Harbeth Monitor 40 domestic specific

[A.S.]

Thank you for your suggestions. It led me to the idea of creating my own personal 'sample CD' by ripping tracks from my CD collection.

I had a tremendous shock when I played them back - new thread created ....

http://www.harbeth.co.uk/usergroup/s...ead.php?p=2124

[kevint]

Just found the following news. A job well done by Alan & Harbeth again! Alan, suggest to include more details how did British Library evaluate Harbeth in the coming newsletter.

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/news/

"The British Library, with over three million recordings, moved its sound archive technical services into a new premises earlier this year and chose Harbeth for their loudspeakers. The custom-designed studios and transfer channels are a core feature of the new building, with each of the studios is named after pioneers of audio engineering that include Alan Blumlein (inventor of stereo), Thomas Edison, and Alec Reeves (the man behind Pulse Code Modulation which led to the digital sound revolution). The full range of Harbeth's handmade professional series of loudspeakers has been deployed, from the diminutive Monitor 20s, the near-field Monitor 30s, and the top-of-the-range Monitor 40s. "We chose Harbeth", explains operations manager Nigel Bewley, "because we deliberately didn't want speakers which would 'flatter' the sound. It is vital, in the work we do, to hear the clicks, crackles and other artifacts of a recording." The new studio will be used for archiving of the nation's sound collections."

Also available at:

http://prosoundnewseurope.com/pdf/ps...P06-16_RPM.pdf

[A.S.]

A nice sunny Saturday afternoon - what better than to make some nearly final measurements of the prototype M40.1 outside to verify the in-room measurements and computer simulations.

To save the inconvenience (and danger!) of clambering up and down the step ladder with a hot soldering iron, the crossover has been wired out on extension cables and sits on the table. The reason for the side panels on the cabinet is simply because this is the grey pro cabinet that has been used (more immune to knocks and bumps ) and the metal handel cut-outs have been blocked-off.

Note: all acoustic measurements are made with the grille on since the frequency response is flattest - thanks to Harbeth's unique SuperGrille technology.

Minutes after this picture was taken, the master prototype M40.1 nearly toppled off the stand ..... I just managed to catch it. And guess what - as I was grappling with it above shoulder height and wondering exactly how I was going to safely get it to the ground .... the mobile phone in my pocket started to ring to tell me my youngest son David (19) was at the railway station awaiting collection. How one must suffer for ones art!

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PS. Since this session, I found a way to simplify the crossover by 6 components and to increase overall sensitivity by 1dB or so by restructuring the crossover section that drives the bass unit.

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[darkmatter]

What stands are members mounting their Monitor 40 speakers on?

In particular and in a domestic situation what; material, configuration and height of speaker stand is in use by their owners?

Thanks

Simon

[Ned Mast]

For my M40s I'm using 24" wooden stools, purchased at Target (chain store) for $17 each. The top is 14 inches square, a bit smaller than the base of the M40s, but no problem They are stained with a cherry wood color, so they match the M40s cherry wood finish. They're made for sitting on, so they're adequately strong. And being wood, they don't ten to resonate as metal might unless damped. With some of Noel Nolan's (of Skylan Stands) 'isolators' between the spealers and stands ( putting them close to 25 inches from the floor ) - which I find an effective height in my room - there is little transmission of sound from the speakers to the stands. So, for an inexpensive solution to the stand question, these work well. That being said, if I wanted stands that fit the M40s perfectly and looked like they're made for the purpose, I would look into Noel Nolan's Skylan stands. They're plastic but substantial and can be more easily moved about than heavy metal stands. Many Harbeth owners use them, and from what I've read, are very happy with them (the Skylans).

Good luck with your M40s - absolutely wonderful speakers!

Ned

[Ron Herbster]

I am using Skylan stands with my M40s and am very satisfied with the results. I would suggest you get in touch with Noel Nolan of Skylan as he is extemely knowledgeable and very willing to answer any of your questions. He is also one of the best guys you'll ever meet in this business.
I think you will find that stand height will be dependent on your sitting position and room environment but I would not consider anything below 18" or above 24".
Enjoy your M40s as they are wonderful speakers and best of luck with your stand search.

[Hu]

I would go to Skylan for my M30, I wonder if they need to be filled with sands?

[Bill C]

I also use the wooden stools from Target for my M30's. They look pretty good and should hold up ok if they are not moved around too much. Not terribly well made, but adequate for the price. If you go this route, check to make sure they do not wobble. Many of the ones I checked were not level on the floor. A very cheap alternative to pricy audio stands.

[A.S.]

I have been told that there is some discussion on the internet (somewhere) about the tweeter grilles on the Monitor 40 which is along the lines that 'Harbeth who must know that the metal grilles impair the HF resolution persist in having them fitted'.

Well now, let's look at the facts. In the past 10 years or so, I can not recall a field failure of an M40 tweeter. That's an excellent record. It has saved you, our customers a great deal of inconvenience, anxiety and cost and has saved us the time we would have had to spend selecting, testing, packing and despatching spares let alone the discussions as to who should pay for the replacement and transport charges. I am not in the slightest interested that other 'high end' speakers have their tweeter diaphragms exposed - those products probably do not sell into the broadacast market (as we do) where equipment is moved between studios according to workload and bookings. There is nothing worse for a sound engineer than 'going live' when the red transmission light turns on only to discover that his monitor tweeter is crushed and defective.

Many companies see their spare parts operation as making a valuable contribution to their bottom line i.e their total profit. We don't. We do not have a 'spares department'. In fact, the ideal situation for us is that our customers never need spares because we are so busy making speaker systems that we could never recover the true cost of taking staff off that important duty and diverting them to the preparation of spares. So, we go the extra mile in QC Assurance at the point of manufacture to minimise the risk that spares will be needed by testing, testing and testing again.

Any suggestion that the M40 (or M30) tweeter grilles should be removed must consider the whole situation not just the personal interests of one or two dedicated audiophiles perhaps living alone without children.

I stress again: do not attempt to remove the M40/M30 tweeter grilles or it will be a very expensive exercise for you. We will have to charge according to the true time involved in preparing and despatching replacements.

As for the upcoming M40.1, thanks to user feedback here, we have an excellent solution in fitting the C7ES3 grille to the M40.1 tweeter unit - see other threads here.

[A.S.]

... I stress again: do not attempt to remove the M40/M30 tweeter grilles or it will be a very expensive exercise for you. We will have to charge according to the true time involved in preparing and despatching replacements.

I should also make it clear - as I hear there are some users who insist on removing the tweeter grilles - that should they do so, they have invalidated the Warranty as the speakers would no longer be 'as manufactured'.

Whilst I fully appreciate that a dedicated audiophile may believe that modifications to the manufactured product may squeeze the last drops of performance, we have good reasons for the speakers being made and supplied to a standard, proven formulae in which we have confidence.

Please do not ask Harbeth UK or any of Harbeth's Distributors for information on how to remove tweeter grilles (or any other tweaks) because we/they are not able to comment on non-approved modifications.

Thank you for your understanding.

[kwingylee]

Comrades:

I have had my first exposure to the Monitor 40.1 pre-production model at the Rocky Mountain Audio Festival in Denver, Colorado October 13, 2007. I visited the Fidelis room, which featured the 40.1s, and the rest of the classic Harbeth line.

Set up in a smallest hotel room and about 3' from the front wall, the M40.1s sounded marvelous. Driven by a 23W solid state amplifier, I noticed improvements in the bass. Its subjectively more detail and tighter than my M40s at home (driven by a 250W class A amplifier). Granted the volume level is not as loud as I played at home and the music selection is on the "less than dynamic side", the improvements come through for me.

I heard many great speakers at this show. There are some that are more dramatic and more exciting to listen to and a greater sense of scale for certain music. However, I always end up in the Harbeth room to get recalibrated. The M40.1s sounded very balance and very close to the room corrected sound from the adjacent Lyndorf room.

Now that I have been "exposed", I just wish Alan would reconsider his decision to make an upgrade kit available to folks with the know-how to make the changes in a DIY fashion.

[Ned Mast]

While I appreciate Kwingylee's posting about the new M40.1, I would be more impressed with a comparison between it and the M40 were they each heard in the same room, in the same position, and with the same music. And also within the same time-frame (same day/same hour). I find auditory memory a tricky and unreliable thing, music being the extremely complex thing that it is.

That being said, thanks for your thoughts, Kwingylee. You may be absolutely right in your conclusions. I fully expect the M40.1 to be a wonderful speaker.

Ned

[kwingylee]

Ned:

I wished I could have done that but realistically, the best people to do what you have suggested is probably Alan and his dealers. I feel fortunate enough just to actually hear a pair of 40.1s.

My comments were not intended to be scientific. Having said that, I have owned my M40s for a few years and believed I have sufficient familiarity with the way they sound to recognize the differences.

[Ned Mast]

Kwingylee,

I think you must be among the first customers to hear the new M40.1. I don't think the dealer from whom I bought my M40s will have a pair for some time. I look forward to hearing them there eventually, but his room is significantly different from mine, so that comparisons are a bit difficult. Add to that that I've gotten used to the sound using DSP room-correction, and I wonder how much I'll be able to tell from hearing them there. But I certainly have no reason to doubt that they'll be at least the wonderful speaker that the M40 already is.

Thanks again for posting your impressions.

Ned

[A.S.]

Following a user request here is the impedance curve of the Monitor 40 - not the Monitor 40.1.

(To follow)

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[Groovetracer]

Hi Alan, Do you have this information available for the Monitor 40?

[A.S.]

Here is the comparison between the Monitor 40 and the new Monitor 40.1 system impedance curves. Remember! This is indicative of the electrical situation only - it does not say anything about the acoustic frequency response!