Well, I'm not sure anyone has heard both, or if they have what they were listening to. The Harbeth Compact 7 is significantly larger than the WB Arc, not really compact at all. It does not have an etched high end. Its midrange, delivered by an 8 inch woofer made from a proprietary material, is unequaled in clarity and accuracy.
Clear differences in design here. The WB apparently aims for an inert non-resonant enclosure. The Harbeth recognizes that it is impossible to eliminate cabinet resonance and uses a lossy cabinet with low amplitude resonances at non-objectionable frequencies. You would have to decide for yourself which design is most effective.
For your purposes, I would say that the nicest thing about the Harbeths is the way the bass and lower midrange holds up at low volume levels. One of my friends who reviewed the speakers for an ezine asked "whatever happened to Fletcher Munson?" because he was so impressed with the low spl bass.
If there is no Harbeth dealer in your area, you might be able to arrange for a trial from Wintertree Audio, the North American distributor.
Clear differences in design here. The WB apparently aims for an inert non-resonant enclosure. The Harbeth recognizes that it is impossible to eliminate cabinet resonance and uses a lossy cabinet with low amplitude resonances at non-objectionable frequencies. You would have to decide for yourself which design is most effective.
For your purposes, I would say that the nicest thing about the Harbeths is the way the bass and lower midrange holds up at low volume levels. One of my friends who reviewed the speakers for an ezine asked "whatever happened to Fletcher Munson?" because he was so impressed with the low spl bass.
If there is no Harbeth dealer in your area, you might be able to arrange for a trial from Wintertree Audio, the North American distributor.