Piano Notes On Harbeth SHL 5

Interesting observation. I agree that recorded piano tone can often be bothersome, but "thick" isn't a descritpive that I'd ever be inclined to use for any reproduction of piano. So, it's hard for me to comment on the Harbeth from your description, but....

Recording techniques vary so much and the pianos themselves vary so much (a new concert grand will sound rather different than an old upright with worn pads on the hammers) that it's hard to know if even really good reproduction by your system will sound satisfying on any given recording. As Wolf mentions, digital pianos (pretty common these days) sound different, too.

I've attended a recording session and watched everyone struggle - and never really succeed - in trying to get the piano to sound just right. I've also recorded my own (pretty horrible) playing on my daughter's high quality Kawai digital upright in the living room and can never get it to sound right 20' away in my listening room.

There are occasions when it's pretty evident that the system is the culprit, but I rarely use piano recordings to reach that conclusion. When it comes to problems in reproducing piano, I'm always wondering about the recording and reluctant to blame the system.

I heard exactly what you (the original poster) did with my SHL5s and always found myself leaning into the speakers trying to listen for more. Eventually I sold them due to this thinking this sounds more like mid-fi (despite the protests over on the Harbeth Users' Group saying there must me something wrong with my ears).

Rgs92, there is nothing wrong with your ears. It is typical of any ardent or overzealous fans to come into the defense of the Harbeth on the user forum. That can happen on any manufacturer's forum, and the same thing can be seen on the Naim forum. Though I have to admit that some chaps on the Harbeth user group seem to be totally stuck on the speakers and regard the Harbeth as somewhat flawless and most natural speakers in the world.

I do agree that the Harbeth lacks that extra bit of detail and resolution causing it to sound slightly soft and rounded in the highs. In comparison to ultra-revealing and transparent speakers out there, one can consider the Harbeth to be mid-fi. There are many other high-end speakers that offer more detail, resolution and tighter punchier bass but too much of detail may render the sound to be bright, cold or analytical. I believe balance is the key to a musical speaker and/or system. Everyone has their own benchmark or reference as to how their music should sound like so inevitably one speaker will not cater to all listening preferences.

Back to the quality of piano notes on the Harbeth. Martykl made a good point. The quality of piano recordings do differ greatly with the use of different recording techniques. Although the tone of piano sound warm and soft on some recordings, it can sound lean and bright on other recordings with a crisp and lighter feel. Thankfully the different tonal quality of the piano on various recordings shows through the Harbeth. If they all sound the same then it would be worrying.

As the OP, I am pleasantly surprised that this post has lasted for so long. I passed on the SHL 5's for the reasons I mentioned, which seem to be shared by Rgs92.

So which speaker has the best of both worlds? To paraphrase Ryder, bass(and lower mids) with the texture and organic bloom of the Harbeths with a slightly rolled off top end which makes harsh recordings listenable (for Jazz and Blues)but yet extended and resolving enough to make music with lots of transients (like Rock or Pop) enjoyable.

Ryder, I saw on another thread that you were asking about the Dynaudio C2 Sigs? Are you thinking of replacing your SHL 5's?

Mikey8811, I'm looking at an alternative speaker to complement the SHL5s. I will be keeping the Harbeth as I still like what they are capable of doing. Like Rgs92, I am looking for another speaker with more resolution and detail than the Harbeths so that I can have best of both worlds. In my opinion no speaker can do it all. You gain some in one speaker and lose some in another.

Yes, I was looking at the Dynaudio C2 Sigs but not at the point of getting them. I have briefly listened to the Confidence C1's three years ago and they do have the resolution and detail that are absent in the SHL5. Nevertheless, the C1s also do not have the warm organic bloom and sweet airy highs of the SHL5s. No doubt the C1s are a high-grade mini-monitor, but I'm not sure if I can live with the squeaky clean sound of it in long-term and connect to it emotionally(on a good day I can listen up to 6 hours with the SHL5). To top it off, the C1s have limited bass response and does not go low down the frequency spectrum. The C2s look good but I would be more interested in a bookshelf than a pair of large floorstanders at this point of time in my life due to personal priorities.

In other words, I am looking to acquire another bookshelf for short-term thrills. The Harbeths are keepers in my main system. My other backup PSB monitors failed to live up to expectations and have been relegated to HT duties.