Harbeth 40.2

I’ve got a pair of the 30.1’s and completely agree with dznutz - the Harbeth’s are as close to completely transparent as I’ve heard.  
I’d also say that we oldsters have a more refined perspective on fine sound than a 21 year old.  Music is not binary.  
I’m not sure Harbeth speakers would be the best reproduction devices for dubstep.  

There is the classic BBC dip which literally means it will be quieter in the midrange.

A dip in the 1KHz - 3KHz range does not necessarily mean "loss of details".  It just means that the upper mid (such as female voice) will be less forward.  "Details" is more intrinsic to the resolution of the equipment and not really related to the frequency response of the speakers.  A "BBC dip" only modifies the characteristic of the sound reproduction and not the details.

There are speakers that intentionally emphasize the "BBC region" and high frequencies and sometimes that may be mis-interpreted as "details".

I've been living with a pair of 40.2's for almost a year now in a room which is about 15' x 25' that opens up to the main floor of the home so lots of room to breathe.

I found that pulling the speakers out from the back wall and towards the listening position improved the sound quite a bit - I have roughly a 7' triangle orientation going which seems to work well with the speakers angled towards the listening position.

As a general rule people recommend going with big power with the 40.2's with a few exceptions such as the LFD NCSE which is what I'm running and the Vinnie Rossi amp which is also around 75 a channel.  I'd like to try one of the big Hegel amps out, apparently that's what Harbeth have been demoing with at audio shows recently but the LFD is so good I have no desire to try anything else at this time.

I have found that they play much better to all types of music than I had expected they would - for example I listened to my 45rpm copies of Radiohead In Rainbows recently and it was absolutely stellar.  Been listening to a lot of jazz recently and they do a great job on that particular genre as well so they are definitely not limited to female vocal and acoustic music.  Even the new Billie Eillish album for example sounds really good on this speaker.

Having a bit more time to listen to my system as many people have the past few weeks, the Harbeths are a joy to run morning until night across a wide variety of music.  As long as you don't cheap out on the source or the amplification they are real easy to live with.

Besides that, the grilles lasted a day on my Cherry pair of 40.2's - I didn’t notice any major change in sound maybe a bit more top end but barely.  They looked butt ugly with the grilles on and they're pretty sexy without IMHO so I'll trade whatever minute loss of sound quality for the visual appeal while I sit and listen.

I'd definitely want to have a listen before buying, I doubt that anyone and everyone will love the 40.2 but for me they may well be a happily ever after purchase.

Thanks all for the information! I have a big open room, with family rm and dining room in one big space. Family rm is about 20 x 26 and is 20 x 40 with the dining room....BUT, and maybe a huge issue, I cant pull the speakers away from front wall more than a foot or so. I’ve got 3 or 4 feet on either side, with an 8 ft separation between existing spkrs, and an 11 foot coughered ceiling in the family room that reduces to 9 ft in the dining room. Bass boom could be an issue...yes?