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What comes after Harbeth 30.1s?

A few weeks ago, I created a post where I was asking for advice to help a family friend create a home office system on a $6-7K budget. He ended up buying a VTL I-85 integrated amp which he really loves. After searching for speakers, he really liked my Harbeth M30.1s. He eventually bought my speakers but was going to pay in October. Unfortunately, he has had some unexpected expenses and won’t be able to pay me. So the speakers will be back in my possession next weekend.

The problem is that during this time, I started researching my next set of speakers. Of course, a safe bet was to stick with what I know and buy another pair of 30.1s whenever they pop up in the used market. Now that I will be getting them back, I’m still wrestling with the idea whether I should try something different. At this time, I’m only looking to buy used and not spend much more than what I can sell the 30.1s for. And to be honest, I will only be switching for the sake of trying a new flavor. I really like the 30.1s and something tells me that I might come to regret the decision. This speaker does pretty much everything right for my tastes and music preferences. Okay, if you put a gun to my head and force to me to share just one thing I wish was better, it would be a more airy presentation and little bit more open on the top. But otherwise, it’s hard to find fault with this speaker.

My room is 12 x 13 with almost 20 foot ceilings. Just like my friend, I’m limited on positioning options -- I can only pull out the speakers from the front wall by a foot at most. Another restriction (spousal commandment) is that I have to sell the 30.1s first to obtain the funds for the next purchase. So I won’t be able to buy something else, compare, and resell the one I don’t like as much. Secondly, I only want to buy used and well-known brands. The idea is that whenever the next upgrade itch strikes, I should be able to sell the speakers without losing more than 10-15%. And the final (whew!) restriction is that I have to be able to drive them with a tube integrated amp. I’m planning to buy a Qualiton a20i next month. This is the smaller brother for a50i which I also own.

So what do you guys think? Is this an ill-conceived, wrong-headed idea? Feel free to talk me out of it :)

If not, I would love to hear from people who have moved from 30.1s to another speaker in similar (or lesser) price range and are happy with their decision. An obvious next step is to move up to 30.2, but I’m not sure if it’s worth paying an extra $1000 or so. Or maybe it is that much better? C7ES3 is another option, but I fear it might be a little too much on the warm/lush side with difficult to tame bass especially when placed so close to the wall.

Another speaker I would love to try is the Fritz Carrera BE, but again I don’t want to buy new and I don’t see them in the used market that often. I know they have a 30-day return policy but that’s not the point. Knowing myself, I would probably end up selling them after a year or two, and don’t want to take the depreciation hit.

Proac Response D2 is another option, but I fear that it might be too forward for my taste, especially in a smaller room. If someone owns one and disagree, please chime in :)

Thanks in advance for your valuable advice!


arafiq
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,320 posts
 
As the owner of PMC's and Harbeth's I would say this.

As with other companies, different lines of speaker differ in voicing.  The OB1 and other models of that generation, most of which sat on low stands, likely sounded different and closer to classic BBC profile.  I haven't heard one.  I own Twenty.24 speakers.  I auditioned the Fact line at the same time, and didn't like them as much, although they were more expensive.  To me they were leaner and cooler, perhaps more neutral.  Then came the TwentyFive series (or however they write it) and my understanding is that that line is voiced closer to the Facts.  So as with Spendor, if you want the classic sound you probably want to go back a few years.
prof
3,491 posts
 
Re PMC Fact speakers:

To me they were leaner and cooler, perhaps more neutral.



They aren’t more neutral - they are colored. This shows up in the measurements like I posted above. (And you can see the same coloration over and over in the consumer PMC models).


I think a some people get fooled by the PMCs. They come from a company also known for making professional monitors, and the highs can seem detailed and precise, "like studio monitors" or something.But they are leaner in the midrange than is actually neutral.


I don’t know how neutral their pro stuff might be, but for the consumer line it seems somebody at PMC decided the public wanted something different, more exciting vs accurate.


jjss49's avatar
jjss49
6,612 posts
 
just another data point, i had heard pmc speakers (modern looking floorstanders, 3 ways) model 526 i think it was, on a trip to london a few years back

they were driven by sugden solid state class a amplification, and my impression was that these speakers err on the side of speed and sparkle and impact, rather than warmth and ’musical’ tonality - as such my sense is that they are more alike the spendor d series than their classic series (which tends to bring voices and acoustic instruments forward with nuance and body)

this isn't to say you can't make a speaker like these, or focals, magicos etc etc, sound more warm and less 'hifi' with the correct ancillaries, but what i think @prof is talking about here is the more fundamental voicing of the speaker here, which i tend to agree with, as compared to harbeths, classic spendors, and so on
gosta's avatar
gosta
839 posts
 
And then there´s the room, the placement of the speakers and the listening position which will actually decides how the speakers will sound....

Why not apply some pro dsp to the Harbeths. And add a small sub.
I would start there.

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
It's a study system. Studies are for working. Music is in the background. Keep your Harbeths and spend the money on your main system where you do your listening. 
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