Clear difference between Harbeth 30.2 & Super HL5 Plus?

Have you listened to them?
Looking at specs (size of cabinet, bass extension), I think you'll see partially why.  The 30.2 is their top-of-the-line true monitor.  But all I know is that at CAF, driven by a large Rogers tube integrated, they could really boogie and dig down deeper than I would have expected.

Hello rja,

I am the Harbeth dealer in the Dallas area and can expound on this some.  When it comes to their lineup, I view them as an extended family.  You have the only child in the P3ESR.  Then you have brothers in the 30.2 and 40.2, and yet another pair of brothers in the C7ES3 and SHL5+.  They are all cousins and share a familial resemblance, but there are some differences within each nuclear family.

In reference to the 30.2 and SHL5+, the 30.2 represents more of what I think of when I hear the name Harbeth.  It is a warm speaker and because of that, its hard to get a bad synergy with them.  They are more efficient than the specs would lead you to believe, are an easy load for an amplifier, and excel at near-field or semi-near-field positioning.

The SHL5+ is much more linear in tone and can take a little more effort in synergizing.  They need more power than the 30.2 to 'open up' but when you get that right, they can fill a larger room with sound with ease. You get better bass response as well.

I hope this helps you some.

Cheers!

Skip

Thanks Skip! These are the helpful responses I enjoy from dealers.
FYI, I have not listened to them side by side.

This may not help but I have heard 30.1 and SHL5+ in two different rooms. They both are quite different. SHL5+ has more range and you can hear it especially at the lower end of the spectrum. Everything sounds a bit larger with SHL5+, more towards neutral than 30.1, to me at-least. 

Of-course if you have listened to smaller speakers mostly then you will tend to like 30.1/30.2(I am guessing) like me.

I decided not to go with Harbeth speakers since they are just not neutral to the source or don't even try to be. They have a voice of their own. If you like that then you can't go wrong with the line up. Just go higher, you will definitely get more.