Which Harbeths?

OP: I agree with akg_ca’s assessment of the 30.2’s. Treble and midrange are wonderful. Vocals sound lifelike to me. I did not intend to suggest that these speakers are in any way less engaging than the C7ES3’s, only that the latter are musical as well. In my estimation, the C7ES3’s are a better value than the 30.2’s and offer enough more bass for that to be noticeable. They are, after all, larger. If your finances allow the extra expense of the 30.2’s, I don’t believe that you will be disappointed at all. My suggestion is to keep an eye out on the sites where used, demo, and open box models are sold, and look for a good deal to appear. I owned the C7ES3’s (demos) for about five years and sold them on for about 75% of what I paid. You would likely lose relatively little if you decided to flip them in favor of something more costly. My 30.2 XD’s are also demos and were discounted about one third off list price. 

I purchased Harbeth 30.1's and agree that the highs and mid-range are very clean and natural.  That being said, the bass is weak!  I purchased REL subs to provide the missing "link".  I should have them hooked up next week.  BTW, the Harbeths are not underpowered...I'm driving them with a GSPre and GS150.  They just...okay, I'll say it...suck at bass.

I am glad to hear some feedback but I think I’m more confused. Would be great to go demo both but I’m not buying new and it just seems rude. Plus it’s a four hour drive. Plus it will be in a whole different room, different everything. 30.2s are better looking and smaller visually both perks which might win out I guess. Really I just want the the one that sounds more realistic, natural, magical, special, and I think I can live with whatever other pros and cons come with it. The question is which speaker is that???

I’ve owned TOTEM ARROs and TOTEM FORESTs in prior systems so I know their strengths AND their warts very well. I now own the HARBETH 30.2XD’s .

in brief:

(1) The HARBETHs are a VERY sonic signature difference than the TOTEMS, with a superior treble, much superior midrange and matched overall silkiness that will be a big step- up in audio performance. BUT ,,,, If you are a bass freak , look elsewhere. HARBETH bass is tight, punchy and crisp, but they won’t necessarily go as low. Personally it’s a better audio presentation without the bass overhang but likely won’t satisfy bass-heads with rock or organ as their fave music genres. If you are married to the bespoke TOTEM sonic signature, look elsewhere .too. FWIW, HARBETHs will easily best the TOTEMs in low volume listening performance and audio,satisfaction.

(2) your room size and your listening position from source will dictate which model of HARBETH you will likely consider ….mine are in 17.5 L X 12.5W. The 30.2XD’s are ideal as a comparison point.

(3) The new / current HARBETH model XD’s are a worthy upgrade from HARBETH’s prior models with numerous build upgrades first introduced in the “special” ANNIVERSARY models, but are now standard in XD models. This has been well discussed in my (and other) prior posts below.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/harbeth-30-1-30-2-xd?highlight=Harbeth%2B30.1

(4) The better your upstream equipment, the exponentially better the HARBETHs sing. I’ve never looked back at selling the TOTEMs with any wist or regret.

30.2s for me. Yes heard both.
Kinda easy though as one is x2 the other
in price.
I posed a similar question a while back
only it was between the 30.2 and the HL5+

I owned the C7ES3 and absolutely loved them- amazing midrange and a smooth rich overall tone with a perfect tweeter that added just the right amount of cymbal sparkle.
The 30.2 are very good but can be overly smooth.
The choice could come down to amplifier and room size.
The C7’s sound best with a more neutral transparent amplifier in a slightly larger room.
The 30’s sound good with midrange forward amplifiers in a slightly smaller room.  

Conlad thank, and can you elaborate a bit. Specifically on the musical engagement and midrange between the two. 

While I have no experience with Totems, I have owned both of the Harbeth models that interest you. I replaced a set of C7ES3’s with Monitor 30.2 XD’s when I found a great deal on the latter pair in late 2020. For the money, the C7’s are a superb value and don’t require subwoofers unless you listen to bass-heavy tunes as a habit. Those speakers are very engaging to listen to. The 30.2’s offer a more refined sound and better treble, although the bass is rather limited, as they are by design monitors. I use a pair of Rythmik F8 subs with my 30.2’s and am quite happy with them, powered by a Modwright KWA 100SE amp and Parasounf P7 preamp. I listen to classic rock, jazz, and movie soundtracks, all on CD. If you decide to try the 30.2’s, follow your instincts and buy used or well discounted demos or an open box pair. I would not pay list price for a new pair of these speakers. 

From what I’ve heard of either I’d say they’re quite different. The Totems were quite agile and dynamic, but the Harbeths seemed better balanced.

I also found the Totems a bit sharp up top too, but this was about 10 years ago, the Forests I think, tall and quite slim.

As for the Harbeths, the M30s were said to have the best treble as they shared the same tweeter as the M40s. You should check to see if this still remains the case.
If you’re sensitive to treble issues, you’re quite right to be careful. For some of us, they’re a real deal breaker.