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The Harbeth phenomenon

In my search for a new pair of speakers, I've gone through many threads here and noticed that many owners or fans of Harbeth have almost a love-like connection with Harbeth speakers. It is almost as if the speakers cast a spell upon them. I know many audiophiles love their speakers but Harbeth owners seem especially enamored with theirs. I am extremely puzzled by this phenomenon because on paper Harbeth speakers look average at best and lack many of the attributes that generally make a great speaker.

Their sensitivity of generally around the 86dB mark makes them rather inefficient and therefore, at least in theory, not a good match for many lower powered tube amps, or any amps below 100wpc. Their frequency range is simply inferior to most high-end speakers since they don't go below 40 Hz. This alone should, again at least in theory, disqualify Harbeth speakers from consideration as top high end speakers. And yet I've never heard anyone complain about their bass, while people complain about lack of bass in the Gibbon Nines from DeVore, which is a fantastic speaker. Their cabinets look like a cheap DIY enclosure (disclaimer: I've never seen a Harbeth up close, only pictures). The 7ES-3 is rated B-Restricted, while the smaller and cheaper Usher Be-718 A-Restricted in Stereophile but garners nowhere near the same amount of admiration, praise and following among audiophiles.

So what's going on here? Is this a big conspiracy plot by the company that paid off a few hundred of people to infiltrate audiophile internet forums and a few reviewers? I am of course joking here, but the question is serious. How can speakers so average on paper be so good in real life? I know the opposite is often true, but you rarely see this phenomenon.

Please speak up.
actusreus

Showing 3 responses by ryder

ryder
1,738 posts
 
Everybody has their own favourite speakers. Those who like (or own) certain speakers will inevitably sing praises on them while those who dislike a few others will criticize them, or keep quiet. Nothing unusual. I have close friends who tell me straight to the face that Harbeths are not their cup of tea. Not a big deal and most of the posts above have described it well enough.

Most good words on Harbeth are from owners and music lovers and I don't think it has got anything to do with the company employing some people in boosting their sales. It is either you love the speakers or hate it, simple as that. Reviewers may have certain agenda though.

There are many other speakers that get the same sort of attention in the forums, and I wonder why Harbeth was picked.

Are any of you using the SHL5 for watching movies in 2-channel ? how do they fare?
I am using the SHL5 for both but have to admit the speakers get very limited prime time as 95% of the time they were used in 2-channel listening.
ryder
1,738 posts
 
Mlsstl hits the nail on the head. Generally it depends on the size of the room and preference. The C7ES3 will still sound good in near-field configuration. A C7 owner had his speakers 7' distance away in his small room and had no issues. I've tried a distance of 6.5' with my SHL5s and do not perceive any serious shortcomings. I settled with a distance of 9' though and thought the sound was more coherent in the lower midrange and airier with more extended highs. To summarize, it depends on what kind of presentation you would prefer.

ryder
1,738 posts
 
It's good, the Harbeth. I attempted to dislodge it with another high end speaker Marten from Sweden but failed in the process of doing so. I ended up keeping both. It's good for life, the Harbeth.
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