JBL 43xx va Harbeth 40.x

Ninety % of my listening is classical --big orchestra stuff: Mahler,Beethoven, Shostakovich, etc.,through Van Alstine tube preamp, the iconic all powerful Proton 1200 amp,And Magnepan MG12/QR speakers.Very dramatic through the Maggies,but massed violins always have a dry gritty edge. Have tried other amps and speakers-- have a Musical Fidelity M6sPRX amp on the way.But I keep hearing about Harbeth.Very expensive,many different models.Appreciate any feedback.Also thinking about the Magnepan 1.7i. Thanks.

6119:
Bypass 1.7i. Save for 3.7i. The true ribbon rules. But not clear why this is posted on thread comparing JBL and Harbeth??
When I was a young audio novice we talked about the West Coast sound (JBL, Altec) vs. the New England sound (AR, KLH).  This is the same conversation as that was. Basically, as I see it, it’s really about whether your listening keys in on the sound of live classical music, unamplified and heard at some distance, or if you are keying in on music created in studios with multiple close-mic tracks. The latter favors large cone area higher sensitivity speakers, the former favors smooth frequency response, freedom from peaks, and artful driver blending...all hallmarks of the New (and old) England school. 

that is a very interesting perspective crustycoot

i drifted towards jbl rather than standard drivers and i listen to studio recorded music in the main.  something about standard drivers that does not do it for me and i do not listen to classical.

@crustycoot, interesting observation. There's definitely a similarity in the sonic presentation (which you so aptly described) of old 'new england' speakers (like AR) and certain new 'old england' speakers (like Harbeth). I would say Maggies are also examples of this type of presentation, albeit using totally different design and technology. I have Maggie 20.7 and AR11 speakers in the same room and although they're driven by different systems they essentially sound very much alike. 

@6119: agree with crustycoot. Go for the 3 series if you can stretch it, as there's really no substitute for Maggie's true ribbon. But make sure you have sufficient power to drive them properly.

Before you dump your Harbeth's you should read this:

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/harbeth-monitor-40-2.25222/

Also, and just my opinion, the MC275 is not a good match for the Harbeth. IMHO tubes cannot bring out the best in Harbeth speakers. I tried 3 different tube amps with my original 40's and the SHL5+ and they did not work for me in my system. You will find plenty of folks who will disagree with me. YMMV.

If you have a way to borrow a good solid state amp I urge you to try it before you make a decision on the Harbeth. Harbeth uses QUAD SS amps to voice their speakers. Good Luck!