing sounding speakers but to my ears not big enough.  The 30.2 are also amazing sounding speakers and would be my recommendation to you- however based on what you are after- bass, vocal clarity etc. get the Harbeth SHL5 XD.  

No we are not dealers we are manufacturers of audio components and a repair shop.  We get to hear so much stuff and these just impressed me.  Mike O'Keefe at HiFi Direct in Hackensack NJ

@bigkidz , do you sell the Revival speakers?