Looking for an new BRITISH amp/cd to go along with my Harbeth speakers.

[fred40]

Hi All,

Since the manufacturer of my much beloved amplifier and cd player sold the company to a French B rated speaker company I want something different to go along with my Harbeth (the small ones) And I have no clue as for synergy or something like "A match made in heaven".


I has to be British and a standalone amplifier. Price range upto 2000 Euros a piece.

I very much would like to see you"re suggestions

Regards Fred

[Spindrift]

Hi Fred40,

Exposure can give excellent results. If a separate, second-hand poweramp is an option, a good condition *recapped* QUAD 520 will give very good results with any Harbeth (not easy to find, mind you).

[keithwwk]

Hi fred,
I not sure how much LFD is selling in your local market. I am using the older model LFD Zero LE mk3 (latest is mk4 now) with my SHL5 and a very old LFD Mistral LE with C7. Both sound very good and to me, it is "A match made in heaven". Whenever i listen to them, I am bath in music. You may consider.

Cheers.

[hifi_dave]

How about a Croft Integrated at £850 for the line level version or £1000 including an inbuilt MM phono stage ? There is also an R version with larger power supply and uprated components at £1700. Excellent with Harbeth.

[fred40]

Thx for the response so far. LFD is something worthwhile to look at, and available on the Dutch market. Although I prefer a cd player of the same brand and style to go along with the amplifier. And since that"s not the case.

Croft..I Don"t think there is any dealer in Holland, Have to investigate.

Any thoughts on Creek and or Sonneteer?

Regards Fred

[Gan CK]

Another thumbs up for LFD though many have also reported good results with Sonneteer Orton or Alabaster. Have a listen to both, if possible. But take note that LFD does not come with remote, if that matters to you.
Whatever it is, one can hardly go wrong pairing a British amp with Harbeth.

[EricW]

I thought Naim was the safe default recommendation for British gear that "sounds good with Harbeths" and can be purchased as matching components?

[delgesu]

fred,

stay with older naim stuff!

i use my 40.1 with 135, 52, CDS2. far better than the boring new mainstream stuff of that company. and after the merger i fear the tendency to mainstream sound will even become worse...

best,
d.

[LarsS]

What about the Sugden Mystro amp and CD

[tozen]

How about a Quad CDP2 into a 909 power amp? The CDP2 has a volume control so can go straight into the 909. British, reliable, will match v well with Harbeth and some good deals around right now.

[fred40]

As for me Audio has a lot to do with emotions and a kind of “Down to earth” no nonsense approach. The philosophy behind the Brand.
Naim up to some 2 years ago was just that kind of company and a non- brainer as to the Synergy with Harbeth. Since Naim has chosen the IMO slippery part of going mainstream the magic has gone, the emotion and Thrill disappeared. That’s why I sold my Naim gear.

Harbeth still remains independent. Still remains on top with their no nonsense and more realistic approach to audio. For me that’s heaven and a great tribute to Mr. Shaw.

But let’s go back to my main question please.

I heard a lot about LFD and I’m sure it will make a fine match. But since they make no cdp to match the amplifier it’s not going to work for me. To be honest I mixed several brands for years and it never went to my satisfaction.

Quad . I owned Quad prior to Naim but Sorry the overall sound did not appeal to me.
Croft…I like the warm glowing tubes inside magnificent. But there is no dealer in Holland anywhere to find.

Sonneteer is something worthwhile to look at. Thing is that Sonneteer cd player is 10 years old and no updates since then and still a 18 bitter. Makes me worrying a little bit.
Sugden. Beautiful design also worth to investigate. Although 21 watts class a , Don’t know if that’s going to work

Thx for the input again Guys. I keep you posted as to what I listened for and my findings accordingly.

[Supersnake]

Have used the LFD LE III with both the Harbeth P3ES-2 and the Compact 7 ES-3 and I couldn't praise the synergy with the Harbeths any higher. Have since upgraded to a LFD LE IV (Signature) which revealed the bass of the C7s even more than the LFD LE III did.

Notice that I wrote 'revealed', which is a descriptor I chose to use to differentiate from 'increased'. A digital sound processor (dsp) or an equalizer would increase the bass whereas a good amplifier would bring out the bass (reveal) in a natural manner. The LFD sounds just as natural as does the Harbeth making them a choice British match.

[Kumar Kane]

How about a Quad CDP2 into a 909 power amp? The CDP2 has a volume control so can go straight into the 909. British, reliable, will match v well with Harbeth and some good deals around right now.

Having used both, and I am still using the 909 with my Harbeths, I would agree with the match. However while the Quad CDP2 sounded very good, the CD tray isn't as robust as say, a Marantz. And true to the way it felt, mine gave me trouble sliding in and out on my player. The 909 on the other hand sounds great and feels bombproof - my 2004 model does, at any rate.

[fred40]

I respect the praise on LFD an off what I read so far it would certainly be a very high regarding match , but as I said earlier they have no cdp in their productline so of no further interest to me

Quad. I do not like the overall sound Sorry.

[engjoo]

Ever considered the Rocksan M2? Sounds wonderful with the LS3/5a which I am planning to replace soon with the P3ESR OR Compact7.

[LarsS]

The Mystro amp is an AB amp with 50w/channel. I use the A21SE with 30w and it is enough for me

[Spindrift]

Having used both, and I am still using the 909 with my Harbeths, I would agree with the match. However while the Quad CDP2 sounded very good, the CD tray isn't as robust as say, a Marantz. And true to the way it felt, mine gave me trouble sliding in and out on my player. The 909 on the other hand sounds great and feels bombproof - my 2004 model does, at any rate.

Very true; the QUAD 99CDP has had several drawer and mech-related issues over the years. However, it does sound rather good, very relaxed. The 909 is indeed a reliable and very musical amp, as all QUAD amps are (hence my recommendation for a thoroughly serviced QUAD 520 or 522).

QUAD's CD67 was more reliable than the 99CDP. Although not state-of-the art, it is a good machine.

[tozen]

I agree with you on the 909 - it is good value, it sounds very good (if not really great), is bomb proof and has plenty of power. It is the first amp I used with my Harbeths and only my current LFD NCSE is an all-round more satisfying listen

[Boukman]

I run my SHL5's with Quad 24QC pre-amp and a Croft Twinstar 4 poweramp. The Quad and the new Croft 7 poweramp should be well within budget. Works like a dream.

However, what is also very very nice, is to run them with my Audio Research integrated VSi55 (normally keep that one in the office). Not British but US

Its funny to compare British vs US. It's like a Triumph Spitfire MkII vs a Chevy Corvette. The Croft and Quad's as simple as possible, without frills, lightweight construction, cool-running. The ARC, however, is big, heavy engineering and generates real heat. But I love both combo's - the ARC gives a little more powerful bass - got it used for abt STG 1500.

Veel succes - keuzes, keuzes, keuzes

[Infobert]

Last time I had the chance to hear Harbeth HL5s and 7ES with Sugden and Croft. From my point of view the combination Sugden (A21SE, Fusion 21CD) and the smaller Harbeths is a perfect match. The Croft AMP sounds also good but didn´t convince me as much as Sugden did. Unfortunately the Sugden combo blows out your budget a little bit...