What Is So Special About Harbeth?

Have both the 30.1’s and 40.2’s and they do sound great in all respects... when... driven by the right amplifiers - especially, the Hegel’s, which Alan Shaw demos his speakers with.

The SS Hegel amps control the woofers and mids properly, which adds clarity, detail and dynamics. Makes all the difference in the quality of their sound and elevates them more to a sound similar to Quad ESL57’s, or even close to ATC’s.

They also sound great with the Mac MA252, or MA352 tube / SS hybrids.

Though, I’d prolly still prefer the ATC’s - they’re harder to find at a reasonable price.

And... if you want something that’s much easier to drive, which can rival the sound of the Harbeths - the Klipsch Heritage line is a great option - which can sound great with some great tube amps (e.g. Line Magnetic LM 219ia, etc.). And... you can likely find them at a better price.

I've been in this hobby since the 60's and I've heard everything known to man.  I've owned horns, electrostatics and a range of dynamic speakers.  I've listened to every kind of music in every kind of room.
I'm older and wiser now.  I have a modest system with P3 esr speakers.  These speakers do everything well and are engaging and non-fatiguing.  They are plenty loud for my needs (they do need a bit of oomph to get going).
If you are looking to rock the house down and need to feel your pants flap in the breeze and want to feel the bass thump in your chest, don't get these.  If you want to be delighted with hours of engaging and fatigue free listening at reasonable volumes, put these on your short list.

"To me they sound dynamically constipated"

Thanks for that comment lemonhaze, worth the read for that alone!

@ryder +1.

I think there was one typo; the 40.2 made some significant changes over the 40.1, so the regular 40.2 or anniversary 40.2 are the best places to look.

Also, just to be clear, 40.2's at least are anything but forward sounding, if anything they are a little laid back.

a few additional points to add to the discussion

Avoid the older models and start from SHL5+ or SHL5+ 40th Anniversary, M30.2 Anniversary, 40.1 or 40.2 Anniversary etc.

i understand the logic behind @ryder ’s statement but i think it is too strong... older models have a different tonality, but this can be managed by using the correct amp (a solid state one with good damping factor like a lower or older hegel. or belles aria, the like) and slightly brighter more open cables... older models like the compact7 es2 can be really excellent, and they are a bargain, give you so much of what is loved about harbeths for $1500-1800 a pair (plus stands) vs a grand more for es3’s and vs over 2 grand more for c7 40’s or xd’s...

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Also, as @jjss49 mentioned, there is a substantial difference between SHL5 (non-plus) and SHL5+. I often hear folks making comments on the basis of owning the non-plus model. There is no comparison. I heard the non-plus version and own the plus version. The super tweeter in SHL5+ makes a huge difference. You simply cannot extrapolate based on your impressions of the non-plus model alone.

the non plus version of the shl5 also has a super tweeter... like the c7 es2 vs es3, the crossovers were modified to reduce some midbass boom/looseness and give the treble a noticeable lift (the xd versions do some more in the same direction, but just a teeny teeny bit)

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there are those that say harbeths sound ’dead’, ’constipated’, ’dull’... this impression results from a matter of preference, how an individual hears, what that individual seeks from their hifi

to repeat what i have said in other posts, hifi for many who stick to it over the years is a journey, while loving music is a constant... most new to the hobby are amazed by the high resolution, lively, overtly detailed sound real hi-fi offers, as it differs so much from what one had experienced prior, then folks enamored with the detail chase it, spend more $ in that pursuit

some other folks always feel they want their system to reproduce the excitement and highly vivid (and very loud) nature of live music... some speakers excel at that, klipsch's, tekton's, wilsons and magicos on the higher end

over time, if one sticks with the hobby, tastes needs preferences usually evolve... it is not fun to have one’s ears ringing the next morning after hearing a live band or a concert the night before ...folks who like to enjoy music alot, in their homes daily, move away from the fatigue of a bright, forward 'live-sounding' system, and want a more ’beautiful’ and easy to listen to kind of presentation, lower volumes, the sound and level of a human voice singing without amplifiers for instance - add to that the issue of much recorded music is mixed and mastered too brightly, compensating for the fact that most listeners don't have highly resolving rigs...

at this point in one's journey is where harbeths (and their ilk - spendor classics, grahams, and so on) come in... and become beloved as a result by their owners