Upgrade from Harbeth Compact 7

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.