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Which Harbeth would work in my room?

Hi,

Harbeths have been on my radar screen for a few years now and I am looking for advice from Harbeth owners regarding which model will work in my listening room.

This is going to be a big change from my Thiel CS5's, which I have decided are a bit too big for my space, so I want to aim for the best suited Harbeth model.

My listening space is about 16 foot wide with nine foot ceilings and an open stairway on one side. Due to room logistics and WAF, my front wall is about eleven feet from the listening position but there is another fifteen feet of open space behind me.

My thoughts are that I should consider the SHL5 Plus or possibly a 40.1/40.2.

Can anyone share their thoughts regarding recommended distances between speakers and listening position for the various Harbeth models?

Thanks for real world advice!

Dsper
dsper
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 
Thanks! but just to be clear, it's not my review, it's someone else's, but I think it exemplifies well the size of room that 40.2's can work in, even if that size is not optimal.

Vu of Deja Vu in Wash DC, a Harbeth dealer, told me they needed a minimum of 2' each side to be able to breathe OK.
timo62
281 posts
 
The M40.2 is much more room friendlier that the M40.1. I would not recommend the M40.1 unless one has plenty of room to move them out in the room. The M40.2  will work in more rooms that most people realize. 

I was told the same thing by Vu ,from Deja Vu Audio also. At least 2 feet out from front wall ( Wall behind the speakers).  My M40.2 are a little less than 2 feet out from the front wall and I have no issues. Room treatment can also help with limited listening rooms.

dsper ,   Do you have a local Harbeth dealer you can work with to help you decide which model you might prefer? You might want to go and listen to the line up first. 


avanti1960
1,507 posts
 
i have the shl5+ in a similar front half of the room configuration and they work really well.
you should be file with a minimum 24" rear baffle to wall which puts the front baffle 8 feet perpendicular to your listening spot. if you position in an equilateral triangle then the speakers will be 11+ ft from your spot which would be excellent- they like to be listened semi nearfield.
i also owned the C7ES3 and rave about them too. I do not care as much for the 30.1 or 30.2, they have a noticeably smaller sound. The 40’s would definitely be too large for your listening area.
big_greg
6,670 posts
 
The Super HL5 Plus should work well in that size room.  My room is about 24 X 20.  Since it is a "living" room with an odd shape, placement is less than ideal, about 2 1/2 feet from the front wall, about 4 feet from sidewalls, and about 9 feet from my listening position.  I had Legacy Audio Focus 20/20 speakers before and they had a lot more impact than the SHL5 Plus, but the imaging, soundstage, and level of detail the SHL5 Plus provide more than make up for that.  I would think the 40.2 would sound great in your space also, but I've not heard them.  I echo the advice of speaking with a dealer and getting a recommendation from them.
bthemann
14 posts
 
With the right music, my SHL5s were extraordinary in an 11x17 space, 3 feet from the rear wall with exceptional dimension and fine detail but with larger sound they could get bass-y overwhelming the room. In a larger, 2 story 20x20 room, they became all that for all music from Massey Hall to Live Rust. With the breadth of your space, I can’t see how you’d go wrong. That said, I heard the 40s in a small room at the NY audio show fed by some big amps and they were the best in show. Safe to go SHL 5 but maybe time to take a chance?
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