My experience was just the opposite.
I owned the Spendor D7 and owned the Harbeth SHL5+ previously.
The midrange in the SHL5+ was marvelous, effortless, warm, and very easy to live with. I really enjoyed those.
The bass was not of my taste, not too much and not so defined and precise.
That´s why I start a search of new pair, and after a long time looking for I arrived to the Spendor D7.
Much, much better bass, more, clear, precise, and scary defined.
I also found than the midrange was not so romantic and engaging as the SHL5+, but it was definitely more natural sounding allowing better instrument/voices separation and realism to the presentation.
As the other OP, I noticed that the upper midrange was far too forward, but after 300-400hrs of burn in it was gone.
At one point prior to the 300hrs I was ready to sell the Spendor, but chatting with some others owners calmed down my anxiety.
And it pays a huge reward.
IMHO the Spendor D7 are a tremendous value proposition at their price point. They offer a lot of refinement and high-end sound for the price.
Its very difficult to match the natural, accurate and transparent sound they produce.
The SHL5+ is a different kind of speaker, more centered in romanticism and engagement, but not natural sounding as D7s.
So finally is up to you. Try to demo both of them with good amplification and take your decision.
Amplifier used in both of them:
Exposure 3010SD
Mcintosh MA252
Leben CS600X
SimAudio Moon 600i
Perfect match for Harbeth SHL5+ was the Moon 600i.
Perfect match for Spendor D7 was the Moon 600i for music that needed more grunt and grip, and the Leben CS600X to increase romantic/engagement factor in more relaxed music like Jazz.
I owned the Spendor D7 and owned the Harbeth SHL5+ previously.
The midrange in the SHL5+ was marvelous, effortless, warm, and very easy to live with. I really enjoyed those.
The bass was not of my taste, not too much and not so defined and precise.
That´s why I start a search of new pair, and after a long time looking for I arrived to the Spendor D7.
Much, much better bass, more, clear, precise, and scary defined.
I also found than the midrange was not so romantic and engaging as the SHL5+, but it was definitely more natural sounding allowing better instrument/voices separation and realism to the presentation.
As the other OP, I noticed that the upper midrange was far too forward, but after 300-400hrs of burn in it was gone.
At one point prior to the 300hrs I was ready to sell the Spendor, but chatting with some others owners calmed down my anxiety.
And it pays a huge reward.
IMHO the Spendor D7 are a tremendous value proposition at their price point. They offer a lot of refinement and high-end sound for the price.
Its very difficult to match the natural, accurate and transparent sound they produce.
The SHL5+ is a different kind of speaker, more centered in romanticism and engagement, but not natural sounding as D7s.
So finally is up to you. Try to demo both of them with good amplification and take your decision.
Amplifier used in both of them:
Exposure 3010SD
Mcintosh MA252
Leben CS600X
SimAudio Moon 600i
Perfect match for Harbeth SHL5+ was the Moon 600i.
Perfect match for Spendor D7 was the Moon 600i for music that needed more grunt and grip, and the Leben CS600X to increase romantic/engagement factor in more relaxed music like Jazz.