OMG OMG OMG Harbeth M30.1 INCOMING!!!A Few Questions For Owners


A rare & timely opportunity has made me the owner of a pair of M30.1's in Tiger Ebony finish with 1 frigging hour use!!!
 I have Pangea 24" stands & with the tweeter at 12.5" up from the bottom of the cabinet that puts the tweeter at 36.5",within a half inch of center of my ears when in critical listening mode..Anyone see a problem using my stands?
 I have about 3' out from back wall & same from side walls which are treated for reflections..Speakers can be up to 8' apart with listening position about 10'away..Suggestions on setup?
 Regarding amplification since they haven't even started breaking in I'm going to run them with my 17wpc.EL84 amp & will start looking for something with at least 50wpc...What do you guys think of a Mcintosh MHA100 @ 50wpc. driving these?How about SimAudio Moon 240i @ 50wpc.or maybe a Hegel Rost at 75wpc.???
 Thanks much,take care..
 

freediver

Showing 10 responses by freediver

^^^ You know I read/heard that about Dynaudio & ran Audience 42,52,52SE & Excite X14's with 15wpc.Class A EL34 with superb results for years..I will reserve judgement until I have heard it myself thanks..
So I spent several hours going through the Harbeth Users Group threads re: the 30.1's & holy crap the spirit of Dr.Julian Hirsch & The Audio Critic  is alive & well over there!Measurements,measurements,distortion levels,all good amps have no sound,Yamaha & Marantz integrated amplifier recommendations,wow!
 Oh and man is Audiogon loathed as a den of snake oil salesmen & charlatines!I've NEVER been so excited to be getting any speakers I've ever owned...
Man I’m spoiled for bass now having just packed up the Fritz Carbon 7SE’s...The Harbeths better be something pretty special or I’ll flip them & order a new pair of Fritz most riki tik..
 As for amplifier I think I'm going to try the Quad Vena II,hoping a little British synergy might happen...
Well I’ve had them set up for about 20 hours and to say I am absolutely gobsmacked would be an understatement!
I expected a bass light & anemic sound with the 15wpc.Quad amp.WRONG!!!
I can’t figure out why some people say they don’t come alive without power.They play as loud and clean as I care to listen & have beautiful presence at VERY low listening levels.Bass is slightly less than the Fritz but seems to have better definition,mids & highs are clear & clean,without the very slightly darkish tone of the Fritz Carbon 7SE’s...
I believe unless I hit the slots again & can move up to the 30.2 Anniversaries I’ve found my speakers...

PS:^^^ @jmolsberg you were RIGHT,they do sound kick ass with my little amp!
They are without a doubt the finest speakers I have ever owned..I'm searching for a back alley doctor to remove a kidney so I can upgrade to the 40.2's....
^^^Yea that little Quad amp was something special but had a bad design flaw I couldn't live with so I sold it & got a Cayin CS-55.These are the only speakers I've ever had that can clearly show the differences in cables & tubes..I settled on Matched & Balanced Mullard NOS small signal tubes from the early 1960's with Gold Lion KT88 reissues for power..Anyone who says they can't do bass should hear the opening riffs of Jimmy Hendrix Born Under a Bad Sign from the "Blues"cd...
Biasing required working a powered up,bottomless & upside down amp with 2 multimeter probes and a screwdriver.As bad as my hands shake that's not a good combination.My new amp has bias test points & adjustment pots right on the top,next to each power tube not to mention far superior bass depth & tightness...
Almost 2.5 years & still LOVING my 30.1's..Early 2020 I had ordered my dream amp from Icon Audio & Covid-19 came along so I never even opened the amp & had to sell it..For well over a year I've been running them with a 15wpc.Chinese Class A amp based on the Sugden A21 circuit & they are STILL the best speakers I've ever owned...Finally getting back to normal financially now & just about have the $ for a new Sugden A21SE!
 ^^^ Oh I would LOVE to hear them behind a Pass What I am constantly amazed at is the VERY low volume performance..EVERYONE says low impedance speakers don't sound good unless you turn up the volume but I listen at whisper quiet levels in the wee wee hours & everything is still there,tone,imaging,soundstaging..
 Am getting SOOO excited to get a real amp for them,about 6 weeks now but I'm torn between the Sugden & the Pathos Inpol ReMix Class A,decisions decisions...