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Harbeth P3ESR vs Fritz Rev 5 vs DeVore Gibbon 3XL

Ok, here's the deal.....

I'd like to assemble a secondary two channel music system in my small den. It is only 11.5 ft by 11.5 ft .....so not only is it very small, but also square! Also, because the room is so small, the speakers will have to be placed quite close to the wall that resides behind the back of the speaker. Yikes!

The music I'd like to listen to in this room would be vocals, violin/cello sonatas, piano, and anything acoustical in nature.

Tone and timbre are of paramount importance to me. I do not want to use a subwoofer.....hoping one would not be needed for the above listed music types.

There are no Fritz dealers, but he does allow an in home trial....very nice!
The closest DeVore dealer is several states away from me.
The closest Harbeth dealer is a 12 hour round trip car ride for me.

So, if anyone here has had any experience with the above mentioned speakers and could share any insight of how they may perform in my small and non-optimum room.....it would be greatly appreciated.
no_regrets
tom6897's avatar
tom6897
1,484 posts
 
No_Regrets,

If you have the time and do not need the speakers right now, I would like to suggest that you go to AXPONA in Chicago, IL. March 8-10 and visit/listen/meet many of the manufacturers who will be there to demo there wares. I plan on attending to do the same! Good Luck!
team212
250 posts
 
No contest the Harbeths all the way-however I have not heard the Fritz

so by all means compare that brand.

Good Listening,

Des
mightyburner
30 posts
 
I have the Fritz Rev 5 and love them. Fritz is a great guy to deal with and he is very generous with his home trial offer. I had a set for a month before I purchase mine. Fritz and I had several conversations about which of his speakers would be appropriate and possible upgrades. He didn’t even attempt to up sell when I inquired about the Rev 7 (refer to the review in Part Time Audiophile). I initially had the speakers in a room about the same size as yours and for me the bass was a little overwhelming. Although the speakers are non-fatiguing, the bass on certain tracks was just too much (for me). FYI- I listen mostly to jazz. For a temporary solution I took some foam I had lying around and plugged the ports and the problem was solved. Soon after I picked up a DSPeaker Anti-Mode 2.0 and a nasty peak was eliminated. I'm now in a larger room (16.5x12) and consider myself off the speaker merry-go-round for some time to come. One last point about Fritz. On New Years Eve he called me to wish me a happy new year and to make sure I was satisfied with the speakers. That was four months after I purchased the speakers.

Gvien your choices, I don't think you cold make a bad decision. Good Luck!

MB
r_burke
212 posts
 
What do you plan to power the speakers with? It does make a difference, although your choices are very amp friendly
no_regrets OP
499 posts
 
Hello Tom6897,

That is a wonderful suggestion! I am in no rush as I have my reference system that I enjoy immensely and I do want to make sure that I choose the right speaker for this difficult room. With any luck, some of my choices will be represented there.

Many years ago, I attended the Stereophile show in Chicago and had a blast. Met several nice people, heard a lot of different systems, took in some live music, but a ton of vinyl..... Just a fantastic weekend overall.
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