Just got a pair of SHL5, I was wondering what I can expect for break in time?? Also any one have a feel on what speaker cables are a good match and biwire vs single, amp is a Plinius 9200?
According to the designer all amplifiers sound the same too.
I can't really say for sure how long does it take for the speakers to break-in since I've tried half a dozen amps with the speakers in the first 6 months. Nonetheless I feel the character of the speaker changes very little with extended listening sessions(with the same amp). In this sense I believe the designer's views in the break in period for Harbeth speakers may be accurate. I believe 1-2 weeks should be more than sufficient. Any apparent changes after that would probably be minimal or subtle at best.
As for biwire vs single, I think this topic was covered at length on the user forum as well. I have used both and personally there is no difference. Currently I prefer the single wire to the biwired speaker cables, but then again the single wire matches the system better than the biwired version. As for which speaker cable, that would depend on the type of sound you are looking for. Personally I would follow Harbeth's advice and recommendation on the topic of speaker cables.
You can expect sweeter sound.I use no name copper speaker wires,for my taste it suits the best.As for amp I would go with high quality mos-fet amps(Lfd,Accupahe,Luxman .I am using Technics Se-a3000,Su-c3000 ) As for speaker placement I prefer nearfield listening
Just picked up Clear Day Cables Shotgun for my SHL5's with Mastersound 300B SET integrated. You might like Double Shotgun. Free in-home trial. Great quality, service, and value. Paul is great to deal with.
Thanks for the feedback.. if I can save the $$ on going single wire with no penalty that would be great.. I have found in my little bit of listening that single wire on the top posts sounded better than on the bottoms.. I also found that the plates sounded really veiled.. Need more listening time but today I'll just let them play.. Merry Xmas you all :-)
I haven't heard any changes in the sound from my SHL5. I've bought them new last June and played them intensely since. The main changes I heard were with amplifier's matching. I had the chance to try them with Luxman L-505u, Sugden A21al, Nelson Pass "The Zen" and actually Luxman L-590AII.
About single wire, the owner manual suggests to connect them to the lower posts.
A long time and they never really open up, IMO. Never became as transparent as my 7s, just sayin'. Better lows, but not "real" lows. Beautiful sound, great vocals, but somewhat of a disappointment for me. I prefer the 7s with a sub.
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