Which Harbeths?
I went from Totem Tribe Towers to Harbeth C7es3-XD. The Harbeths are even clearer than the Totems while sounding more natural. The tweeter on the C7 is a real winner. The one on the Totem was a tiny bit harsh with some music. The Harbeths also sound bigger and have more bass. I really can't see myself going back to the Totems (which were already very good). |
Indydan, similar experience though mine is with the Totem Model 1. When I tried the Model 1s about 10 years ago, I already own the Harbeth SHL5 during that time. The Model 1s were lively, fun and engaging with a lit top end. That’s where the good story ends. There is a certain harshness I hear somewhere in the midrange and treble, a metallic harsh sound which is rather irritating to the ears. The Harbeth not only sounds a lot smoother but is letting a lot more fine detail through which contributes to the added clarity. Somehow the Totem is masking some of the detail and sounds less transparent. I’m not sure about the higher range Totems such as the Hawks or Forest Signature etc. which are well received by many owners. Based on my experience with the Model 1s, I find it unrefined and harsh with reduced clarity and detail when compared to the Harbeth. It’s not exactly a bad sounding speaker. It’s fun and lively but the shortcomings or differences are apparent once you compare it to the Harbeth or other superior designs. |
you had removed the grilles => try to put them back. The grilles are part of the design loop, and John Atkinson did not removed them to measure the M30.2 Anniversary (which does not emphasize treble). The grilles off -> +1.5dB above 6KHz, IIRC. Perhaps the XD has been made to sound noticeably more transparent and lit in the treble as this is the current trend with the evolution of Harbeth speakers people have noticed. I have personally experienced this increased clarity and brightness in the treble with the M30 series, starting from the M30 right up to the M30.2 Anniversary. M30 - rolled off treble and sounds excessively warm and dead (avoid this) M30.1 - sounds brighter and more open but still warm M30.2 Anniversary - sounds brighter and more open M30.2 XD - ?? (no experience with this one) My experience with the SHL5 and SHL5+ (more than 12 years now) is they sound great with the grilles on, more open and transparent with the grilles removed. Similarly I understand that the grilles are part of the design. Nevertheless, owners have the option to listen with the grilles on or off depending on their listening preference. If one finds the speaker to sound too bright in the treble, leave the grilles on. If a bit more clarity and sparkle are preferred, remove the grilles. I used to listen with the grilles off but now leave them on. It’s quite troublesome to keep removing the grilles and putting them back on every time I want to listen to music. |
[please excuse my bad English] @ryder M30 - rolled off treble and sounds excessively warm and dead // not heard I totally agree. I heard neither the M30, nor the M30.2XD though. But I know the M30.1 and 30.2 Anniversary very well, as I owned the first, sold it it, and upgraded towards the latter. I second too the finding that one can upgrade to a component which sound sweeter AND delivers more details, as you noticed. This simply means that the more detailed but sweeter speakers have a lower distortion rate. I describe my M30.1-->M30.2Ann upgrade hereafter. The Stereophile measurements of the M30.2 Anniversary -made with the grilles ON- suggest that there is no treble or high-mid emphasis at all on the M30.2 Anniversary. There is even room for a very little bit more energy in the high-mid (around 3KHz). I sincerely hope that @brylandgoodman (OP) is relieved now... ________________ - I owned Harbeth M30.1 (a bit too rosy-view but lovely; medium & treble a bit too muffled), sold; - upgraded to M30.2 Anniversary (present); better speaker; sound a bit more "monitor", but still very musical. I love them. |
PS: used M30.1 can be a good choice though, if some precautions are taken to make them sound a little "brighter":
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@redwoodaudio old post but I think this is the only post I could find on the internet which compares the Graham LS5/9 to the Harbeth M30.2 40th anniversary. I have to admit, I have a fetish for speakers although I may have settled down with the hifi for good, currently have two pairs of speakers. I’ll try to make this short and avoid being long-winded. In what ways do you feel the LS5/9s are superior to the 30.2 40th Anniversary? I am a long time Harbeth user and now own the LS5/9. However, some used pairs of 30.2 40th Anniversary and recently C7ES3 XD that keep popping up in the market caught my eye, and interest. It is unlikely I’ll consider additional speakers but am curious in what ways the LS5/9 is more enjoyable than the 30.2 40th Anniversary. I have listened to the 30.2 40th Anniversary many years ago when it was available at the dealers but did not compare it directly to the LS5/9 which I currently own, side by side. The LS5/9 surely sounds more enjoyable, more natural and open than the Harbeths which I have owned or listened to which include the SHL5, SHL5 Plus, C7ES3 and M30.1. The M30.2 40th Anniversary sounds quite similar to the 30.1 but with slightly more open midrange and treble, not as warm.
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I owned the C7 es3xd for a while and can vouch it is a great speaker. When people say Harbeth's can play your favorite songs and make them sound great, believe it. There is a clear window into the music and it only wants to make you turn the volume higher (no fatigue). The downside that I saw is that in order to get them to stage well and really disappear they need some power. Sure they sounded great with my 14 wpc tube amp but the control an amp needs to hold on the speaker made the tone great, but that's so much less than this speaker can do when supplied with 60 plus wpc. If you find a ss amp that you like that's fine. I really enjoyed the Supernait. The drawback and reason I sold the C7's is twofold. First they wanted to be set up right- not particularly more difficult than another speaker but I didn't want to move them. I'd rather wrestle a mid size floor stander than deal with stands and spikes and top heavy situations. Second is recreation. They do great with smaller stuff, trios, singer songwriter and very good with larger music. Reason two, they get loud but don't really want to be pushed beyond. I'm responsible with volume and power and could hear them struggle and loose pace with other speakers I've had. Bass heavy music, tread lightly- Now to be fair the Supernait is like 85 wpc, maybe they'd do better with 150 per side, didn't try. Good luck on your search. Part of the fun for me has been trying tons of gear over the years and I'm glad I tried Harbeth, and it's on my list to try again some day.
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Thanks for sharing the experience @bjesien surely useful. There isn’t much comparison between the C7ES3 XD, M30.2 XD and 30.2 40th AE. Nevertheless, I am aware the C7ES3 XD is noticeably better than the original C7ES3 which sounds warmer and lacks clarity and detail. |
