Dynaudio C-1 or Harbeth-7-es-III

I have owned the Dynaudio C-1s and Harbeth 7es2 (should be pretty similar to 7es3) and can recommend both wholeheartedly. The C1s throw a much much bigger soundstage, is faster, and is on the darker side of neutral. If you have a powerful amp and not worried about revealing components' flaws then this is the best in its class. The Harbeths are easier to match with upstream components and can sound wonderful even at low volumes. They are forgiving, and easier to position in a small room. Can't go wrong with either!

there is a certain midrange magic in the harbeth c7 or the SHL5s or the P3s that is hard to get in other speakers.
The lower midrange of the harbeth is something else.
You really should listen to these speakers at length to know what am talking about.
I have compared the C7s to other mega speakers and agree that the other speakers can do more bass, more highs, deeper and wider soundstage. But when it comes to the midrange, the harbeths are really something else.
good luck w/ your speaker hunting.

IMO,the C1s are in another league,not even a fair fight.No brainer Dynaudio!

I own the C1 and have heard the 7ES and ES2 though on different but similar systems. They are voiced quite differently so it is not a direct compare, but from strictly a fidelity standpoint, I think the C1 performs at least a couple level above the 7ES2 in the areas of refinement, resolution, transparency, dynamics. As mentioned by others the C1 can sit comfortably in a reference level system. A fairer comparison is probably with the SHL5.

I've owned both, and both are excellent. I'm using the Harbeth now. The official Dyn stands that the C1s use are a pain to fill/unfill. Harbeth's are much easier--just bluetack to Sound Anchor/Skyland. I tried tubes with C1s--SS much better(Clayton)--SS just grabs and takes control--Dyns need that IMO. Also, with Harbeth, less than perfectly recorded CDs, LPs, still can sound good--not so with C1s. The C1s also need to be played louder than the Harbeth to sound right. I listen to mostly jazz from the '50s, '60s, '70s, and classical w/the Harbeth--it's tough to beat. Also running Rel Strata 3. My room is 15' x 20' x 8 which is a good size for either. The Harbeth sounds great w/grills. To get the best sound from C1s--grills off--WAF? Hope this helps.