Which Harbeths?

I owned the C7ES3 and absolutely loved them- amazing midrange and a smooth rich overall tone with a perfect tweeter that added just the right amount of cymbal sparkle.
The 30.2 are very good but can be overly smooth.
The choice could come down to amplifier and room size.
The C7’s sound best with a more neutral transparent amplifier in a slightly larger room.
The 30’s sound good with midrange forward amplifiers in a slightly smaller room.  

30.2s for me. Yes heard both.
Kinda easy though as one is x2 the other
in price.
I posed a similar question a while back
only it was between the 30.2 and the HL5+

I’ve owned TOTEM ARROs and TOTEM FORESTs in prior systems so I know their strengths AND their warts very well. I now own the HARBETH 30.2XD’s .

in brief:

(1) The HARBETHs are a VERY sonic signature difference than the TOTEMS, with a superior treble, much superior midrange and matched overall silkiness that will be a big step- up in audio performance. BUT ,,,, If you are a bass freak , look elsewhere. HARBETH bass is tight, punchy and crisp, but they won’t necessarily go as low. Personally it’s a better audio presentation without the bass overhang but likely won’t satisfy bass-heads with rock or organ as their fave music genres. If you are married to the bespoke TOTEM sonic signature, look elsewhere .too. FWIW, HARBETHs will easily best the TOTEMs in low volume listening performance and audio,satisfaction.

(2) your room size and your listening position from source will dictate which model of HARBETH you will likely consider ….mine are in 17.5 L X 12.5W. The 30.2XD’s are ideal as a comparison point.

(3) The new / current HARBETH model XD’s are a worthy upgrade from HARBETH’s prior models with numerous build upgrades first introduced in the “special” ANNIVERSARY models, but are now standard in XD models. This has been well discussed in my (and other) prior posts below.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/harbeth-30-1-30-2-xd?highlight=Harbeth%2B30.1

(4) The better your upstream equipment, the exponentially better the HARBETHs sing. I’ve never looked back at selling the TOTEMs with any wist or regret.

I am glad to hear some feedback but I think I’m more confused. Would be great to go demo both but I’m not buying new and it just seems rude. Plus it’s a four hour drive. Plus it will be in a whole different room, different everything. 30.2s are better looking and smaller visually both perks which might win out I guess. Really I just want the the one that sounds more realistic, natural, magical, special, and I think I can live with whatever other pros and cons come with it. The question is which speaker is that???

I purchased Harbeth 30.1's and agree that the highs and mid-range are very clean and natural.  That being said, the bass is weak!  I purchased REL subs to provide the missing "link".  I should have them hooked up next week.  BTW, the Harbeths are not underpowered...I'm driving them with a GSPre and GS150.  They just...okay, I'll say it...suck at bass.