The Harbeth phenomenon


In my search for a new pair of speakers, I've gone through many threads here and noticed that many owners or fans of Harbeth have almost a love-like connection with Harbeth speakers. It is almost as if the speakers cast a spell upon them. I know many audiophiles love their speakers but Harbeth owners seem especially enamored with theirs. I am extremely puzzled by this phenomenon because on paper Harbeth speakers look average at best and lack many of the attributes that generally make a great speaker.

Their sensitivity of generally around the 86dB mark makes them rather inefficient and therefore, at least in theory, not a good match for many lower powered tube amps, or any amps below 100wpc. Their frequency range is simply inferior to most high-end speakers since they don't go below 40 Hz. This alone should, again at least in theory, disqualify Harbeth speakers from consideration as top high end speakers. And yet I've never heard anyone complain about their bass, while people complain about lack of bass in the Gibbon Nines from DeVore, which is a fantastic speaker. Their cabinets look like a cheap DIY enclosure (disclaimer: I've never seen a Harbeth up close, only pictures). The 7ES-3 is rated B-Restricted, while the smaller and cheaper Usher Be-718 A-Restricted in Stereophile but garners nowhere near the same amount of admiration, praise and following among audiophiles.

So what's going on here? Is this a big conspiracy plot by the company that paid off a few hundred of people to infiltrate audiophile internet forums and a few reviewers? I am of course joking here, but the question is serious. How can speakers so average on paper be so good in real life? I know the opposite is often true, but you rarely see this phenomenon.

Please speak up.
actusreus
Addendum:

Tone of Music will exhibit the $12,900 Harbeth 40.1 and the $4,995 Super HL5 at the 2010 California Audio Show.

Thank you.

Constantine Soo
I have a pr of 40.1's. They really are amazing speakers.
I too attend live concerts regularly. I also have a musical household - my son plays piano and violin, I play violin, and my other son plays trumpet. I know what instruments should sound like.
These speakers do not beam sound. They reproduce music.
What is your desire? I am truely impressed by them.
I have been doing audio stuff for years now. I have spent lots of money. I think these speakers will be the last I own for some time.
In his review of the Compact 7s, Sam Tellig said you've really got to listen to them from at least nine feet away. Any closer, he said, and the drivers don't really come together as one. Has anyone else found this to be true?

-Bob
I recently auditioned a pair of 7-ES3s for a couple of hours. The distance was more like 7 1/2 or 8 feet, but I didn't notice any driver integration problems at that distance. I found them a very natural sounding speaker, devoid of any audiophile gimmicks.

But then Sam T. is a professional reviewer and by trade has to find something to call out. And different people are sensitive to different things. That said, I've read Tellig uses this model Harbeth as his reference, so it can't be too much of an issue.

Sounds like you're at the point where you simply need to listen for yourself.
Mlsstl hits the nail on the head. Generally it depends on the size of the room and preference. The C7ES3 will still sound good in near-field configuration. A C7 owner had his speakers 7' distance away in his small room and had no issues. I've tried a distance of 6.5' with my SHL5s and do not perceive any serious shortcomings. I settled with a distance of 9' though and thought the sound was more coherent in the lower midrange and airier with more extended highs. To summarize, it depends on what kind of presentation you would prefer.