How big a room are we talking here, and how low do you want to go? |
How much are you willing to spend, and is there a limit on how big the speakers can be? Also, what's the rest of your system? |
If you like the basic sound of Harbeth, the SHL5 is, IMO, a superior speaker with a more coherent sound, a bigger soundstage and deeper bass. Harbeths are not known as rock speakers, but if you are satisfied with the C7 in that regard, the SHL5s do more of it.
If you are truly looking for something that will play much louder, I would look into the Coincidents or, if the rest of your system is up to it, a used Wilson Sophia. With the right gear it can sound very powerful, but it is a tough speaker to drive and sounds like absolute crap with amplifiers that can't handle its tough load. Good luck. |
I had the Harbeth Compact 7 for a while, then changed to the Proac D-40r, which IMO was a significant improvement. You can see my system in the link below. |
Harbeth M40.1 , Active Gradient Revolution or ProAc D-40r ( already mentioned) |
Try adom audio. You might overlook them because they often fall under the pro audio rather than computer speaker category but they are great. Better in terms of size for size than audio engine imo bc of the bass and midd. Both good though. |
Daedalus Audio DA-1.1AP V2. I just posted on these so am feeling a little "shilly" but I was in the same boat--looking for something with the midrange magic of the Harbeth's AND the ability to project a bigger, more dynamic sound. After a two year search Daedalus fit the bill perfectly. |
people are funny. as if you need to spend more to get more.
audiophile world is insane.
get a amphion one18 and laugh at harbeth owners and the colored sound. |
If you are like me, you loved the Harbeths but with full range and full power music they broke up. At the same time I had a pair of Tyler Acoustics Linbrook monitors. They only gave up the smallest amount to the beauty of the Harbeth midrange but could handle the large scale music and lots of power. For about $1,000 used (if you can find a pair) you should try them as something different and a good reference, then decide if you want to get rid of your Harbeths. I had the SHL5's. Both were run with the Rowland Concerto integrated amp. I have a review/comparison somewhere here on Audiogon if you want to seek it out. Otherwise, I find it hard to recommend a great speaker to give you what the Harbeth's offer that also handle full range music and for a reasonable price. Also, I suspect that a lot of what you might find comparable (and what people recommend) might require expensive amplification. Both the Harbeths and Tylers do well with a lot of different (and reasonable - both size and price) amplifiers. |
I had a similar predicament a year ago, but I've still not really solved it (see my thread on Harbeths or Devores). I could have solved it if I'd had a bigger room, so I think it's crucial that you mention your room size. You can get a lot more from the larger Harbeths, and the new SHL5+ is a beautifully balanced speaker, less bloomy in the mid bass than the old SHL5 and smoother in all other areas. But this kind of design needs space to breathe. Ideally I would say at least 17 x 12, but you might get away with a bit smaller. Otherwise, I wish you luck, because it's not easy maintaining the tonal naturalism of Harbeths and at the same time getting greater scale and dynamics. One friend moved from 7s to Zingalis and he loves them, but still sometimes misses the way the Harbeths do voices and acoustic instruments. He thinks it's worth the trade off; I couldn't do it. Another friend has Devore Nines and a group of us that know him aspire to this system; it combines the tonal naturalism of the BBC style monitors with an effortless and dynamic sense of space. That's with VTL amps, which I believe a a little more affordable your side of the pond (they are prohibitively expensive in the UK.) |
Room is 18X20X8hi. Tube pre & amps. |
Pre is VTL TL-2.5, amps are Manley Retro 100 (KT90) & 75/75 Stereo VTL. |
Jperry, How do the less expensive PROAC FLOORSTANDERS that would be available used compare to the Harbeth C7? |
Without getting into a lot of detail, here is a ranking of the ones I tried, Compared to the prior speaker
Proac Studio 140 - Harsh upper midrange and lacking in detail compared to the other speakers.
Harbeth Compact 7 ES-3 - Very smooth, not very dynamic, easy to listen to without any listening fatigue, lacking in bass response.
Proac Response 2.5 - Smooth and dynamic, plenty of detail, bass response goes very low, but a little loose.
Proac Response D-40r - More inner detail and better imaging without harshness, bass response not quite as low, but better defined.
The Proac 2.5 is a great all around performer, getting a little long in the tooth, but a great price performer if you can find a pair used. It is inefficient, but worked well with Quicksilver V-4 amps.
The Proac D-30r, which I have heard many times, is another speaker you should consider at a lower price point than the D-40r. It may be hard to find used, but if you are interested my local dealer may have a demo pair for sale. |
47ghibli, what about just adding a subwoofer to your C7's?
.might be the most cost effective option and you retain the Harbeth midrange.
I owned the C7's for a couple of years before moving on to the Harbeth M30.1's - absolutely love them. Bottom octave extension is only about the same as the C7's, but IMO the 30.1's sound significantly more dynamic, robust and lively. Gorgeous treble quality too. |
I tried a Rel Stadium with my Compact 7s before selling it to move to the larger Daedalus floorstanders. As good as the REL was, I always felt like I was listening to a subwoofer rather than a coherent sound source. Just my two cents.... |
"12-08-14: Murphythecat
people are funny. as if you need to spend more to get more.
audiophile world is insane.
get a amphion one18 and laugh at harbeth owners and the colored sound."
Yes, but people need to by people speakers. We don't hear the same way you do. I'm sure you love Fancy Feast, but you won't be talking any of us into eating that crap either. |
Have you heard the amphions? From your response I would assume you have spent a great deal of time with them. |
Proac D30R would be a great upgrade.. I had a set of the Harbeth SHL5 and replaced them with the D30R.. Try to get a listen to them |
