P3ESR SE vs. Compact 7ES3

[errhoo]

Yesterday evening I got them. Have to work until weekend, impressions will follow.

[errhoo]

They are so wonderful, love them (have eucalyptus ones not rosewoods). Thank you Alan for such a great speaker.

[Kumar Kane]

I am looking forward to hear your comparison of them with the P3s.

[errhoo]

I am looking forward to hear your comparison of them with the P3s.

Please give me some time....

[errhoo]

I am looking forward to hear your comparison of them with the P3s.

The C7ES3s give me a bigger soundstage, I love them, but for now I am in search for an integrated amp which will harmonize.

[Kumar Kane]

The C7ES3s give me a bigger soundstage, I love them, but for now I am in search for an integrated amp which will harmonize.

What amp do you have just now? Don't be in a hurry to change amps, a new one won't have the C7s sing any better, they are very amp neutral.

[errhoo]

Actually I use an Euphya Alliance 250 from France (2x40W).

[Kumar Kane]

Actually I use an Euphya Alliance 250 from France (2x40W).

I am not familiar with that one - but unless you need to hear music loud, it doesn't seem too underpowered. Ideally, listen to any new amp and see if you hear improvement before buying it. Of course, there could be other reasons for a change, harmonizing could be visual too!

[Spindrift]

The C7ES3s give me a bigger soundstage, I love them, but for now I am in search for an integrated amp which will harmonize.

Hi errhoo,

could you elaborate on your perception of the resulting sonic signature of your system, now that the new Harbeths have joined in?

For instance has the tonal balance shifted or do you feel the amp is struggling in some way? - It certainly should not do the latter, as a stable 40W RMS power should more than suffice.

The 250 has been described as a rich, voluptuous sounding amp; perhaps you'd like a slightly leaner/airier signature?

From personal experience I could recommend the Bel Canto C5i which harmonises surprisingly well with Harbeths and actually lets the speakers... speak for themselves.

{Moderator's comment: when you quote 'has been described as a rich, voluptuous sounding amp' that reads like marketing talk. A well designed amp will have no more personality than a wristwatch. It does a job and that's it. If it has a personality (unlikely) then ask why and be cautious.}

[Spindrift]

...could you elaborate on your perception of the resulting sonic signature of your system, now that the new Harbeths have joined in?

For instance has the tonal balance shifted or do you feel the amp is struggling in some way? - It certainly should not do the latter, as a stable 40W RMS power should more than suffice.

The 250 has been described as a rich, voluptuous sounding amp; perhaps you'd like a slightly leaner/airier signature? ....
{Moderator's comment: when you quote 'has been described as a rich, voluptuous sounding amp' that reads like marketing talk. A well designed amp will have no more personality than a wristwatch. It does a job and that's it. If it has a personality (unlikely) then ask why and be cautious.}

To the moderator: I agree completely with what you say; a truly straightforward & stable amp-design should not have a clearly identifiable sonic signature but sadly, many amps can in fact somehow cause a deviation from neutrality in one or other part of the aural spectrum. Perhaps some designers deliberately create some 'flavoured' character to distinguish their designs from other offerings.

errhoo pointed at his theoretically sufficiently powerful amp as a candidate for replacement. Normally replacement would not be neccessary with such a young amp. Having read said statements regarding the alleged sonic 'character' of this amp, one does wonder whether the introduction of better acoustic transducers (in this case Harbeths) may be revealing something about his replay-chain which was not (as) clearly audible before.

This is the main reason for suggesting that he could try (on loan from an expert dealer) another amp such as the BCD C5i of which I can say from personal experience that it seems to be as neutral as Switzerland and simply does what it needs to do; let the speakers do the talking - of which a pair of Compact 7ES3 is more than capable.

In fact as long as there is sufficient, stable power on tap, Harbeths are as unfussy as they come. Modern designs such as the Rega Brio R will work great but so will any (serviced) classic amp from QUAD (405-2, 306 & 520 being highly recommendable, reliable amplifiers).

Perhaps errhoo can elaborate on why he feels that after a speaker upgrade, he needs to look around for another amplifier?

[errhoo]

.... For instance has the tonal balance shifted or do you feel the amp is struggling in some way? - It certainly should not do the latter, as a stable 40W RMS power should more than suffice.

The 250 has been described as a rich, voluptuous sounding amp; perhaps you'd like a slightly leaner/airier signature?

From personal experience I could recommend the Bel Canto C5i which harmonises surprisingly well with Harbeths and actually lets the speakers... speak for themselves.

{Moderator's comment: when you quote 'has been described as a rich, voluptuous sounding amp' that reads like marketing talk. A well designed amp will have no more personality than a wristwatch. It does a job and that's it. If it has a personality (unlikely) then ask why and be cautious.}

At the moment I am testing the little CREEK Evolution 2 amp. It has a lot more power than the french amp but is brighter, airier, more neutral I think. I like his sound, but have to test more. Other recommendations here?

[muypogi]

At the moment I am testing the little CREEK Evolution 2 amp. It has a lot more power than the french amp but is brighter, airier, more neutral I think. I like his sound, but have to test more. Other recommendations here?

I run mine with a Luxman L-550 AII 20wpc Class A amp. Very full sounding, sounds very nice with vinyl.

Hooked up my Rega Elicit amp (from my secondary setup) as well to my Compact 7ES3 and the Rega sounds a bit more neutral, definitely not as full-sounding as the Luxman.

Either one though is a nice match for the Compact 7s, I just prefer the fuller sound of the Luxman.

[Kumar Kane]

Other recommendations here?

Yes - focus first on the speaker positioning in the room and room acoustics! You will get more audible improvements going down that road, as long as the amp is in good working condition.

[keithwwk]

If you can live without remote control you may consider a ten yrs old LFD mistral le int amp or newer LFD zero le Mk3.

[hifi_dave]

LFD is very good and the Integrated LE has been in Mk.4 form for 18 months or so. It has a much fuller, richer sound than the Mk.3

[errhoo]

What about the opinions of a Lavardin IS amp here? Someone here use that amp?

[Vlado]

give an audition to Electrocompaniet ECI-3.... you'll be surprised!

[f1eng]

The Devialet D-Premier is the most versatile good looking completely neutral amp I know of. I would recommend it without hesitation to anyone who can afford it.

[jpbas1]

Hello everyone... I am new to the forum.

I just received a pair of P3ESR's yesterday in cherry. I drive them with a Naim XS and Flatcap 2XS with superb fidelity. I have had other amplification and many other speakers... But the the performance to size ratio is astounding. Unbelievable even if cost were no object. It begs the question that at 60 WPC could I effectively power a 7ES3 or SHL5.

Thank you, Alan and everyone at Harbeth.

-John

[hifi_dave]

Yes, no problem at all.