Harbeth 7es-3 Sound

I just listened to 3 models in the Harbeth line of speakers at a local dealer today. They were the SHL-5, Compact 7ES-3 and the M30. Out of the three speakers, the M30 was shut-in and laidback compared to the other two, and that didn't appeal to me. The SHL-5 and the Compact 7ES-3 on the other hand, were spectacular speakers. The sound they produced was unbelievably natural with great scale and dynamics. It is uncanny that the sound coming out from these speakers can be so real and unforced it's just like listening to the real thing.

Surprisingly the Compact 7ES-3 only goes down to 46Hz on paper but the overall sound of it is much more musical and coherent from top to bottom than my PMC speakers that go down to 35Hz. I was told that the midrange magic of Harbeth speakers is due to the design philosophy of all Harbeth speakers as more attention has been put towards this area. Now I realize why my PMC speakers, although rated to go down to 35Hz with a puny 4" woofer can sometimes sound a little forced when pumping out huge chunks of bass.

I didn't listen to the M40.1 since the gigantic speakers were way out of my budget but was told they share a resemblance to the M30 being in the Monitor family, so I guess the sound won't appeal to me either.

I'm now contemplating between the SHL-5 and Compact 7ES-3. The latter comes with the selected tiger ebony finish at a premium which is much pleasant-looking(to me) whereas the SHL-5 only comes with the plain cherry. Either way, I don't think I"ll be disappointed.

Now I realize why my PMC speakers, although rated to
go down to 35Hz with a puny 4" woofer can sometimes sound a little
forced when pumping out huge chunks of bass.

That is always the challenge with bass from small boxes it doesn't matter
whether it is PMC or another small ported design with impressive bass - they
all give up some clarity or quality in order to get big sound from a small box.

If you accept this and you prefer the quality/clarity then you should look for
either

1) very big box speakers (where the bass is accurate as well as extended)
2) for smaller box speakers without the bass extension (sealed boxes tend to
be more reliably well behaved in small speakers).

(there are exceptions to these rules but they are few and far between)

BTW - Harbeth are midrange magic! It would make a great choice. I would
add, however, a big PMC with a 3 inch dome mid would also be magic and
give you plenty of bass to boot!

I agree with your statement Shadorne. Most(not all) small bookshelves that I have owned seem to sound forced with pumped up bass in order to sound "big". After listening to the Harbeth speakers, I realized what I've been missing all this while. I'm quite smitten with the SHL-5 and Compact 7ES-3 now, more with the latter since it comes with the exotic tiger ebony finish which looks classier than the cherry(although the former has a bigger sound and bass due to the larger cabinet). Yes, the midrange is truly magical.

I would add, however, a big PMC with a 3 inch dome mid would also be magic and give you plenty of bass to boot!

This I agree, but the bigger PMCs(EB1 and IB2) are not only more costly but need to be driven with Bryston amplification to sound "acceptable". Also, I don't think the midrange of the PMCs can match the surreal and lifelike sound of the Harbeth. I'll probably find a Bryston SST amp to drive my LB1 Sigs in my 2nd system later. As for now, it's the Harbeth for me.

Ryder, if you are actively auditioning small speakers, I can also recommend ATC7s and 11s (which pair well with NAD, Chord, Bryston) and Neat Motives (which pair well with Exposure, LFD and NAIM). All are top tier Canadian and English companies. The ATCs are precise and the Neats are dynamic and smooth.

I'm extremely please with my HL-5 speakers that I purchased back in November 08. Over the past 20 years, I've owned B&W, Apogee Centaur Majors, Vandersteens 2Ce, PSB Stratus Gold i, Revel M20, and Thiel CS6. The Harbeths are the first speaker I can listen to all day and not be fatigued. The midrange is so much better than any of the speakers that preceded them. I listen to all types of music including classic rock and I find they are a great all around speaker. Probably not the speaker for headbangers but for everything else its sublime. I use a REL Strata III sub that integrates seamlessly with the HL-5. Horns sound rich and brassy, strings are sweet and delicate, and voices are absolutely captivating. I use a McIntosh MC275 amp, Convergent Audio Technology (CAT) SL1 Ultimate pre, and a Rega Saturn as a transport for the Benchmark DAC1 PRE. Everything except the amp is plugged into a Running Springs Jaco power conditioner. I enjoy this system more than anything I've owned in my 20 years of high end audio by far.