The Wilsons are an order of magnitude better speakers. They are the lowest distortion, most dynamic and resolving speakers, the most lifelike speakers anywhere near their price. Anyone who thinks they are HiFi sounding has not listened to current models, or has listened in systems with those horrid flat cables, or ones with high silver content, to through the horrific DACs from PS Audio or Mytek. Or simply hasn't heard live music.
A move from Harbeth to... Wilson?
Hi gang, hoping for some thoughts.
I'm very happy at the moment with my system, but getting a slight itch for an upgrade. So many options and directions I could go, but the one I'm pondering at the moment is moving from my Harbeth C7ES-3 speakers to Wilson Sabrinas. (The Sabrina X is now out, which may bring the Sabrina down to my budget... maybe.)
My room is approx. 10'6" x 15'6" with the speakers along the short wall and my listening chair is about 2/3 back from said wall. The C7s plus their stands are just about the right size for this room, and the Sabrinas on their floor spikes are similar in "overall" size, though obviously the speakers themselves are bigger.
Current amp is a Pass Labs XA30.5 which doubles down at 4Ohms (plus lots of headroom) and comes just within Wilson's "recommended" amplifier power. The room is on the smaller side, and I don't listen loud; I've never "wanted" for more power with the C7s. (Though every once in a while I wonder what a pair of XA60.5s would sound like in here, but that's an entirely different thread.)
Eh? Any thoughts?
I'm very happy at the moment with my system, but getting a slight itch for an upgrade. So many options and directions I could go, but the one I'm pondering at the moment is moving from my Harbeth C7ES-3 speakers to Wilson Sabrinas. (The Sabrina X is now out, which may bring the Sabrina down to my budget... maybe.)
My room is approx. 10'6" x 15'6" with the speakers along the short wall and my listening chair is about 2/3 back from said wall. The C7s plus their stands are just about the right size for this room, and the Sabrinas on their floor spikes are similar in "overall" size, though obviously the speakers themselves are bigger.
Current amp is a Pass Labs XA30.5 which doubles down at 4Ohms (plus lots of headroom) and comes just within Wilson's "recommended" amplifier power. The room is on the smaller side, and I don't listen loud; I've never "wanted" for more power with the C7s. (Though every once in a while I wonder what a pair of XA60.5s would sound like in here, but that's an entirely different thread.)
Eh? Any thoughts?
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- 71 posts total
Hyberbole I doubt an order of magnitude separates many different speakers, unlike the pricing. In case you don't know, an order of magnitude is 10x. Exaggeration At that price there will be plenty of other options. Anyway we all know speakers are a very personal choice. Silly supposition And can any member who 'hasn't heard live music' please put up hand, there won't be any. The above post adds nothing and we can all do without. |
I’ve owned the Harbeth C7 and the M30.1. IMO, they both sounded nice but boxy. My favorite Harbeth is the P3ESR. They really do a disappearing act when in a smaller room like yours. You can get a pair at the fraction of the cost of those others that you are looking at. If they don’t work out they are very easy to sell. Here is a video of a guy that agrees with my opinion about the P3ESR! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqFIaiPT_kY And another! https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=harbeth+p3esr+review&view=detail&mid=5D7EB69CCEBBAAE793... |
@yogiboy Great links. No doubt the smaller panels of the P3ESR will help with the disappearing act. I once read a slightly troubling review of that renowned speaker where the listener got confused as to which speaker was actually playing at the time. The other speaker in the room was the M40! Maybe the ability to sound like a much larger speaker is the P3s best parlour trick, but it did leave me wondering just how big the actual differences might be. This is not going to be easy for the OP, is it? @clearthinker, What a wonderfully refreshing post to read. Thanks! |
- 71 posts total