The X3's have built-in 15" powered subwoofers.
Harbeth 40.3's. Should I buy them?
I've owned a lot of speakers. I've just finished auditioning a pair of Alta Audio Alec's. Not good at all in my system. I own a pair of Spatial X3 open baffle speakers. I really like them and my wife doesn't. I recently bought a pair of Buchardt S400 MKII's for a second system. I say second system because I have a dedicated 2 channel room 15' x 19'. Upstairs in a much larger room, the Buchardt's were anemic, fine, 2 Adam subs solved the anemia. Then just for the heck of it (and because audio is a hobby) I moved the Buchardt monitors downstairs in the 'big guys' room. The Buchardt's loved that room and my wife loved the Buchardt's except they are to small for the listening room and our listening tastes.
I'm tired of buying and selling speakers. I've been to a hundred audio shows and have "favorites". Harbeth have always sounded great, not a show stopper, but, at shows, they've been totally inoffensive, warm and engaging in the same way I like Audio Notes AN-e.
We play all types of music. My wife especially likes classical, leaning towards female singers but too, she'll rock out on Led Zeppelin, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Keyes, Journey, you get the idea. Me, classic rock but anything that soothes my soul works. I like to play loud. My wife - louder, but not teenager loud.
We have an awesome front end to work with. Allnic T2000 30th integrated (60wpc in triode 150wpc in pentode), Allnic H5500 phono and Allnic D10000 DAC.
Why wouldn't we happy with this speaker?
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I personally don't see why wanting to experience the speed, detail, and excitement of live (amplified) music is bad thing to want in a speaker, or why it is a form of sonic distortion that should be avoided. I highlight 'amplified' as I know many Harbeth fans point out they are the 'best' for non-amplified music. They also like to state they are 'good enough' for amplified music, and if you don't like their ability to rock out, there must be something wrong with your ears or system... My last visit to my local Harbeth dealer had a used pair of 40.2 Anniversary that the original owner had traded in for Fleetwood Devilles. The same dealer also sell Vivid and Fyne, yet two other fine options for those looking for a more exciting listen. If those brands are adding distortion and using underdamped drivers, then so be it. The Vivid Kaya 45s and Fyne F1-10 where a blast to listen to and present music in a way that registers with what I enjoy from listening to music. |
Let me re-phrase it. That wasn’t the point of the question. It was about whether or you tried the X3s with "different/separate subwoofers", or not. If I’m understanding your reply, the answer is "no". Good to know, and I always wanted to try/test this myself with the X3s. Sticking with my own, and simply admiring these speakers.I’ve always wanted to design/build my own AMT panel in an MTM configuration with larger faster drivers (like the X3 has), and pairing with my own separate stereo subs. Having studied the X3s a bit, and I run similar AMT/Bass driver configurations in my own custom design speakers, however, with separate 12" purpose built Scanspeak subwoofers - two added subs, very musical. A different approach. Personally I don’t consider those drive units in the X3 to be subwoofers in the regular sense. Those are classified by spatial as "bass drivers", powered by a Hypex Fusion NCore plate amp powering a 15" custom made driver for frequencies 90 Hz and below. Nice and fast, yes, beautiful. Something more to be achieved, yes, maybe. And could it change the overall sound and presentation, possibly. Others here run sub arrays and may chime in. It’s quite an art, good fun too. Was referring to something different, and it appears you ran your X3s standalone, with no added subs, if If I’m understanding correctly. Just another test, that’s all. Best of Luck on the search. |
Before these 40.2 Anniversaries I have now, I had two different pairs of Daedalus Audio speakers (Ulysses, then Argos) Lou is the best! They are natural and organic sounding and not to just a percentage degree like some speakers. They truly are that. As well as incredible tonal realism. And boy can they ‘rock’ but with total clarity and incredible realism. I’d still have them but my mentioned sensitivities couldnt jive with the second angled tweeter that my weird sensitive ears couldn’t escape. I bet your wife would love the Daedalus sound. |
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