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The Harbeth phenomenon

In my search for a new pair of speakers, I've gone through many threads here and noticed that many owners or fans of Harbeth have almost a love-like connection with Harbeth speakers. It is almost as if the speakers cast a spell upon them. I know many audiophiles love their speakers but Harbeth owners seem especially enamored with theirs. I am extremely puzzled by this phenomenon because on paper Harbeth speakers look average at best and lack many of the attributes that generally make a great speaker.

Their sensitivity of generally around the 86dB mark makes them rather inefficient and therefore, at least in theory, not a good match for many lower powered tube amps, or any amps below 100wpc. Their frequency range is simply inferior to most high-end speakers since they don't go below 40 Hz. This alone should, again at least in theory, disqualify Harbeth speakers from consideration as top high end speakers. And yet I've never heard anyone complain about their bass, while people complain about lack of bass in the Gibbon Nines from DeVore, which is a fantastic speaker. Their cabinets look like a cheap DIY enclosure (disclaimer: I've never seen a Harbeth up close, only pictures). The 7ES-3 is rated B-Restricted, while the smaller and cheaper Usher Be-718 A-Restricted in Stereophile but garners nowhere near the same amount of admiration, praise and following among audiophiles.

So what's going on here? Is this a big conspiracy plot by the company that paid off a few hundred of people to infiltrate audiophile internet forums and a few reviewers? I am of course joking here, but the question is serious. How can speakers so average on paper be so good in real life? I know the opposite is often true, but you rarely see this phenomenon.

Please speak up.
actusreus
mlsstl
1,436 posts
 
I recently auditioned a pair of 7-ES3s for a couple of hours. The distance was more like 7 1/2 or 8 feet, but I didn't notice any driver integration problems at that distance. I found them a very natural sounding speaker, devoid of any audiophile gimmicks.

But then Sam T. is a professional reviewer and by trade has to find something to call out. And different people are sensitive to different things. That said, I've read Tellig uses this model Harbeth as his reference, so it can't be too much of an issue.

Sounds like you're at the point where you simply need to listen for yourself.
ryder
1,689 posts
 
Mlsstl hits the nail on the head. Generally it depends on the size of the room and preference. The C7ES3 will still sound good in near-field configuration. A C7 owner had his speakers 7' distance away in his small room and had no issues. I've tried a distance of 6.5' with my SHL5s and do not perceive any serious shortcomings. I settled with a distance of 9' though and thought the sound was more coherent in the lower midrange and airier with more extended highs. To summarize, it depends on what kind of presentation you would prefer.

fiddler
581 posts
 
El34,

What's the difference between a musician and a large pizza?

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A large pizza can feed a family of four !!! :)
donjr
1,335 posts
 
I travel around the U.S. for work and am out of town with nothing to do many weekends throughout the year. In my spare time I like to audition gear. I don't currently own Harbeth's (that might change tomorrow) but they've been my all around favorites. I'm finally going to hear them paired with my amp tomorrow. Of all the speakers I've encountered over the past 32 years since I purchased my first new pair of Genesis G1's............ the Harbeths are my favorites. This is my personal opinion and I will not tell you why I like them because that doesn't pertain to anyone but me.
brianmgrarcom
1,317 posts
 
This is my personal opinion and I will not tell you why I like them because that doesn't pertain to anyone but me.
Then I don't get the point of your post. These are opinion forums.
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