Spendor, Harbeth...why so hot ?

I think the smaller Spendors are superb, the best at what they do. I think when you cross over into the Harbeth range that use the "radial" midrange/woofer (Compact 7, Monitor 30, Monitor 40), you move onto the next level of BBC technology. My own experience, which began with a love affair with SP 1/2's, has been with the Monitor 40's, where for the first time I've come to realize that a properly designed speaker doesn't need the dollop of sweetness that you get with the Spendor's polypropeline drivers. The Harbeths' output is slightly sloped from bottom to top (which Robert Greene argues persuasively is correct) and that in combination with the absolutley transparent radial driver, results in something that is simultaneously realistic and beautiful. The beauty feels absolutely real and changes from cd to cd, so you know you're not getting a euphonic additive, all of which tend to homogenize.

I have not heard the Compact 7's, which are clearly a better "value" than the Monitor 40's. And now that a new North American distributer is in place, they are beginning to move into the market in this hemisphre. Do not overlook these speakers, or this line.

The Spendor SP 1/2's driven by something with some character (Blue Circle hybrids, for example) can be a remarkably satisfying speaker if it's not in toooo big a room and if you don't need a firm, deep bottom. (REG reports that his, with REL Storms added, are flat to 25 hz.) I do think REG's review of them in TAS quite a while back was very fair -- and very admiring. Another fan is Art Dudley of the Listener and his reviewer, Reikert. Driven by relatively dull stuff (Plinius, say) they can be a bit dull. Driven by 'the right stuff,' there is a lyrical rightness to them that sold me immediately. People who prefer them to ProAcs tend to prefer their lyricism and upper bass sense of weight to the ProAc's forwardness and seemingly higher resolution. Seemingly because it's, well forward. ProAcs can make Spendors seem prissy; Spendors can make ProAcs seem pushy. Both great speaker lines, which can 'divide and separate' friends.

Some Spendors are "more equal than others." My mixture of experience and informed hearsay says the 3/1's and 1/2's are the pick of the litter, but the SP 100's, which to me ears are on the rich and bassy side, have their (very ardent) champions.

This is more or less a footnote to the discussion, intended mainly for those of who are both curious about but also suspicious of Harbeths. Since Harbeth Monitor 40's are monitors, albeit "not nasty monitors" (REG), I fed one of favorite cd's to the Monitor 40 I'm auditioning these days in trepidation this a.m. - the 1991 reissue of Stravinsky's "Apollo" from The Stravinsky Album. The original recording was done in (gulp) 1964. Wow! - not to have worried. Gorgeous. Is this not one of the ultimate tests? Can the speakers you are beginning to love for their exquisite truthfulness forgive your favorite olde albums? It was truly beautiful. And the cellos and string basses were as crisp and warm as the violins were sweet, reedy ribbons of pure joy.

What I'm suggesting is that even if you don't intend to spend $6-7K on speakers and even you're a Spendorite, you
probably ought to try to find a way to hear these just so you'll know what's possible in a speaker without additives. I have yet to hear either the Compact 7's or Monitor 30's,
which cost considerably less and probably have the same signature. But I may have to just to complete my education.

I think the Spendor/Harbeth thing will continue to be interesting for those who feel they may want a little added cream through the midrange. Before hearing the Harbeths, I certainly thought I was one of those folks. But you'd be amazed at how beguiling the truth perfectly rendered can be, even on a remastered 1964 recording. De-goddamn-licious.