Harbeth HL Compact 7ES-3 specific

[Soundbyte]

Hi All,
I am wondering does anyone know if the new Compact 7 ES3 is release for sale in the market? Does anyone have pictures or information of this new Harbeth? What are the difference from the older C7ES2?

Thanks...

[A.S.]

Info on the new model will be released as soon as we have caught up with the back orders, especially for Japan where it has been a big hit. It is a ground-up redesign, the most significant difference being a completely new crossover.

[Soundbyte]

wow... thanks Alan. I assume it is the same size as the old Compact 7ES2... is it still allow users to biwire? If possible, please post some pictures.

Cheers.

[A.S.]

Same size. When introduced to Japan my description was "a brush-up of a much loved Harbeth". However, the Japanese market decided that I was being a bit too modest, as explained in a recent 8-page review in Japan.

Regarding terminals: no, the bi-wire option has been removed. It is equipped with a single pair. So that puts a neat conclusion to the 'should I/shouldn't I biwire' debate. This is not the place to launch the speaker - please give us a week or two to do the launch through the main website.

As for the design of the C7ES-3, I have always had a soft-spot for the Compact ... at times during the development I had a screen-cam and microphone running so as I tweaked and tuned the crossover in my simulator, I talked the screen-cam viewer why and what I was doing. I also had a time-lapse camera operating in my "anechoic space" at the Farm so you could see the raw acoustic data being captured as I moved the measuring microphone around the speaker. I can't imagine anyone would be that interested in the fine details of the design, but someone 50 years from now may be mildly curious!

[pete7013]

Alan,

Greetings. I believe I'm one of the first customers to have received the delivery of the new C7ES-3 here in Hong Kong. In fact this is the first Harbeth I have ever owned. And I'm enjoying every minute of it. I've had speakers from Acoustic Research, Rogers, ProAcs in the past. And the C7ES-3 is the one I'm most happy with so far. I currently have them sitted on 20 inches metal stands, and they don't just sound good but also look great with those beautiful cherry veneers. Crafmanship is excellent. I've told myself that I've finally found the speakers I'll hang to life. Well done Alan! Cheers. Peter.

[manos]

Hi from samos-greece,
I'm the happy owner of the brand new harbeth compact 7es-3 since the 11th of september.I must be one of the first or the first to have this fine loudspeaker to this part of Europe. In the past i lived with speakers from the german brand ''CANTON'' and until recently with my old ''APOGEE'' Stage. The new 7's must be one of the most MUSICAL speakers around. The next question after such a fantastic speaker must be once again: 2 or 3 ways speakers? Sorry monitor 40 users! Alan,congratulations!

Manos

[Frihed89]

I have only auditioned the Compact 7 twice and with different amps, so when i listened to the new version (i think) set up at RMAF with a totally different system, i am not sure i could tell the difference, except that: (drum roll, please), i thought it sounded closer to the Monitor 30 than was my previous experience.

The dealer from Colordao did an excellent job, even though some might fault him for his choice of amps and digital source. It didn't matter. Harbeth had some of the best-sounding speakers at RMAF. The general trend at RMAF was to turn up the volume and play thumpty-thump, snap-crackle-and-pop "music" until your nasal or ear cavities imploded. Neal Van Berg played a wide variety of blues, jazz, classical and rock through the M-40s, M-30s, C-7s and HLPP3s (that's all i heard) at moderate volumes. It was a room where you could ease back, slide down into the drectors chairs, close your eyes and it sounded just like listening to a Sunday afternoon BBC broadcast in your parlor at Epping (NH or UK?) in the early 80s.

I enjoyed it.

[airdavid]

for the C7-es3 owners:
pictures are wellcome !!!
Thank you!

Alan,
any news about Monitor 30 improvements?

Regards,
David

[Jeff Stake]

Has it been indicated that Monitor 30 improvements are in the offing?

[airdavid]

Not ( yet), I think, Jeff......

[Jeff Stake]

Thanks Airdavid. But why the "yet"?

[A.S.]

Re: C7ES3 ... photo shoot now complete. Expect details by the end of the week on the main site.

BTW: what is the comment about M30? I can assure you that I'm the last to hear of "improvements". I have a completely full R&D workload (so much so that I am grounded here in the UK for the winter) without phantom redesigns about which I know nothing whatsoever. Nor, for that matter, would I know where to start such a journey.

[airdavid]

So, Alan, no update planning for M 30 ?

regards
David

[A.S.]

As I just said, clearly and unambiguously, there are NO plans to do anything whatsoever to the M30. It's a great speaker, selling well.

I would however like to make one point absolutely clear. We are a business that has ambitions, visions and self-awareness. We also have competitors. This M30 non-issue smacks of mischief, source unknown. I am not here to justify, illuminate, deny or defend what we may or may not be considering in the R&D lab as you'll appreciate that in a competitive environment that would be very foolish.

So, if on the rare occasion that I rise to the bait (and I will redouble my efforts to resist doing so) you can take a face value exactly what I say. I am not able to be drawn on product development plans.

[Clark Williams]

Alan,

Dude...don't take the bait...the M30 is fine as it is...nothing wrong with it...full stop.

It ain't broke..so don't fix it..

Just go make some speakers...I'm gonna need some to sell.

Clark

[airdavid]

thank you,
but it's just out of curiosity as I'm an Happy M 30 owner....

regards,
David

[Naimeo]

Just bought a ES3 last Fri. I've heard both the ES2 & an older C7 model. The highs are more airy & delicate - a bit more towards the HL5.

I'm new to Harbeth and has never heard one until a few weeks ago...so please take my description from the perspective of someone new to the "sound".

Although it sounded impressive on a Rega Mira3, changing to a more powerful 100W amp made the sound more effortless & bass slightly more defined.

Like the older models I've tried, it's tolerant of non-audiophile recordings.

For lack of a better description all the C7s i've heard sounds "organic", and the ES3 even more so.

This speaker sounds almost alive - the presence of the singer's body, the piano key after key strike and the sound board of a strummed guitar leaves little to the imagination - not in a emphasized and etched manner like some "high definition" speakers though.

An incredible piece of engineering!

[airdavid]

what's your Primare amp and what your source, Naimeo?

David

[Naimeo]

I30 & Pioneer DV989.

Take note that proper isolation tweaks on both and using the "Direct" button on the 989 makes a lot of difference.

Speaker cable is just a generic multistrand from Rega.

[Vangelis]

Alan mentioned that his new Compact 7ES3 is a "ground-up redesign". Obviously this redesign reflects new ideas. So, the natural question must be: is this new Compact a better speaker than the SHL5? Anyone heard them both?