Which Harbeth would work in my room?

jazzguy43 wrote: If you love the Thiel sound, the Harbeths are not that in any way.  

I do appreciate the Thiel sound. The CS5's are so much better than the 3.6's, which I also have, but I cannot seem to get a good sound stage or separate images with the CS5's due to their size and how they must fit in my space.

I have found that I seem to like inner detail and warmth as I played with preamps, amps, and interconnects. My sense is that Harbeth would be more of that, which is what is driving my interest.

Your comments really are advising me to listen first and not make a mistake! 

Thanks for listening,

Dsper

I have a 14x12 foot rectangular listening space with an 8 foot ceiling, and I am using the 40.2’s in there. I had C7’s prior to these. Both speakers have sounded incredible. I admit that I placed acoustic panels around the room to avoid booming and resonance after installing the 40.2’s. However, I still have room to keep the speakers a fair distance from the walls and from each other. Once you get a pair of Harbeths it’s likely you’ll never want anything else. But to answer your question, I think you have room for any of the Harbeth speakers, as long as you take care to set them up properly. Good luck, and enjoy!

Harbeth speakers are truly wonderful. One of those rare cases where the hype is justified. However, from my own experience of owning the 30.2 - they need more breathing space than the size would suggest even comparing to other equivalent speakers.

My living room of 12'Wx17L'x9'H, 30.2 without room treatment (but with Lyngdorf digital room correction), was harsh sounding. After adding significant room treatment to both first and second reflection point, front and back wall, ceiling and heavy floor to ceiling bass traps, I could hear them in their full potential.

With just digital room treatment, they sounded great esp with light acoustic stuff, vocal, etc. But with rock/electric guitar/heavy bass were little muddy and harsh. The famous Harbeth thin wall vibration makes the wall proximity worse in my experience.

I think some Harbeth owners won't know the true capability of this british monitor unless you add SIGNIFICANT room treatment. Especially if you listen to bass heavy/rock/average quality recording.

I've since moved on to better speakers (Joseph Audio Perspective Graphene). However, Harbeth speakers are really special. But make sure you are thorough with room treatment.

The only thing I have to add here is I found the SHL5 quite different from the 30.1 so please listen to both. It's not the same presentation. I found the SHL5 to be less dynamic than the 30.1. I listened in 2 different rooms and 2 different systems, one of them being my own. I bought the 30.1. If I found a pair of used 40.1 or 40.2 somewhat close to where I live, I'd buy them in a second. The only 2 other speakers I've really loved were Vandersteens and Gallo Reference 3's.

Hi All,

Thanks for the advice. It sounds like a two foot minimum is critical. This is possibly doable in my space (how I hate unnecessary furniture!).

You all have definitely confirmed that I should try to hear both the SHL5's and 40.1/40.2's before opening my wallet!

The Fidelis AV site has a Harbeth dealer locator, which indicates there are two or three choices within a four hour or so drive to the Indianapolis area.

Thanks for listening,

Dsper

I own 40.1's and have successfully used them in three different rooms, two of which are smaller than yours.   Your room is large enough to easily accommodate 40.1's or 40.2's.  

I've also owned the SHL5 (non-plus version).  In my experience, the 40.1's are superior to the SHL5's by a healthy margin.  I strongly recommend you go the 40.1/40.2 route if availability and funds allow.   

BTW, there's a pair of 40.1's available on US Audio Mart for only $4,800 which is a fantastic price.

Will be listing my p3esr 's (cherry finish) here if anyone may be interested. I understand they may not be what the OP is looking for, but thought I'd give a heads up to their availability. 
They are new and never used, box opened to inspect and admire and placed back into storage. They were strictly an impulse buy on my part. Should be live New Years Day. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

With the right music, my SHL5s were extraordinary in an 11x17 space, 3 feet from the rear wall with exceptional dimension and fine detail but with larger sound they could get bass-y overwhelming the room. In a larger, 2 story 20x20 room, they became all that for all music from Massey Hall to Live Rust. With the breadth of your space, I can’t see how you’d go wrong. That said, I heard the 40s in a small room at the NY audio show fed by some big amps and they were the best in show. Safe to go SHL 5 but maybe time to take a chance?

The Super HL5 Plus should work well in that size room.  My room is about 24 X 20.  Since it is a "living" room with an odd shape, placement is less than ideal, about 2 1/2 feet from the front wall, about 4 feet from sidewalls, and about 9 feet from my listening position.  I had Legacy Audio Focus 20/20 speakers before and they had a lot more impact than the SHL5 Plus, but the imaging, soundstage, and level of detail the SHL5 Plus provide more than make up for that.  I would think the 40.2 would sound great in your space also, but I've not heard them.  I echo the advice of speaking with a dealer and getting a recommendation from them.

i have the shl5+ in a similar front half of the room configuration and they work really well.
you should be file with a minimum 24" rear baffle to wall which puts the front baffle 8 feet perpendicular to your listening spot. if you position in an equilateral triangle then the speakers will be 11+ ft from your spot which would be excellent- they like to be listened semi nearfield.
i also owned the C7ES3 and rave about them too. I do not care as much for the 30.1 or 30.2, they have a noticeably smaller sound. The 40’s would definitely be too large for your listening area.

The M40.2 is much more room friendlier that the M40.1. I would not recommend the M40.1 unless one has plenty of room to move them out in the room. The M40.2  will work in more rooms that most people realize. 

I was told the same thing by Vu ,from Deja Vu Audio also. At least 2 feet out from front wall ( Wall behind the speakers).  My M40.2 are a little less than 2 feet out from the front wall and I have no issues. Room treatment can also help with limited listening rooms.

dsper ,   Do you have a local Harbeth dealer you can work with to help you decide which model you might prefer? You might want to go and listen to the line up first. 

Thanks! but just to be clear, it's not my review, it's someone else's, but I think it exemplifies well the size of room that 40.2's can work in, even if that size is not optimal.

Vu of Deja Vu in Wash DC, a Harbeth dealer, told me they needed a minimum of 2' each side to be able to breathe OK.

@twoleftears 
Thanks for reposting the link to your review.
I remember reading this review a while back, and it helped me in setting up my current listening room.  
Very well written.  Thanks!
Peter

I have 40.2 Anniversary's now, and previously had 40.1's.  Prior to that I had 30's.  I was worried about the 40's being too big for my room (12' x 14') but I like the 40's better than the 30's, even in my relatively small space.
I have the speakers set up about two feet from the back wall and two feet from the side walls as well.  My listening chair is 7.5 feet from the speakers.  This is close to near field, and I like this presentation.  
I have had my 40's set up in my living room for a while.  I enjoyed them in a larger room but I still enjoy them more in my listening room.  
The 30.1's are amazing speakers but I had to add a subwoofer to be fully satisfied.  The 40's have never needed a sub.  
I have not heard the C7's but I don't hear the rave reviews for those as much as the 30's and 40's.  This is not to say that you shouldn't consider them, but if you're buying speakers without auditioning you might go with one of the models that seem more universally loved. 
You might want to call Gene Rubin Audio and ask Gene for advice.  He has heard all of the Harbeth speakers and can speak with authority on this topic.  Cheers 

Your big task is going to be getting the speakers out from the 'front wall' yet not having them too close to your listening spot.  Very few speakers perform well against the wall and Harbeths in particular are noted for loving free space. 

Off the cuff, I think it's possible that the 40.x models may be too much speaker for your application.  The SHL5+ and 30.x might be right, and I'd consider the C7 models as well.  So far I've only listened extensively to the C7s in a semi-near-field setup (around five or six feet away) and my 30.1s have just arrived.

This means (among other things) that though I may be first to answer, you'll probably get more comprehensive replies before too long.  I will say that the Harbeth C7s have been hypnotic.  I'm obviously hooked which is why I've purchased a second pair (the 30.1s).  It'll be hard for you to go far wrong.