Vandersteen 3a signature vs Harbeth 30.2 anniversary

I have 3a sigs, also 2 harbeth models, c7 and shl5 (i have heard the mon 30 plenty but not in my own system, i never liked it enough to own it relative to other harbeth models)

vandy 3a sigs have fuller bass, larger presentation slightly recessed midrange, smooth sophisticated highs (with good solid state amplfiication, which is what is required) - overall a very balanced, imminently listenable full range speaker with no weaknesses but also no towering strengths

mon 30’s have sweet highs and a more prominent luscious full bodied midrange, decent mid bass, but weak true bass... mon 30’s in a full range set up definitely need support from subs imo... their lossy cabinet design and driver quality give a more ’hear through’ tactile midrange than the vandy’s (which have a nice midrange but somewhat less articulate), that is their main strength

both speakers have a sweet slightly rounded off quality to how they play music... not very ’alive’ nor highly impactful 'fast' speakers but that is also what makes them so easy to live with and be happy with, they subtly smooth out bad edgy recordings, they impart no listening fatigue, yet they are transparent and tonally true enough to let well recorded music come through in all its glory

Jjss49- 
thank you for the input!
valuable.
I agree w the 3a description which makes me trust your Harbeth input.
Biggest immediate notices for me was the midrange strength and the bottom weakness as well as the feeling that they would never fatigue my ears.
I don’t demand super strong bottom end but I feel I would miss it a bit w the 30.2’s.
I love vocals, outtakes, demos and stripped down stuff I can feel like I’m at live as well as jazz at times. Since I posted earlier I did some lurking and now would like to hear some 40.2’s which are not super crazy used.
I really like my 3a’s, just thinking there might be more out there for not a ton more money.... one can always hope!

I would keep the 3A speakers unless you wanted to spring for the Harbeth 40 series. 

i would agree with stereo5... the mon 30's imo are not an upgrade from the vandy's

the mon 40's would be, but make sure the form factor (HUGE ass box) and bass loading are compatible with your room and aethestic needs

I have owned a few Harbeth's, 40's, SHL5 and SHL5+ and a few Vandersteen's, 3A's, 5's, Quatro's (cloth) and currently Treo CT's. Like jjss49 I never warmed up to the M30's. I have moved back and forth between these two brands for the last 30 years as I have moved back and forth to Italy and had to sell my system each time. I ran my 3A's and 5's with Quicksilver V4's and a PSE HL-1 preamp and found the midrange to be a particular strength. I always liked the 3's with tubes better than SS. YMMV and only you will know what you prefer. 

My decision to move back to Vandersteen was due to the fact that all of the updates to the Harbeth's  created more accurate speakers that became less enjoyable to listen to. With each update of the Harbeth's I found I was not as engaged with the music and listened to my system less often. Just my opinion. The Harbeth's still are the best speakers I have heard for low volume listening. I haven't heard the latest Monitor 40.3 XD but I will admit that I miss the original 40's as they were extremely musical and involving. Also, I know that many Harbeth owners use tubes to power them. I tried multiple tube amplifiers with the various Harbeth's I have owned and they never sounded right to me. IMHO you need a SS amp to hear what the Harbeth's are capable of. I always used a tube preamp though. Now I have moved on to a hybrid integrated, the Aesthetix Mimas which sounded great with my SHL5+'s. 

Moving on from the 3A's I think the Treo CT's would be a better choice than going to the M30's. Depending on your room size either the C7's, the SHL5 or Monitor 40 if you go with Harbeth's. One other thing to consider is to add a pair of subs to the 3A's if you have the room. Somehow the subs will improve the overall performance of the 3A's.

I might suggest reaching out to JohnnyR at the Audio Connection in Verona, NJ who is a dealer for both and who sold me all of the above mentioned speakers. He can offer some insight on both speakers. Good Luck!