Thanks for recommending Neat and Spendor. Neat is a brand I'm not aware of at all, but I doubt I will find anything on the used market.
Spendor is a good suggestion and they do come up in the used market every now and then. @twoleftears any idea how they compare to the Harbeth sound? One would assume they sound more alike than different, since they share the BBC lineage.
@yogiboy I hear you, man. And it is quite possible that I might just end up keeping the 30.1s after all. I mean I really, really like the speakers. BTW how do they compare to C7s? If you had to choose between the two, which one would you keep? |
@audiothesis -- I would love to visit your showroom once you get the Pienza's back. The only issue is that they seem to be much higher priced than what I can afford right now. Second, I would prefer to buy used so in the event I decide to sell them after a few years, I won't lose much. That's one reason I love buying Harbeth as a matter of fact. They trade like currency in the used market.
However, I'm still intrigued by Rosso Florentino as a brand and don't mind checking out what the fuss is all about :) |
Thanks for the great suggestions, everyone. To those suggesting M40.x, of course I'm aware that these are probably the endgame speakers for many, including myself. But please remember this is for my study, i.e. it is a secondary system for me with less budget allocation. I've tried the SHL5+ in my study and they simply don't work. So I don't see how 40s are going to work. Secondly, even if they did, I'm not going to spend a lot of money for the home office setup. I do plan to upgrade from SHL5+ to 40.x at some time in the future, but that's for my main system.
I also understand that to get 'better' sound, I probably need to move up the price bracket. But given that this is my secondary system, I'm not too keen on sinking too much $$ into it. I mean it's not like I'm dissatisfied with 30.1 in any way. It's a great speaker and suits my tastes in music quite well. I was really looking for a different flavor more than anything else really.
I will look more closely at Spendor but not going to rush my decision. If a used pair of Fritz Carrera Be were to pop up in the used market, I might give it a shot as well. Until then, I will continue to enjoy the 30.1s.
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@jmolsberg -- I have no doubt that Rosso Pienza is a really good speaker. In an ideal world, we should be basing our purchase decisions on sound quality and value alone. But the truth is that many, if not all, audiophiles tend to change gear quite regularly for various reasons. This is where brand name recognition and resale value, whether justified or not, becomes important.
Knowing myself, I know that I will be itching to try something different (not necessarily better) in a year or two. What I do know is that if I buy used Harbeth, Proac, or Spendors, I will be able to sell them with minimal loss. To be honest, Rosso Florentino is an unknown quantity in this context. Again, please realize I’m not commenting on sound quality, which very well may be equal or better than Harbeth. But it’s resale potential is a big unknown, and that is an important criteria for me.
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@audiothesis -- I do not disagree with anything you said. I have never heard any Rosso products, and I know better to never comment on something I have no idea about. For all that I know, it might very well be better than Harbeth or Spendor when it comes to sound quality.
Please understand that my comment was specific to the ’perceived’ brand value in the used market. And I feel that speakers like Harbeth, Proac, and Spendor have earned their reputations over a long period of time with consistency and quality. If Rosso are that much better than these brands, let the free market speak for itself :)
Having said that, if you’re willing to setup Harbeth 30.1 and Rosso Pienza for a side-by-side comparison, I’m happy to come by and take a listen.
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I forgot to add that the Proac model I listened to was the D2R, which I believe utilizes a ribbon tweeter. Not sure if that was contributing to the slightly forward nature of the sound. Has anyone compared it with the non-ribbon version? I’d love to know which one you preferred. |
Interesting discussion and great insights so far. I want to re-iterate the point that I don’t have a problem with my Harbeth M30.1s. I really love the speakers. No, seriously. To be honest, the only reason I’m exploring other options is to see what else is out there. It’s like trying different regional varieties of a particular dish you like. What I’m looking for are different interpretations of the so-called BBC sound, but without venturing too far from the intrinsic sound signature. And when I say ’different’ I don’t necessarily mean ’better’. All speakers mentioned in this thread are amazing. ’Better’ in this context is so subjective. Hope this makes sense :)
BTW, I listened to PMC speakers (floorstanders, but can’t remember the model) about 3-4 years ago, and I have to agree with @prof that it sounded very different than Harbeth, at least to my ears. I don’t really know what is an ’english sound signature’ per se. Perhaps, ’BBC sound signature’ is a better description for what we’re talking about here? Also, please note that I’m not suggesting that PMC is better than Harbeth or vice versa. After all, it is a matter of personal taste. But IMO, they’re definitely not catering to the same customer.
Now Audio Note AN/J is a great suggestion, thank you @pani . Unfortunately, I have not had the pleasure of listening to an Audio Note speaker yet. They don’t seem to pop up in the U.S. used market that often. But based on what I’ve read, they do really well when placed closer to the front wall.
Proac Response D2 is also another contender that I might consider at some point in the future. It could have been the room or associated gear, but I felt that they were a little on the forward/bright side of the spectrum when I heard them last year. Now, I’m not suggesting Focal or KEF bright, but definitely more than Harbeth. This is not a deal breaker for me. In fact, this might very well be the ’interpretation’ I’m seeking after all :)
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@twoleftears Unfortunately, I cannot recall the exact model. In your opinion, which PMC model is closer to the BBC sound from the likes of Harbeth, Spendor, Rogers, or Graham? |
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@orfeo_monteverdi -- that's certainly very good advice. "Don't fix it if it ain't broken," as the saying goes. I'm going to give Fritz Carrera BE a try in the next week or so. I will be in a position to compare the Carrera and M30.1s side by side for a few weeks. It definitely has a tough act (M30.1s) to follow. Let the best speaker win!
If I do end up keeping my 30.1s, then I agree that the next logical step is 30.2. |
I actually don't have an issue with the treble to be honest ... yes, I know that's one of the things I mentioned earlier. I guess I'm just looking for a different experience ... either that, or I'm terribly confused, lol!
As @jjss49 mentioned, perhaps this is a case of not fully appreciating what I already have. But sometimes, there's only one way to find out. I'm going to compare the 30.1s with Fritz Carrera BE next week. Who knows, I might end up keeping the 30.1s after all. TBH, I'm really nitpicking at this point. Harbeth speaks to me in a way no other speaker has in the past .. at least so far. |
@jjss49 The more I read your impressions of the Harbeth M40s, the more I feel that this should be my endgame speaker. By endgame, I don't mean the last speaker but one that you buy once and never sell.This is indeed high praise from someone who's been around and knows that they're talking about. Thanks for sharing!
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