the Classic 100s sounded significantly better than a pair of D7's.
that is a low bar... 😉 ...
... couldn't resist the dig...
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looks like you are good here without any need to budget for upstream electronics upgrades as you start your journey Have fun, sir!
.In the sum, the Monitor 40.3XD possesses that difficult to define but instantly apparent impression of authority on any and all kinds of music. From the simplest to the most demanding, from a whisper to far louder than you can stand, you have the sense there is no kind of music that it cannot take in easy stride and reproduce as truthfully, beautifully, and faithfully to the source as the current state of the art will allow." - Paul Sedour, The Absolute Sound February 2017
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https://www.highfidelity.pl/@main-1106&lang=en the above review will help you i have the 40.2/40.3xd as well as the sp100 r2, to me they are both truly excellent wonderfully coherent big monitors with similar personalities (easeful effortless natural presentation of the music with inner detail well integrated into the overall soundstage, excellent bass response, magical with voices and acoustic instruments) harbeth is less efficient, a bit warmer/smoother, likes fine solid state amplification for best bass, sp100 r2 has a touch more forward treble and upper midrange bite, touch more air/snap, 2-3 db more efficient higher impedance, thus more suitable with tube amps than the harbeth with proper system/component matching and placement i really don't think one outperforms the other note differing tweeter placement on these two models, so stand height needs to be a bit different for the two |
I've written in posts before regarding a comparison of the Spendor Classic 100 (successor to the Sp100 Mk2) and Harbeth 40.2. Unfortunately not auditioned in same rooms or systems. They struck me as a lot more similar than different. The Spendor was, perhaps, a little more rigorous, and little more forward on fortissimo brass, that kind of thing. I liked both a lot and currently own 40.2's. Which, BTW, I prefer to the 40.3 XD which is inching towards a more "modern" presentation. |
I’ve audioned both HARBETH and SPENDOR as both fine contenders. I can supply personal experiences with HARBETH that I selected as the best-of-breed in MY SYSTEM ( emphasis added) May I suggest that you incorporate the following bits in your own bespoke decision tree, - This binary bake-off choice has been initially highlighted before in the AGON link at the very bottom below. Check it out first. - Your choice of amp and cables may dictate which one you favour. As a current owner, I don’t drink even any of Alan Shaw’s KoolAid and mantra, that HARBETHs are agnostic toward amps and cables. The better their build and performance they exhibit , the better the audio presentation,(Hint: I run them through a premium hi-end amp (REGA OSIRIS) and upgraded the cables array after numerous bake-offs to CARDAS CLEAR.) HINT: If you looking for the HARBETHs to somehow deliver an “A-HA moment” in isolation to the influences of your entire system, then look elsewhere. They will expose all the warts in your system, The philosophy is clear. A good and still affordable speaker with decent amplification makes more sense than an expensive speaker with a cheap amp and source.Is that in your budget? - They are very different designs and builds, HARBETHs have a purposeful unique thin-walled cabinet design that permits the speaker to “”resonate” like a fine music instrument. The SPENDOR design is in the common thicker braced cabinet wall manner, With that, (I) HARBETH recommends, AND (II) both dealer/owner experiences strongly support the exceptional TonTräger speaker stands with their bespoke “airy” design and build. The TT’s assist in the HARBETH sonic signature delivery without “dumbing them down” thst most other heavy mass speaker stands can do. The TonTragers indeed will cost you a pretty supplemental penny , but they do maximize the HARBETH performance. Is that in your budget? - HARBETHs have one of the very best and clearly superior FLAT frequency performance across the WHOLE frequency range. This is RARE. Their silky midrange is legendary as an industry leader. Given that 90% of your music is delivered in the midrange (and some in the very upper bass), then if you get the midrange “right”, then everything falls into place. BUT if you get it “wrong”, then “…All the King’s horses, and all the King’s men ….” (2) IMO a much better and graphic A-B comparison in your HARBETH-SPENDOR direct bake-off comparison would involve a step-up to the current model HARBETH 40.3XD with its very latest upgraded components . https://www.tonepublications.com/review/the-harbeth-40-3-xd-speakers/ Harbeth 40.2 OR Spendor Classic 100 OR ??
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