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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?
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mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,448 posts
 
1+ clearthinker
cd318
2,636 posts
 
@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!
mlsstl
1,427 posts
 
"Anyone who thinks they are HiFi sounding has not listened to current models..."

I can't tell you how many times I've heard this about several brands of speakers over the years.  Basically, it boils down to "THIS TIME we got it right."  ;-)

I begrudge no one for whatever preferences they have. We all have different priorities concerning what we value when we listen to music. That's fine. It's a big world and there are options for everyone. 

(And, BTW, I do listen to live music regularly -- Powell Symphony Hall, Cathedral Basilica and similar venues these days and years ago spent time in the music industry as a sound engineer before switching careers. I'm confident of my own preferences.)
curlyhifi
157 posts
 
Great room size. Great Amp. You really have to listen to the Sabrinas.
The Harbeth you have would go nicely with two REL s/510.
The Sabrinas are very different then the Vintage watt /puppys.
Very transparent and open. If you listen to them you will decide quickly if they work with you.
goose
679 posts
 
Going from Harbeth to Wilson is an interesting direction.  I will admit my bias against Wilson speakers.  I have listened to many models over the last several years and the last ones were at RMAF in 2019.  I find them too clinical in the top end and also the integration of the midrange and bass just strikes me as unbalanced.  Perhaps if they are really set up well my opinion would change but I have heard them with top notch solid state and tube electronics.  My test is always violin music and the upper frequencies just drive me out of the room.  I settled on Vienna Acoustics Liszt when I was doing my search.  I guess everyone has different priorities that they value.  
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