"Why we like Harbeth speakers" - Users feedback

[John Parkyn]

Hello everybody,

I thought this might be a neat way to celebrate the new user group... An invitation to members to state why they like Harbeth speakers.

I don't own a pair of Harbeths YET, but a few reasons occur to me:

All reviews (critical and user) are positive. (Perhaps there are lukewarm reviews, but I haven't seen them.)

The CEO (What is Alan's title?) is available to users and comes across as an honest, dedicated person who takes great pride in his work and truly believes in what he makes and sells.

If Harbeths are good enough for the BBC, they're good enough for me.

British craftsmanship at it best.

I'm sure you can come up with others.

[Paul G Smith]

Hi John, well I like their revelation of detail, inherent clarity, uncrushed dynamics and given their physical limitations to bandwidth, their natural balance right across the spectrum. They produce an excellent stereo picture (when fed with the right material) with a very natural sense of space, even down to very low volume levels, which many other "monitor" speakers fail to do and reproduce well-recorded voice in a frightningly natural way!
Just my opinion, but I think it's shared by many on this group.

[Chayro]

My SHL5s sound wonderful at moderate volumes, with a natural midrange i've yet to hear in speakers costing 10 times as much. Near perfect overall musical balance.

[Groovetracer]

My SHL5s sound wonderful at moderate volumes, with a natural midrange i've yet to hear in speakers costing 10 times as much. Near perfect overall musical balance.

I knew when I first heard Harbeth at my dealer, I had to buy a pair. It was only a question which model. He allowed me to audition the Compact 7SE, SHL5, and Monitor 30 in my home, all at the same time so I could switch back & forth.
I ended up choosing the M30. I had actually preferred the SHL5 at the showroom, however in my room, I preferred the M30.
I have driven the M30 with an EAR 534 tube amp(50 wt/ch.) but I am now driving them with 200 watts per channel Solid State until I purchase another tube amp since I have since sold the EAR amp.
FWIW, I learned about Harbeth speakers through The Absolute Sound and one of Reg's reviews.

[Robert Lantin]

I like their revelation of detail, inherent clarity, uncrushed dynamics and given their physical limitations to bandwidth, their natural balance right across the spectrum. They produce an excellent stereo picture (when fed with the right material) with a very natural sense of space, even down to very low volume levels, which many other "monitor" speakers fail to do and reproduce well-recorded voice in a frightningly natural way! Just my opinion, but I think it's shared by many on this group.

Very well said, Mr. Smith. This pretty much sums up my personal experience with a pair of M30s. I drive them with a Plinius SA100/3 and have always found the pairing impeccable.

Kind regards,

Robert Lantin

[Hu]

Very well said, Mr. Smith. This pretty much sums up my personal experience with a pair of M30s. I drive them with a Plinius SA100/3 and have always found the pairing impeccable.

Kind regards,

Robert Lantin

Hello Mr. Lantin,

I would buy Plinius SA 102 for my M30, do you probably know if that would sound as SA 100/3?

Thanks and best,

Thumper

[ash]

I own 2 pairs of Harbeth speakers. The original HL-P3 and recently the Super HL5. I like Harbeth speakers because they sound familiar, like you've heard that sound before but can't quite remember where you heard it. They just sound right.

[Wiyono]

I like the eucaliptus veneer, the warmth and enjoyable sound from my M30.
It make the poping moise from my turntable system bearable compare to other speaker I have.

[sevodude]

I own a pair of SHL5
I love my harbeth for:
-beautifully accurate tonality and timbre, voice and piano, violins sounds so natural and beautiful, with lifelike weight. This is the one thing that every review say about them.
-they sound so musical and yet very transparent and clear without edge.
-coherent across the frequency range
-highly revealing, and keeps giving you wonderful surprises each time you upgrade the other components.
-doesn't require stratospheric costing equipment to sound nice, but as above, really takes flight as you give it more "juice"
They are like a Stradivarius compared to Vanessa mae's electric violin:)

[hrsutty]

Spent 6 months listening to bookshelf speakers before I heard th P3s . They were just so jaw dropping in their sound and imaging... was like my favourite singers were in the room . Found a great Aussie made amp to drive them (Redgum 120W MOSFET) . Wanted more after hearing some old HL7s. Found a demo pair in UK . Had them shipped to the antipides and have since married them!
When Im a bit down, I just put on some of my fave female vocalists, close my eyes and just get lost in the magic. No other speaker I have owned in 30 years has been able to do that for hour after hour like the Harbeths.

[Robert Lantin]

Hello Mr. Lantin,

I would buy Plinius SA 102 for my M30, do you probably know if that would sound as SA 100/3?

Thanks and best,

Thumper

Hello Thumper,

Yes, to my ears the Plinius SA102 sounds very much like the SA100/3. So much so, in fact, that I have kept the older model when the newer one was first introduced by Plinius 3 or 4 years ago (I can't remember exactly; how time flies !). I have had the pleasure of hearing the Plinius SA102 on numerous occasions?both in my listening room driving my M30s for several weeks and at the distributor's driving M30s and M40s?, and can recommend it without reservation. IMHO, this is a fine piece of electronics and an excellent match for the M30s.

Kind regards,

Robert Lantin

[Hu]

Hello Thumper,

Yes, to my ears the Plinius SA102 sounds very much like the SA100/3. So much so, in fact, that I have kept the older model when the newer one was first introduced by Plinius 3 or 4 years ago (I can't remember exactly; how time flies !). I have had the pleasure of hearing the Plinius SA102 on numerous occasions?both in my listening room driving my M30s for several weeks and at the distributor's driving M30s and M40s?, and can recommend it without reservation. IMHO, this is a fine piece of electronics and an excellent match for the M30s.

Kind regards,

Robert Lantin

Hello Robert,

Thank you very much! I cannot find any SA100/3, so I would buy new 102. Now I borrowed one 9200 with my M30, that sounds good to my ears. Would you please tell me what pre amp and CDP you use with SA100/3/M30?

Best regards,

Hu (Thumper)

[lelexiao]

I like classical music, so I think harbeth speaker is one of the best choice.

[dodgealum]

I've been trying to find an attractive floorstander for the past two years to replace my Compact 7's--thinking I can find something more suitable to the domestic environment and with a bit more bass. I've heard nearly everything up to (and in some cases above) 10K. Everytime I return to my system I realize that the only way I'm going to do better soundwise is to move up the Harbeth line. Why? The Harbeth's sound like music itself--expressive, warm, natural, non-fatiguing, intimate, spacious, real, alive, passionate, joyous, engaging, lifelike, true and musical. They are far and away the best speakers on the market regardless of price and for the money an absolute steal. Having gone through the time and expense of trying to better them I would simply tell anyone interested in putting together a two-channel music system to simply ignore all of the marketing hype and reviews (except the ones written about Harbeth recently which are some of the few to actually hit the mark) and buy a pair of Harbeth's and be done. You can drive them with anything and they still retain their beauty. Put serious electronics in front of them and they only get better. Who wants a speaker that can only sound "good" with just the right cables, electronics, recordings and room? Thank you Alan for doing what you do--my appreciation of different forms and styles of music has grown fantastically because of my relationship with your speakers.

[kevint]

It was my local CD shop where use a pair of Harbeth C7ES to demo classical music. Everytime I shop there, I found I enjoy music much more than I do at home. So I decided Harbeth is the brand for upgrade. It is the tonal/timbre accuracy that attracting me.

[John Parkyn]

Why did you purchase those particular Harbeths?

Your thinking may help others make a wiser purchasing decision.

Please indicate if:

1) you had the chance to audition / compare speakers before purchase

2) were allowed to test drive at home before purchase

3) you are satisfied with your decision.

[Tony L]

Mine were purely a speculative purchase; I run an audio forum and one of the dealers who posts there listed a pair of second hand mint boxed C7ES for way under what I considered their second hand value. I?d always wanted to try a pair of BBC monitors and this looked like too good an opportunity to miss so I took a punt safe in the knowledge that I could turn a profit if I didn?t like them. This was over three years ago - it doesn?t look like they are going anywhere! To be honest they are the first speaker I have ever owned that I like more and more over time, most speakers have the exact reverse effect on me.

Tony.

[Ted_W]

I purchased my Harbeths because I was not completely happy with my (then current) speakers. I was orginally contemplating the Spendor SP1's, however after having read some reviews by Dr. Green and others, I began to become interested in the Harbeths. At that time there was not even a distributor in the US, the importer was situated in Halifax, NS and as a result I had to take a fly in the dark (unheard) and order a pair of the Harbeth 7ES 2's. I have never regretted it!

These speakers are the first speakers I have ever owned, in which I have been completely happy. They have the inner detail, to die for. They have the integration of drivers, the smoothness and ease of listening, which I have never experienced with any other speaker, they have the right extent of reverberation, regardless of where or what type of music you are listening to and they do it all with NO listeneer fatigue.

To sum it up, they sound like MUSIC!

All the best to you all.

Regards,

AEW

[kellar]

i owned original p3's with extenders, thought i was unhappy.sold them and bought proac ref 8 sgnatures[the darlings of the hi fi press] learned what unhappy really was.sold them last week and bought latest p3's.now very happy.

[Paul F.]

I love the way they are able to sound great at low volume levels and the way they can portray the venue of live recordings.

Paul