Recommend A More Dynamic Monitor Than Harbeth C7

To Pani, Interesting and unsettling comment about the Harbeths. Especially in the wake of the wild media praise for the HL5Super plus large monitor that has recently hit the market.

Every reviews is crapping their pants to either review or own a pair. The review in TAS almost bills this model as the perfect speaker. They should be for $6890 plus Skylark stands ($485) Does your comment apply to this new model also?? I would be interested in hearing other opinions.

Not sure where the stand height of 24" is referenced but having owned C-7s I totally agree--too high for proper treble presentation. I ran mine on 19" Sound Anchors and that was perfect for my listening position. Pani--not sure if we share the same definition of "tonal accuracy" but I've heard nearly every speaker in the Harbeth lineup and they get it (what I call tonal accuracy) more right than just about any speaker out there. I would not characterize the sound as either "dark" or "thick" but rather very open with a touch of warmth that is representative of what real acoustic instruments sound like (to my ear). Having said that, I don't think that Harbeth's are perfect or deserve the kind of over the top praise they have come in for lately, particularly given the price increases that have taken place over the past several years. They are great speakers, particularly for voice and acoustic instruments in small ensembles. But they are a bit lacking in dynamic punch, speed and the ability to project the full scale of the music into your living space. Just my two cents.....

I would also consider the Ref 3a Decapo BE. They ARE in line with what you describe you are looking for.

Sunnyjim,
I have not heard the latest HL5 Super so I cant comment on it.

However if you look at any other Harbeth apart from the original LS3/5 and to some extent the P3Es, they thicken the tonality and alter the timbre towards a darker shade, more choclatey, in a way. It possibly could be related to their driver design which get sluggish as they grow in size. The change in bass tone due to the sluggishness will ultimately affect other ranges too due to the change in harmonics.

I owned the Harbeth HL5 + at the same time I owned the JMR Bliss Silvers and I can honestly say the JMR blew the Harbeth away at a fraction of the price. I don't agree at all with Sunnyjim and his comment about the price of the JMR.