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Harbeth M30.1 vs B&W CM10 s2

My current gear consists of B&W CM10, Parasound A21 and Cambridge Audio Azur 851D (preamp and DAC). My taste in music -- jazz, blues, light rock (e.g. John Mayer). No interest in pop music, rock, metal, rap, etc. I am not really dissatisfied with my current system per se, but there are times when I find the speakers to be a bit on the bright side and lacking warmth. I am also planning to add a subwoofer (or two) in the near future, so musical sub recommendations are also welcome.

I have an opportunity to buy a used pair of Harbeth M30.1. I have heard great things about Harbeth. The problem is that the seller lives about 2 hours away from me. So before I make the trip, I want to get some feedback from folks who own the Harbeths, or better yet replaced B&Ws with Harbeths.

If one’s taste in music leans toward jazz (classical and contemporary), vocals (Diana Krall, Patricia Barber, Shirley Horn, etc), blues, and light rock, do you think Harbeths will be a step up in sound quality compared to the CM10s? I am looking for more transparent, detailed sound but not at the expense of losing the bottom end/oomph.

The speakers will be placed in the media room. Roughly 15 x 20, 10 ft ceilings. No windows.
128x128arafiq
willemj
1,036 posts
 
I have Harbeth P3ESRs in my study and by all accounts the sound of Harbeth speakers is very similar across the audio range. I think they are glorious and in particular not at all fatiguing or over bright. Thanks in part to the very special cone material they are also highly transparent and with a clearly spacious sound not at all dissimilar to the Quad electrostats in my living room. The M30.1 is also the model that is probably precisely right for the size of your listening room.
fjn04
1,561 posts
 

I feel that I may have seen a Harbeth 30.2 soon to be available...Just saying! I enjoy my P3 esr's very much, especially for smaller scale, acoustic, and vocal stuff. Great advice from willemj above with regard to choosing the right size speaker for your room. I would have guessed the SHL5 would work in a 15' X 20' with 10' ceilings, but I may be wrong.

yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
5,646 posts
 
I doubt that you would go wrong with the Harbeths. I have the smaller P3’s in my 20x15 listening room and I like them better than many other speakers that I have owned. If you want to add a sub the J.L.Audio goes perfect with the Harbeth. BTW, I always found B&W to be a bright speaker!
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