Harbeth speakers vs Audionote

The only place I know of in TX is Galen Carol Audio. That may be too far though, and I'm not sure if he has both brands. I think he has Harbeth. He does have a great reputation, and for me at least, that goes a long way.

I was thinking that if you were in FL, you could visit Wellington Audio (http://www.wellingtonaudio.com/). He's really into the British gear. If you wanted to compare both brands, that would be the best place I know of. There are a few B&M stores that are a cut above the rest, and Wellington is definitely one of them.

02-17-15: Larryi
…….The Harbeths have a tighter, more accurate bass response and deliver a reasonably detailed and lively sound while being on the warmer side compared to many current speaker designs. My only big "issue" with the sound is that there is a slight raspiness or sibilant edge to vocals, but, other listeners like that little bit of crispness to the sound…….

Really? I've owned Harbeth m30.1's for 2 years and they have amazing vocal quality - and highs in general. Free of any sibilant edge unless present in the source. This is one their greatest strengths in comparison to 'hifi' speakers IMO. The C7es3, which I previously owned for a couple of years was perhaps less gorgeous sounding than the 30.1 - but still plenty good.
I use a solid state pre/power.

Can't comment on the Audionotes, but nice speakers by all reports.

I have owned the Harbeth HL5, and the AudioNote ANe, and enjoyed them both. As with any speaker, placement matters. With the Harbeth, I ran a Naim integrated, and then a Mastersound 300B. The AudioNote sounded quite wonderful with the 300B. But ultimately with both speakers the sound was very homogenous, and became a litlle boring to my ears.
The Zu DruidV that I have owned for a couple of years now are so much more vivid, and seem to convey emotional content more effectively.

Wellington Audio in Florida carry both. I have had a pair of AN-J's for a little while, but they did not work in the very small room I had them in. At that point, I sold off the (2nd) system they were in, but have kept the AN's. They have been sitting looking gorgeous in Makassar finish, but I have yet to set them back up. I was driving them with an LM 211, budget SS phono, and a WT Amadeus/ DV20X-L. My feeling is they may have deserved better all around, perhaps an SET or an OTO sig.... I can't seem to bring myself to sell them!

it is very funny, but the same choice is now in front of me. Harbeth or Audio Note - this is a question worthy of Hamlet