Harbeth Owners - What do you think?

Tomryan. I'd be interested in your views on the Proac 2.5 as I am looking for a floorstander to replace my Compact 7s. I am thinking of the 2.5 or new D25 as a possibility. After you get the Monitor 30's or C7's up and running I'd be interested in your thoughts comparing them with the Proacs. I love the Harbeth sound but need something that will blend better into the room decor. Good luck with your Harbeth's, you will love them I'm sure. (That said, though I have no experience with your amp I really have concerns over the power output. My C7's did not really begin to sing until I put 100 watts or ARC solid state behind them. A 35wpc Naim amp just did not do them justice. FWIW.)

Dodge, I used to have ProAc 2.5's. When I get the Harbeths, I can comment on how they compare.

The ProAcs are one of those speakers with "magic" in the midrange. They are expressive or communicative or whatever you want to call it--you connect with the music. As great a thing as that is, I found myself craving clarity and resolution. I found them too soft on top. I also found the bass too loose and insufficiently tuneful.

My switch to Thiel was in response to these shortcomings of the ProAcs, and the Thiel 2.4 indeed resolves every one of the complaints I had about the ProAcs and I like them very much--I've had them for 18 months and they could be a long-term keeper. (Except that I loved the way the ProAcs looked--and so did my wife--but I don't care for the look of the Thiels.) But that magical musical connection is not as strong with the Thiels. Hence my upcoming experiment with Harbeth and a current experiment with the Ref 3A (which initially strikes me as delivering expressiveness in spades but at a huge price in loss of accuracy and fidelity; jury still out).

Maybe I can have everything I want, but I have not found it yet. The journey is the reward, I suppose.

Drubin. I would be very surprised if the HL5's did not give you everything you are after. I have been listening to a lot of speakers over the past 18 months and I don't think there is currently anything better on the market (sub 10K) than those. Enjoy.

That's good to hear, but I will be surprised if they do give me everything I am after. I can't imagine that they will deliver detail and resolution at the level of Thiel. We shall see.

Remember that your Harbeths are not as bright or "forward" as the Thiels, so initially they will not sound as detailed and you may prefer the Thiels. Give the Harbeths a little time to break in and for you to get used to the sound. Then do a careful comparison. My guess is that the Harbeths have just as much resolution, but aren't as bright.