Borresen X3 vs Harbeth 40.2 -- my impressions


After reading so many glowing reviews of the Borresen X3 speaker, I decided to go and audition them at a local dealer who was gracious enough to let me stay there for over 4 hours. I went there with the intention of buying the X3 if they appealed to me. I thought I’d share my impressions here for those who are interested, especially in comparison to my Harbeth 40.2 speakers that I adore.

 

The dealer at first hooked them up to the Axxess Forte 1 integrated amp. To be brutally honest, I was about ready to bolt in the first 10 minutes. I just don’t understand why Axxess is getting so much praise. It was the most flat, dry, and boring sound I’ve heard. Luckily, the dealer had some very high end Burmester amp, preamp, and music server (close to $100K retail for the three pieces), which he agreed to use instead. Huuuuuge difference! The Burmester really made those Borresens come alive and sing. IMO, AGD is really doing a disservice to the X line by pairing them with the Axxess in audio shows. They are capable of scaling with much better gear. Shame!

 

If a massive, immersive, and holographic soundstage is your primary criteria and your budget is $11k max, you should stop reading at this point. Run and get these speakers before AGD decides to raise the price. I have yet to hear a speaker in this price range with this kind of soundstage. But if you value other aspects of music reproduction, keep on reading ...

 

Soundstage Width, Depth, and Height:

No contest. Borresen is noticeably better. The soundstage is as tall as it is deep. I heard sounds coming from besides me and behind me. Depth, while not outstanding, is there for sure. Just not as impressive as the height and width relatively speaking. I still can’t get that immersive feeling out of my head.

 

Ability to disappear:

This is one area where Harbeth always struggles. Owing to the thin walls of its cabinets, one is always aware of the big box the sound emanates from. The X3s totally disappeared. Again, very impressive for a speaker in this price range.

 

Vocals:

Sorry, but the X3 is simply not in the same league as the 40.2 when it comes to vocals. There’s this little extra, lifelike quality to vocals in most Harbeth speakers that is hard to beat. I listened to some very familiar songs on the X3, and it became clear why I fell in love with the Harbeth sound many years ago. Female voices are more ethereal and nuanced, male voices have more chestiness. You hear the emotions and every little inflection in the singers’ voice. It simply gives more of the ‘singer in the room’ feeling.

 

Instrument Separation:

This is a tough one. Both are excellent in this regard. But I will give a very slight edge to 40.2s here. Or maybe not. I don’t know. Let’s call it evens.

 

Transparency and Realism:

This is where Harbeth pulled ahead of the X3s in a major way. I’m not saying that the X3s are deficient by any means, but the 40.2s just give you a lot more of it. You really have to live with them for a while to truly understand and appreciate what this speaker brings to the table. It’s truly addictive. The only other speakers I’ve heard that are better in this regard are the Quads or other electrostatics.

 

Midrange and Lushness:

My impression of Borresen speakers prior to this was that they were very fast, neutral, and quiet. But, much to my surprise, the X3s (or perhaps the X line itself) has been voiced to be more on the warm side of things. Sound was warm and had body. Unfortunately, this is being achieved by adding a bit of a mid bass bump. While it gives the speaker an overall warm predisposition, I felt it came at the expense of hiding details in the mid bass region. Harbeth is also known for a lush midrange but it doesn’t get here by sacrificing detail or exaggerating the sound. Another side effect of this characteristic was that acoustic instruments felt bigger than life. Guitars felt like they were 10 foot long. Piano strokes lacked the bite and immediacy that I get with 40.2s – and by the way this is not a particularly strong point of Harbeth either.

 

Tone and Timbre:

Harbeth to the front of the line, please. The timbre and tonal accuracy of the 40.2s is on another level. X3s are also very good in this regard but are somewhat outclassed by Harbeth.

 

Overall Refinement:

I apologize in advance if this is going ruffle some feathers, but the 40.2s are overall much more refined sounding than the Borresen X series. Again, this is only in comparison. On its own, I would never label the X3s as unrefined. The Harbeth just has this extra layer of refinement that you come to appreciate the more time you spend with it.

 

Bass:

As they say, there’s no replacement for displacement. The 4.5” drivers on X3 produce a prodigious amount of bass which is hard to believe considering the size of the drivers. Yet, the 12” woofer on 40.2s gives you more of that deep and tuneful bass. It just sounds more satisfying and fuller.

 

Look and Feel:

This is very subjective, of course, so please feel free to take it with a grain of salt. But I was not impressed by how the X3s looked in person, they lacked elegance. It kind of reminded me of Tekton – okay, maybe that’s too harsh, I take it back. But I was a little disappointed as they looked really nice in pictures. Wish they would lose the carbon fiber touch and the checkered driver patterns. The Harbeths, on the other hand, don’t look as impressive and nice in pictures. I mean what do you expect from an oversized shoebox on stands. But, the quality and craftsmanship of hand-built cabinets has a more timeless and elegant feel to it that has to be seen and felt to be appreciated. I just feel this style, boring as it is, just ages more gracefully.

 

Long story short, I have decided to stay with my 40.2s. They have many quirks, as pointed out by several members on this forum. But what they do, they do it exceedingly well. I found the Harbeth 40.x to be overall more transparent, lifelike, refined, and balanced. They don’t do dynamics as good as other speakers or disappear as much as other speakers in this price range, but they more than make up for it in other ways. I’ve heard people claim that the X3 are twice (or even thrice!) as good as their asking price. If soundstage is your primary criteria for judging speakers, then I wholeheartedly agree. But if you value transparency, vocals, timbre, tonal accuracy, and overall refinement ... the Harbeth 40.x series justifies its higher price, despite the shortcomings.

 

Having said that, I was still very impressed by Borresen X3 and won’t mind having it as a second pair once they hit the used market. But I feel the hype doesn’t quite align with what I actually heard during the audition. In this price range, I find Audio Vector to be a better value.

 

Please note that these are my opinions based on a ‘mere’ 4-hour demo, and only in comparison to my favorite speakers. It’s totally fine if someone draws a completely opposite conclusion, or tells me that I’m biased. My taste, my preferences, IMO, IHMO, etc. etc. etc.

 

 

128x128arafiq


There are a lot of bulls here running at red flags, my goodness. The disrespect for the OP’s positioning and obvious even handedness seems only to occur in forums in this culture. I thought this was a genuinely interesting thread started. I listened to the Borreson’s in Singapore not long ago. Their inherent narrow box design creates a unique sound and sound stage from small speaker units versus Harbeth a big box design. I appreciate the OP’s willingness to share his experience. I’m not in the market for either, but enjoy reading others experiences. It’s sad though that these threads can quickly degenerate in tone and create offence, and defensiveness. Again, thanks for sharing OP.

It seems to me this thread has mostly progressed with a cordial tone (much in thanks to the OP’s cool head). Other than a couple post-and-ghost responses, I don’t believe anyone here is purposefully bashing a brand or product. Though I understand why some would read it that way. Earlier in the thread I likened the 40.2s to a Volkswagen GTI. That was probably a poor choice of analogy because many here probably own and drive nicer vehicles. But I did not intend that as in insult. Rather, I thought it a fitting analogy because the GTI is an excellent all-rounder by any standard. It does everything at least pretty well and has no notable weaknesses. Perhaps its greatest strength is in its even balance of attributes, thus, I thought the analogy a befitting complement to the sound of the 40.2s. In fact I was recently considering a purchase of one of these vehicles, that’s how much I admire them. One can spend the same money and do a lot worse, and I feel similarly about the 40.2s. 

Regardless, for the record, I like the Harbeth 40.2s. It is in fact my favorite Harbeth speaker by a wide margin. I probably should’ve led with that statement, and I apologize to the OP if my posts came off as brash and offensive. Admittedly, tact in these discussions is not my strong suit. I do appreciate @arafiq ’s effort in auditioning the Borresens and sharing his impressions. Hopefully he will share more if/when he acquires a pair of X3s. 


 

 


 

 

 

 

 

@helomech 

I appreciate your comments. Car analogies are a slippery slope! 

Changing subjects, is your user name a reference to your profession? (If you don't mind me asking)

@willywonka Yes they are.  So, I suppose comparison to Harbeth HL5 plus at $8K would be a closer match.  Used, the 40.2 are about $12K.  I would choose the Harbeth especially since I have 70,000+ recordings of opera and classical vocal recordings.  Harbeth's have an emotionally attractive feeling whereas the Borrensen's ($25-50K models) at shows left me cold.  So do Magicos and big Wilsons.  

Post removed 


Changing subjects, is your user name a reference to your profession? (If you don’t mind me asking)

It is indeed a reference to my prior career as a rotorcraft mechanic. I spent the first 16 years of my adult life maintaining a variety of rotorcraft including Robinsons, Bells and Sikorskys. These days I work in research/development of composite materials for aviation, though we test/evaluate materials for other industries as well.

Fortunately, working in aviation taught me early the importance of hearing protection.

I will say, my lab experience does make me somewhat apprehensive of owning speakers that employ composite-sandwich cones, in terms of longevity. But the only diaphragms I’ve yet heard that match them in sound are electrostatics, and of course those have their own drawbacks and concerns for reliability. I suppose for me the gamble is worth the tradeoff.