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Best Tube/SS Amps for Harbeth 7ES-3

Hi, I just bought a pair of Harbeth Compact 7ES-3 - beautiful sounded speakers. Very natural and musical.

Now I need to get an integrated or Pre/Power combo to drive it. Budget is about $3-4K new or used. I read the 7ES-3 is easy to drive. Which amp works better with the 7ES - Tube or SS?

What amps do you use for your Harbeth 7ES? How much power output do I need to drive the 7ES to its full potential?

Would a 20 watt per channel tube amp drive the Harbeth?

Now that I've settled on the speakers, I can focus on getting the amps :)

Thanks.
r0817
pdreher's avatar
pdreher
1,212 posts
 
I was driving my large Harbeth M-40.1's with a VAC Renaissance 30/30 MKIII, which I've just listed today. It would easily power you compact 7's and would sound phenomenal. I'm only selling it because I've moved up to the 30/30's bigger brother, the 70/70 Signature.

Also, go with tubes if you want to get the best sound out of your Harbeth's. I also had very good success with the McIntosh MC 275 MKV with upgraded tubes.
ryder
1,690 posts
 
Don't bother about Alan Shaw's comments on the Harbeth forum if one believes that amplifiers will make a difference. In his mind all amps sound the same.

Tube vs SS - a matter of preference

Which amp - ditto above

How much power for the C7ES3 - this would depend on your listening levels. Manufacturer's minimum recommended is 25W. A good 20W tube amp will do fine unless one listens at head-banging levels.
donjr
1,335 posts
 
For tube - Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum sounds amazing with the C7's and it's a very popular combo for hifi shops. This match was at the Montreal show this year and was well received. It was enough to sway me into buying the C7's a few months ago. I'm extremely happy and so is anyone who's heard it.
r0817 OP
55 posts
 
Thanks for the comments so far.

Anyone uses the Parasound JC2 pre-amp with the C7 ES? What amp to match with the JC2 for C7 ES?

Thanks,
chashas1
596 posts
 
You're going backwards... Speaker and amp first...
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