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?
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. |
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.
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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. |
@chorus I thought TMR was selling B-stock that's why the prices were lower. I'm a huge fan of Harbeth as well, but I feel they are not very competitive at their current prices. I really like the P3esr, but something like a Fritz Carrera BE is much better for the same price. |
