Spendor D7 vs. Harbeth Super HL5+

fsonicsmith


How interesting that you bought the Spendors!   That's a real change from the Devore sound!


I like owning more than one speaker to have more than one flavour of sound available.


As for Thiels: when Thiel introduced the 3.7 flagship speaker, with the completely re-designed flat midrange etc, they finally nailed the sound.Open and alive but no brightness emphasis, smooth as silk, and still the most coherent sound I've heard from a dynamic speaker. 



My 2.7s, with my CJ amps, produce a sound that is almost dead in between a Devore O speaker and a Spendor (or similarly more precise/neutral speaker).   The Thiels produce super precise, dense imaging, huge deep wide soundstaging, but without the hard mechanically squeezed sound of some speakers.  They manage a balance of being precise, yet full and lush.


Admittedly I still wonder sometimes how the O/96s would have sounded in my room as I really liked those speakers too.   But then as you know I bought Joseph Perspectives, and those have been wonderful in their own way too.

If I had a larger room, I would own O/96's. I listened to both over and over at the 2018 Axpona and preferred the O/96's to the O/93's. The O/93's are more polite, the O/96's are party-girls. I know calling a human a "party-girl" is not currently acceptable, but since I am referring to an inanimate object, I will stick with calling them that. Not "sluts", but definite party girls. They boogie in a really good way. I by nature do not dance, but I have never encountered ANY loudspeaker that makes me want to dance like the O/96's do. And air-drum and air-guitar. 

Some on the Naim forum liked the Kudos Titan 707 speakers more than the Spendor D9's but don't sell Kudos speakers here in the USA yet.
  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxBIfjQTGM8

You need to go out and listen to the speakers yourself. This discussion will only make it more clear that loudspeaker choice is personal. I have listened to the D7 and similar Harbeths when I was searching for loudspeakers about couple of years ago. Both were good speakers. But based on my preference I would have gone with the Spendors. How does that help - except to confuse you more.

Some on the Naim forum liked the Kudos Titan 707 speakers more than the Spendor

I've auditioned the Kudos Titan 505 stand mount and 606 floor stander.They are lively sounding speakers.  But if I'm going lively, I prefer the Kudos sound to the Spendors.