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Are Harbeth Super HL5 XD right for me?

I am feeling like despite being very happy with my current speakers, I am missing something because they are by far the least expensive part of my system. I recently replaced my Large Advents with a pair of the new KLH Model 5s and I love them, despite being about 5% of my systems cost.

I am thinking about the Harbeth Super HL5 XD as a final upgrade. It’s a big chunk of change though and my biggest concern is that they can only be 12” away from the rear wall. They’ll be essentially open on both sides and I’ll be sitting about 8’ from them. This is fixed in stone. I’ll be driving them with a pair of Luxman MB-3045 tube amps and an ARC SP-14 playing 98% (or more) vinyl. Mostly jazz, classic rock and classical. I live in an apartment and never play very loud, and have reached the point where I really don’t have much desire to anyway.

So… Is it worth taking the chance given my situation or am I just setting myself up for disappointment and better off sticking with what I am really very happy with?

TIA

128x128jdougs
timo62
279 posts
 

You would have to listen to the Harbeth Super HL5 XD to learn if they are right for you. It is not mentioned in your post if you have ever heard these speakers before.

You need to locate a local Harbeth dealer , if you have one near you and listen for yourself. You can have the speakers placed near the wall behind them to experiment. The dealer might even be able to set up a home demonstration for you. The link below will show you local Harbeth dealers in the USA.

https://fidelisdistribution.com/brands/harbeth 

If you do not have a local Harbeth Dealer ,your next best option would to be buy a pair of Harbeth Super HL5 XD on the used market and try for yourself. If you do not like them ,you should be able to resell them for little , or no loss for what you paid for them.

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jjss49
6,612 posts
 

Are Harbeth Super HL5 XD right for me?

op - no one can tell you this...

but most who are knowledgeable about speakers will say that the harbeth is a superior speaker to you klh5's in most performance attributes, with the possible exception of bass response

stuartbmw3
90 posts
 

My advice would be to take your time and listen before making a big investment. There is something to be said for being pleased with what you have. Your system, your room and your personal preferences all come into play. Take your time! This comes from a very pleased Harbeth owner (30.1). They do like a fair amount of power. I use a Luxman integrated with good results with 100+ watts. I also drove them with 60 watts of McIntosh tube power with equally good results.  Good luck, and enjoy the hunt.

grislybutter
2,319 posts
 

what you have now is synergy between your components and synergy between your speakers and your ears. Once you change it the synergy may be gone. With new speakers you may need to change another component... maybe not. For one the KHLs have a higher sensitivity.

For the price of the Harbeths you could try a lot of different speakers. It's not clear to me if you are just curious about the Harbeths or anything that would provide you with something more and different than the KHLs. There are better values for the money, British speakers in the US are usually pricey

dynamiclinearity
239 posts
 

Never ask for advice on a given speaker. You will always get advice on speakers that are very different from the ones you are asking about but that will, of course, be the ones the advisor loves for his system.

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