I joined the Harbeth Family today ! ! ! !

[Don Jr]

Hello Harbeth Users Group. I would like to thank all of you, including Alan, for the amazing content on this forum. I've been coming here every day for the past month and soaking in the content to the extent that all my questions were answered except for one. That last question was answered today, when I spent two hours with my wife auditioning the Compact 7ES-3. We had a wonderful afternoon listening to all of our favorite music, and even made a new friend which is the amazing man who owns our local audio shop. The pair of C7's used for the audition had the Eucalyptus veneer and we fell in love with them so that's what we ordered.

What's really refreshing about this forum is the lack of posts about specs. Quite frankly I could care less about them and don't need someone telling me Harbeth's wont be a good match for my amplifier based on specifications. I've gone down that road and it's an expensive and stressful direction to take when all you wanted to do is listen to music. The hobby for me was listening to music, not looking for a new amplifier two days after I buy one.

About the C7's. What can I tell you that you don't already know? They're magical in the sense that they're not there. We were listening to music, not the speakers. They're balanced perfectly. I would never want more bass out of a speaker. Low volume listening is by far the best I've ever heard in a speaker. As I grow older this becomes more important. My days of pretending I'm Jimmy Page as Dazed and Confused plays so loud I can't hear the doorbell ring are over.

FYI - I own a Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum integrated amplifier. My source will soon be changing to the Audiolab 8200CD.

[Kumar Kane]

What's really refreshing about this forum is the lack of posts about specs. Quite frankly I could care less about them and don't need someone telling me Harbeth's wont be a good match for my amplifier based on specifications. I've gone down that road and it's an expensive and stressful direction to take when all you wanted to do is listen to music. The hobby for me was listening to music, not looking for a new amplifier two days after I buy one.

Welcome to the Harbeth user family! And for someone that is looking for an end to the travails you refer to, it is just the place to come to....

[hifi_dave]

Eucalyptus C7ES - very nice.

The C7ES will work very well with your Rogue Audio amp and will provide years of enjoyment. If your dealer sells Rega, get a listen to the Saturn CD player, it's an excellent player by any standards and makes mockery of some megabuck machines.

Enjoy.

[Don Jr]

Thank you Kumar and HiFi Dave. I just ordered the Skylan stands from Noel. They're the easiest stand for me to buy in the U.S. and I trust that I will love them. My local shop highly recommends them. I've decided to take Noel's suggestion of kitty litter to fill the stands. He thinks sand creates too much bass.

With the cool weather approaching and a new matching quad of KT90's for my amp, I'm the guy you see smiling. I know without a doubt that I will be listening to these speakers for a very long time.

[Art K]

Congrats on your purchase. As you've discovered Harbeth is the most natural sounding speaker on the market. I hope to get a set of 7's one day but for now I am enjoying my 3's.

[Don Jr]

Update. I found out a few days ago that the U.S. distributor only had the Cherry and Rosenut finish in stock. We could wait until late November for Eucalyptus or go with one of these choices. After some light research on tonewoods, we decided if German Spruce wan't a veneer choice, we didn't mind the Cherry lol. We decided we could easily live with the Cherry finish and it will work out well in our room. Anyhow, the C7's have arrived today and I will be picking them up on Tuesday. Still waiting for the Sklan stands to arrive from Calgary which I ordered on Sunday. Hopefully U.S. customs treats the stands better than they treat their own citizens.

{moderator's comment: Harbeth does not offer Rosenut. We do offer Rosewood in certain models/countries.}

[Don Jr]

{moderator's comment: Harbeth does not offer Rosenut. We do offer Rosewood in certain models/countries.}

My apologies. From what I can tell, they're both a darker finish and that's what I was referring to. Regardless, I find that in a smaller home or room, it's best to mix finishes as it makes the room appear larger. A room with all the same finish makes a room look smaller.

[Don Jr]

Well, I received my speakers this afternoon. I'm still waiting for the Skylan stands to arrive so I'm leaving them double boxed until they arrive. I know the stands are in the country or stuck in customs. U.S. customs likes to give everything a nice cavity check before it comes across the border these days. I also have a new Audiolab 8200cdq that arrives tomorrow. My wife bought me the Audiolab to replace a Rotel CDP I was never too fond of. The Rotel is not working and is being sent in for repair under warranty later this week and then being sold.

It's going to be a great winter, and now that I'm poor, food and music will be all I can afford. I'll let everyone know how things are going once the stands arrive and have been filled with kitty litter. I don't want to take the chance of setting the speakers on something makeshift because I don't really have anything around I can use.

[hifi_dave]

Welcome to the family.

Which Harbeth have you got ?

If, it's one of the larger models, you can use the cartons on their sides to provide temporary height. I did this when I first bought a pair of Harbeth speakers and had no stands to use. Works well but looks pug ugly.

[Don Jr]

hihi-dave - I received the Compact 7ES-3's. Thanks for your advice on the cartons.

I'm not picky about how things look when it comes to music and my wife goes along with it happily. She's just as excited as I am. Anyhow, the Skylan stands arrived today. My back is in bad shape lately so I have to convince my son that he needs to head for the store for kitty litter. I'll let you know if I have some luck.