Speakers known for great midrange.

With this budget hunt for

Acapella Monostatos or

one level better the Harlekins.

MK1 Version of both completely

enough. 91dB/1W/1m each.

I use them for years now in my two systems, home cinema and music.

Difficult to find.

Good luck.

A bit late to the party, but the best mid-range I've heard from a pair of bookshelves is from Q Acoustic Model 300. Extremely silky and smooth. It's just too bad the speakers are lacking in other aspects like dynamics. The rolled-off highs and bass are also too big of a compromise for me. 

I am perfectly happy with my current pair of speakers Cabasse Riga. I've upgraded from Triangle Comete 40th which is very well-known for their fantastic mid-range as well. I guess you do need to audition the speakers because each person might have different definition of what sounds good for mid-range. I prefer my mid-range to sound more natural rather than colored. 

“Fill us in on how you like them!”

Will do. 

Fill us in on how you like them!

Ok, so I bought the BMR monitors. 

Also the Philharmonic BMR Monitors. Thoughts?

Check out Wavetouch V2 speaker's midrange.

Alex/Wavetouch audio

I’m thinking about going with the CSS Audio 1TDX prebuilt stand mounts. I haven’t seen a bad review of these yet. Or I might spring for the 2TDX towers. 

Arguably one of the best mid-ranges is found in the Vandersteen KENTO and Model 7.  Unfortunately, these are floor-standing speakers so the monitor requirement does not apply.  If it were ins a monitor it would be expensive. https://youtu.be/T2pvz6RDBCE 

I personally own INT-25 paired with Sonus Faber Olympica 2. I'm very pleased with the music filling my room. I would characterize the sound as lush, inviting, engaging, very transparent, relaxed, airy.  I prefer the original Olympica series as the new one I wont say sound brighter but colder to my ears.   

Best mid-range I ever heard was the old model Alon Phalanx

The Alón Phalanx/Poseidon Loudspeaker System is to this day the best mid-range sound I ever heard.  I also jut heard them recently, why I didn't buy them I don't know.

Happy Listening/

tbh lots lots of speakers get the midrange right...it is more about how the midrange is portrayed in relation to the rest of the music

from quads to spendors to ls3/5a's to dahlquists to vandersteens to harbeths to joseph audio to fritz to proac to atc to audio note to maggies to veritys .... you get the point...

Usher audio unseated the salon 2's in my room. Focal has a nice presentation if you're looking for more inner detail, dynaudio if you like the edges rounded off a little, Kef is also very good but a bit fussy regarding toe in to get upper bass to blend in just right. The new Perlisten at Axpona would be promising bookshelves for detail junkies also. I have no idea what meridian is doing anymore but they used to make some really good sounding stuff also.

Sure, get a set of Quads. 

@vinylvalet 

Unfortunately here in the UK it's next to impossible to get to hear ATC and Harbeth side by side.

When it comes to midrange what's the consensus around the single driver Pearl Acoustics Sybelius?

It's designer, Harley Lovegrove, certainly seems to be a man of conviction.

Yep, another one to go on the wish to hear list.

The ATC dome midrange driver is well known to be SOTA for midrange.

@steveashe

👍

that is exactly how mon 30’s should be used... well done, enjoy!

Listening to a pair of Harbeth 30.2xd’s with my INT 25 right now. SVS Micro 3000 sub. I upgraded from 30.1’s earlier this year. SL1200GR table, EAR 834p Phono pre. Dynavector 20x2L cartridge.

The Harbeth’s drop off pretty quickly below 54 hz, which is where the sub kicks in.

it’s a really nice “apartment “ system, and I mean that in a most positive way. I wouldn’t know where to go from here, in my listening area, with the music that I like.  My room is approximately 13.5 x 18 feet, speakers 24” from the wall on the long side. Jazz, acoustic music, guitar, piano, VOCALS, etc.

I thought Vandersteen midrange was the best until I heard Tektons. Tekton are the best I've heard. Get the Moabs for 5k.

Celestion sl6si if you can find a pair in good shape. Otherwise Wharfedale Linton or Harbeth ps3

IMHO ATC. Harbeth and Spendor sound colored by comparison.

For the OP, ATC probably won't work if a syrupy coloration is what one is looking for.

Two of the best sounding set ups I've had were using Pass (an XP 10 pre and a 250.8 amp) with Harbeth. I had the 30.2 which were great - very detailed and neutral and uncannily good with voices- and then upgraded to the HLS5 Super which were amazing- really really musical and more involving, loved them. 

I'll have to throw another plug for Dynaudio. In all my years of listening/owning different brands I have not found any other speaker that can compete with the Danes, especially in the mids...

Tannoy Autograph Mini's

I think Theil and Vandersteen have the best midrange because of the time and phase coherence approach.

Awesome. Sounds like they have fixed any issues. 

Budget is 5000.00.

QC issues example:

 

this video was recently posted in the harbeth user group... below is alan shaw’s reply, fwiw... 

Update:

It transpires that we are well aware of this issue, and in fact it predates the recruitment of our QC Manager. The video was posted one year ago.

At the time we first become aware of this, the production team watched the video and a full analysis of the sequence of events was undertaken to establish ’root-cause’. It was, unfortunately, a series of compounding human errors, and our then Russian distributor resolved the issue.

Much has changed here since to eliminate, as best as we can, any remaining human error.

Best regards,
Alan

The Stereophile review of your amp revealed that distortion increases dramatically at high frequencies when driving lower impedances. Good idea to check the impedance trace of any speakers you are considering.

Another vote for Spendor (Classic series).

well said @big_greg 

agree 100% to all your stated observations on big harbeths, and klipsches too (my ears still have ptsd from loudly played klipsches from a decade ago hahaha)

I own Harbeth 40.2 Anni’s and owned three pairs of Harbeth’s previously... zero quality issues.

Had tweeters fail with Dynaudio Confidence 2’s and 4’s and I don’t drive my speakers hard.

Have had the pleasure of listening to Quad, ESL-57s completely rebuilt and brought back to spec by the besy Quad guy on the East Coast, (NH guy). They're  truly magical and will own my own set soon enough. I agree with the "better" British boxes. Spendor, Harbeth, Graham, Rogers... two under the radar speaker manufacturers not in business anymore that were/are EQUALLY fantastic are Symdex and Equation. Have owned both and currently playing a set of Equation 7, hand made in Belgium in the early 00s. Just simple 2/way smaller vented columns done as best as anyone has ever done. Ceramic tweeter & proprietary polypropylene mid-bass driver in Spanish Birdseye Maple. Have to say, been at this a long time & rarely do these come up but if you ever find a set, should move quickly. Extraordinary in every way but the mids (voices especially) are over the top great. Just my opinion. 

Is it fair to say Harbeth is not the best choice for an all arounder and perhaps better with classical or slow jazz?

I couldn’t lock myself into a one genre style speaker. But I love the looks, the wood, the sound they deliver with certain styles of music.

No, it's not.  There may be certain types of music where their strengths really shine, but that doesn't mean they are limited to those genres.  Get yourself some 40.X Harbets and you can totally rock out.  I listen to rock more than anything else and my Super HL5 Plus do just fine with rock.  

It's ironic that some folks think certain speakers are great "rock speakers". 

Take Klipsch for example.  They are super sensitive and people can get them to play really loud, so therefor they are "great for rock".  I have (and still do) owned many Klipsch speakers.  Played at high volumes (let's say 80db+), I think they are painful to listen to.  At moderate volumes, they are really dynamic and can do some special things with vocals and stringed instruments like acoustic guitar.

With the right room, treatment, setup, and amplification, they can sound great, but those stars rarely align and they usually get quite brittle in the highs when pushed hard, which is what it seems most people want to do with them.  Not to mention a lot of them aren't constructed that well and without some additional bracing and other measures, you'll hear the cabinets.  I love my current Quartets, but I've done some work on them, and they sound best when playing... you guessed it, jazz vocals, acoustic guitars, and the like.

Quad ESL 57 or 63

That is the choice, period. You will need a sub if you want low end as well. I'm not sure 25 watts is enough for the ESL. 

Quad ESL 57.

Still used as the gauge for midrange by many speaker designers.

Quad ESL-57 or original Martin Logan CLS will give you what you are after.

Klipsch Heritage series, like Heresy IV, Forte IV (but that one can be picky w positioning), or Cornwall if you have the space. 

The new KLH model 5 has good mids.

And of course the oldies but goodies EPI (Epicure) like Epi 100 or Epi 50 or their new iterations by Human Speakers like the model 81 (or new HS parts in old Epi or Epicure cabinets...).  I've had Epi 100 for 40 years, now updated w Human parts, and it has provided decades of hard-to-beat beauty.  Maybe -- and I say maybe -- not the "final word" in detail or imaging, but extraordinary nonetheless and I have heard many many much more expensive speakers (take the Yamaha NS1000 as just one example) that I'd pass on in favor of the Epi.  The tweeter, especially the new Human Speakers iteration, is truly one of the best overall generalists and the woofer is no slouch... tight and clear.  Linear, dispersed and non-demanding of placement and seating, and no-fatiguing rich clear musical sound.  Add a sub for below 40 or maybe 50, and you're golden. I ran 'em without sub for most of the time I've had them, and they are great even so... 

@travisg

watched the video -- well for that fellow, his experience, it’s not good, harbeth needs to clean up its act, lots small companies have had issues last couple years, for obvious reasons

that said, no company is perfect, there are always a small %age of q-c issues that get out even in 'normal times'... for me, i have owned 5 pair of harbeths over the years, recently bought fresh 40.3 xd’s and helped a fellow audiophile buy a set of new super 5+ xd ... no quality issues, and of course, terrific sound... but maybe we didn’t look closely enough? 🤔😁

+1 for Dynaudio. Have owned their products for 30 years, and most recently bought a pair of pre-owned C1 Platinum's for $3500 from TMR. All the usual audiophile superlatives apply plus midrange in spades, and bass that defies the laws of physics for a cabinet their size.

That’s shocking !

I had a pair of older Spendor 2/3s that were wonderful for the midrange with tubes. Contrary to what folks say I thought they rocked well with rock music as well. Not to mention the great deal I got on them with stands included. I think buying used with speakers is the way to go, provided you trust the seller’s packing ability. Bought the Spendors and my EgglestonWorks floorstanders from A’gon. 

Budget is 5000.00. 
 

QC issues example: 

Sorry.  If great midrange is your priority, you need panels/electrostatics.

Could put them on stands I suppose.

"I hear the Harbeth quality control can be hit or miss."

And where did you hear that from? Do tell!

Tekton, LOL that's mid price stuff at best and they're ugly as sin.

The original QUAD ESL is considered the standard for midrange reproduction, but does not sound syrupy; for years it was also the standard for transparency. For smooth and somewhat soft sound (a mild form of syrupy?), how about one of the old Vandersteen's (the Model 2 is a favorite)?

Not a stand mount, far from it...Duntech Princess; excellent midrange.

Jose.

Is it fair to say Harbeth is not the best choice for an all arounder and perhaps better with classical or slow jazz?

classical or slooowwwwww jazz only... or else they will blow up and burn down your house, have fire extinguisher ready if you are listening to rock or edm

I hear the Harbeth quality control can be hit or miss.

tuurible, just tuurrible - consecutive pairs of mon 30.2 off production line can sound like klipsches, then dahlquists, then bose ... tis what happens when you hire blind folks from the south of london to do final q-c

😂🤣

Besides Dynaudio that I suggest, I own Heritage, I really want to hear Simaudio new step into the ring Voice.

You didn’t mention budget so staying around $3k.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5UbZx0FT6ZE

The Harbeth do sound nice from those clips but all those clips music all sounded very similar. Is it fair to say Harbeth is not the best choice for an all arounder and perhaps better with classical or slow jazz?

I couldn’t lock myself into a one genre style speaker. But I love the looks, the wood, the sound they deliver with certain styles of music.