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What Is So Special About Harbeth?

SLike probably all of you, I just received notice from Audiogon of a 20% discount on Harbeth XD. I clicked on the tab and found that the sale price is about $2700. I have read so many glowing comments here about Harbeth — as if just saying the name is the password for entering aural nirvana. I admit, I haven’t listened to Harbeth speakers. But looking at these, they just look like smallish bookshelf speakers. I’m not questioning how good others say these speakers are, but HOW do they do it out of an ordinary-looking box?

Is it the wood? Is it the bracing? Is it the crossover components? Is it the cone material? What is the reason why these Harbeth’s are such gems compared to other bookshelf speakers? What is it about the construction or technology that makes these speakers a deal at $2700 on sale versus the $800, 900 or $1,000 that others normally cost? What is the secret that makes audiophiles thrill to get such a costly bargain?

bob540
ryder
1,699 posts
 

I don’t know about the XD versions. If going with the older SHL5, pick the SHL5 Plus instead of the older SHL5. The Plus is an overall better sounding speaker - cleaner, more precise and better clarity in the bass and midrange. The SHL5 non-Plus sounds smeared and has a bloated uneven bass.

jjss49's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
jjss49
6,612 posts
 

xd versions are very very incrementally altered over just prior gen harbeths

bigger change can be heard in 40.2 or shl+ or 7es3 versions from those prior... 40.1, shl non/plus, c7es2 - as others have said, mid-bass/bass was tightened up and transparency increased a noticeable notch

ryder
1,699 posts
 

xd versions are very very incrementally altered over just prior gen harbeths

 

That’s useful. From my observation, the popular XD models that get the most attention are the C7ES3 and M30. The other models don’t get much interest, and the P3ESR XD is a mixed bag. It appears that several P3ESR owners who switched to the P3ESR XD are having difficulty adapting to the bright treble in the new model.

twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,320 posts
 

The XD series has underdone certainly one round of price increases, perhaps two, and currently in the USA I just don't think they're price-competitive, whatever their many virtues.

The upside here is that the sweet spot in the Harbeth range was represented by the previous two generations/iterations: the Anniversary series and the non-anniversary series before that (e.g. 40.2 Anniversary, 40.2).  Pick up a gently used pair of these in whatever model you're interested in, and you get all the Harbeth magic at a much more reasonable price.  That's exactly what I did.

 

petaluman
167 posts
 

Every loudspeaker, no matter the price, is voiced by the builder to best accomplish their design goals.  That's why there's no unanimity of opinion of the best speaker at any given price range, including unlimited.  Harbeth, like many brands, has been around for a long time.  You can trust them to build a quality product at a just price.

That doesn't mean they're for you.  Every buyer is seeking the speaker in their price range that best meets their own personal "voicing" standards.

Don't look at this as being something special that Agon is offering you.  It's just a sales ad.  If Harbeth wasn't on your radar before, you don't need to add them now.

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