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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
jazzguy43
39 posts
 

i have thiel cs5is and both 40.1s and slh5s. i have had the 30.1s and compact 7s (I am a former dealer). If you love the Thiel sound, the Harbeths are not that in any way. You may be better served w/a pair of Modified Quad 63s and a decent sub.  I also have modified Quads, Thiel 3.7s, KEF 205/2s (most friendly speaker I own), and a few others. My 3.7s are currently on ebay.


docfletch
8 posts
 
I have a 14x12 foot rectangular listening space with an 8 foot ceiling, and I am using the 40.2’s in there. I had C7’s prior to these. Both speakers have sounded incredible. I admit that I placed acoustic panels around the room to avoid booming and resonance after installing the 40.2’s. However, I still have room to keep the speakers a fair distance from the walls and from each other. Once you get a pair of Harbeths it’s likely you’ll never want anything else. But to answer your question, I think you have room for any of the Harbeth speakers, as long as you take care to set them up properly. Good luck, and enjoy!
dsper OP
662 posts
 
jazzguy43 wrote: If you love the Thiel sound, the Harbeths are not that in any way.  
I do appreciate the Thiel sound. The CS5's are so much better than the 3.6's, which I also have, but I cannot seem to get a good sound stage or separate images with the CS5's due to their size and how they must fit in my space.

I have found that I seem to like inner detail and warmth as I played with preamps, amps, and interconnects. My sense is that Harbeth would be more of that, which is what is driving my interest.

Your comments really are advising me to listen first and not make a mistake! 

Thanks for listening,

Dsper



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