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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
jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,612 posts
 
harbeths are very balanced, very listenable and coherent top to bottom, have great midrange and very good highs and lows ... it is a speaker that may not impress immediately but has enduring qualities both in looks and sound

it is true that speakers of this nature, harbeths, spendors, the like have a bit of a tendency to homogenize the sound, but that is both a plus and a minus - i also really love proacs, they have a brighter ’clearer’ more open, noticeably edgier sound, but they wear out my ears sooner, esp, with solid state amplification

qualities that make you say ’wow’ when first hearing a speaker are often the same traits that makes you grow tired of it over time, listening for many hours or repeatedly over time
cd318
2,636 posts
 
jjss49,

Excellent post. 

I think listening to loudspeakers can be a bit like listening to people. Sometimes those you find immediately impressive can later turn out annoying, and sometimes the opposite can happen if you're patient enough.

As for innumerous glowing reviews, my guess is they are probably quite relaxing for reviewers in comparison to other designs which may have a touch of the tiring shouty 'me too! element' 

I've only heard the SLH5s but there was an immediate lack of excitement or a Wow! element. There was nothing immediately impressive about them. 

I think Alan Shaw once wrote that a Harbeth loudspeaker can be likeneded to a watercolour painting as opposed to a comparitvely garish pastel print.

For successful long term relationships it must be a balance between excitement and comfort. Maybe, for some, Harbeths do this the best.
avanti1960
1,480 posts
 
the SHL5+ require top flight amplifiation and setup to sound their best.  
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