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Harbeth vs JM Reynaud

Hoping for some input. I come from a Spendor perspective (my daughter recently inherited my BC-1s) and currently use Spendor s5e's with a Unison Unico hybrid integrated amp. Sound is wonderful. I have seen all the discussions/reviews of Spendor, Harbeth, Stirling, and ATCs, and I am partial to getting the midrange 'right' (the 'BBC' sound). With a 60th birthday coming up, I've been looking into one last speaker upgrade. With all the rave reviews of Harbeth's, I got to spend some time auditioning the Compact 7's, M30.1s and Super HL5's (not the plus). All sounded great but the 30.1's really seemed like something special. I was able to take a pair home for a weeklong audition, and truly fell in love of what these do. So now the problem. I have recently come across a several reviews of JM Reynaud speakers, including some recommendations on this forum as an alternative to Spendor and Harbeth. These really look like possible option for the BBC sound, but there is no opportunity for an audition, and that's a lot of $$ to buy completely unheard. Can anyone provide some thoughts feedback on how the JMR Bliss Silver or the Offrande Supreme's might compare to the Harbeth 30.1s or Super HL5 plus? My living/listening room is 15 x 25 (speakers on short wall), hardwood floors and plaster walls.
ihor
mskochman
8 posts
 
I have owned both Spendors and JMR speakers. I've never owned Harbeths.
I traded in my Spendors after a few years because I found the sound a little boring.
The JMReynaud speakers - I've owned both floor standers and monitors - are much more dynamic and exciting. They have an amazing midrange and a very sweet high frequency range. They are not harsh or over analytic and are on the warm and rich side of the spectrum. I've auditioned similarly priced speakers in my home - Totems, NOLAs, Regas - no comparison. The JMRs are in another league and make beautiful beautiful music.
bob_rodgers
38 posts
 
I've owned both Harbeth and Reynaud, and was unable to get the Offrande Supreme V2 to sound it's best with the rest of my system in my room. I really enjoyed their lively sonic signature, but there was a noticeable midbass suckout that left the music sounding pretty thin. Was advised by Bob Neill (thanks Bob) that I needed an amp with "oompf" to drive them properly. Bought a beefy Karan KAI-180 MKII integrated to drive them, and it helped some, but didn't completely solve the problem.

I've owned both the Harbeth Monitor 30.1 and Compact 7ES3, and they perform much better (to my ears) in my acoustically imperfect space.

FYI, I've owned Proacs, Sonus Fabers, etc. and have never experienced the same issue. Your mileage may vary with your gear in your room.
ihor OP
88 posts
 
Thanks to all who have provided their thoughts and suggestions. I thought I would update folks on where I am in my speaker upgrade process. An Audiogon member kindly invited me over to hear his big Reynauds to give me a feel for the JMR sound. They sounded very nice, but no enough to convince me that the smaller JMRs would be better than the Harbeths. However, he also had on hand a pair of Omega Super Alnico Monitors, which when he played them for me I could not believe how wonderful they sounded. As a consequence, I ordered a pair for a 30-day at home audition (which is something not doable with Reynaud). I am expecting delivery at the end of next week and am looking forward to what they will sound like in my home. The Harbeths are still in my mix, but if the Omega's sound as good for me at home as they did at someone else's place, it will be hard not keep them and save a couple thousand $ that I can use for music! If they don't do it for me, I simply return them and just pay for return shipping, and move on to getting the Harbeths. I will let everyone know how my at home audition goes as well as my final decision.
bcgator's avatar
bcgator
355 posts
 
Fantastic, went into it thinking of two brands, discovered something else along the way. Isn't it great when that happens...

I bet you love those Omegas, congrats!
pc123v
85 posts
 
@Ihor...the omega super alnico monitors have been on my radar for a long time. Do keep us posted on how you find them. Vocals and acoustic instrumental music in particular. Thanks.
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