harbeth p3esr or usher be 718

Late last year, I was searching for new speakers after living with a pair of Diapason Adamantes for a number of years. I had the Harbeth Compact 7ES3 in home audition for more than a week, then the Usher 718. I ended up returning the C7 and kept the Usher. I felt that although the C7 perhaps sounded more neutral, the Usher certainly sounded more lively and exciting. Instruments sounded a bit more palpable and weighty with the little Ushers.

My system is in the family room, and often I have the music on but sitting in the living room to relax. The Usher sounded better to me sitting in the living room. I would say if you primarily listen front and center 7-8 ft from your speakers, then you might like the neutral sound of the Harbeth better. But moving a bit farther, I felt that the Usher sound carries better.

Oh, and the Usher seems to project a deeper sound stage.

I have a very simple system: Oppo BDP-83SE is the source (a fantastic player), NAD Master M3 integrate feeds the Usher.

Richard

i just auditioned the ushers, whose aesthetics i've always admired. fantastic tweeter and high end which rivals focal as the best i've heard in its class. sounded great with acoustic music and female vox. however, on more dense/heavier rock stuff, i heard some mid-bass congestion (some would call it warmth); instruments weren't quite as defined or detailed as i'd expected. if i had 3k to drop, i probably would opt for something else. i seem to be the only audio freak on earth who hasn't heard the harbeths, so i can't opine thereon, but good luck with your purchase.

I forgot to mention that although the Usher lists at close to 3K, you can find them at discount, probably closer to 2k new. At that price, it's a killer value for the sound you get. And you certainly get more sound from the Usher than from the little Harbeth, given the proper amplification horse power as others have mentioned.

I am a Harbeth lover so my opinions reflect on that. I own the P3ESR because I have a small room 11x14. First off you should go Harbeth :p

Now my real point. You should buy the Harbeth that fits your room size. If you need to have the speakers close to the wall go P3ESR but your room is a little larger and could probably handle the Compact 7. I say this because in my small room the P3R handles bass and scale very well! These things can sound very large and have surprising bass for a small size. But put them in a larger room (22 x 27 high ceilings) and the bottom rolls off much higher and it's ability to fill the room and scale diminish.

That is why going with a little bigger cabinet (compact 7) might be a more satisfactory choice for your room.

Harbeth does wonders all the way up the range - your only decision with Harbeth is the speaker for your sized roo

Now that I have listened to both the Usher and Harbeth extensively in the same room, using the same gears, here's what I concluded:

* the P3 has a more detailed sound, but the sound is on the dry, lean side. BE718 puts much more meat on the bone.

* BE718 sounds more like a full-range speaker. It can fill a mid-sized room with ease. If you are into the impact of music, go with BE718, period.

* BE718 is at least 3 db more efficient.

* if you are into rock or anything amplified, go with BE718.

* if you are into quiet music, acoustic, small ensembles, late night listening, go with the Harbeth.

To me, BE718 compete more against C7 rather than the P3.

P3 has it's delicate magic. But after listening to it for a while, I would miss the other qualities of BE718. And vice versa.

BE718 has a much more contemporary styling, but you know that already.