Sorry Bob, did not realize I was fraternizing with the enemy:)!!
So this clear (and not to turn this into a Harbeth thread) but IMO they make the most musical speakers I have owned. The 40.1 is a marvel and worth full retail. I could go on and on about all the things they do that other speakers seem to have to trouble with.
One of those things Roscoelli hit on and that is how do speakers sound at low volumes. The holy grail of all high end audio to me is to have it all there at low volumes, no need to search for what is missing by turning the volume up. Novices miss this key point all the time. No speaker does this better than Harbeth and none better than the 40.1. Once you have you understand and it is one of the few elements that is much more dependent on the speaker than anything other part of the chain, electronics can't get you all the way there.
The LS50 is not bad in this respect but not the same league as Harbeth. My LS50 have less than 100 hrs on them, but they do seem to fill out some with a little more volume. Way better than most monitors which can often sound thin and anemic and unbalanced at low volumes.
I took a chance on the LS50 mostly out of curiosity and the reviews and knowing that lineage of Kef and Harbeth share much common ground and that I imagine Kef gunning for a sound similar to Harbeth (without admitting it)
I think the LS50 gets you 90% there at a fraction of the cost and also does some things possibly better including the illusion of a point source with wonderful imaging. Mine are placed near ear level seated and they sound really good at that height. They are much closer to the sound I am used to with Harbeth for considerably less cost hence my desire to share in the post.
So this clear (and not to turn this into a Harbeth thread) but IMO they make the most musical speakers I have owned. The 40.1 is a marvel and worth full retail. I could go on and on about all the things they do that other speakers seem to have to trouble with.
One of those things Roscoelli hit on and that is how do speakers sound at low volumes. The holy grail of all high end audio to me is to have it all there at low volumes, no need to search for what is missing by turning the volume up. Novices miss this key point all the time. No speaker does this better than Harbeth and none better than the 40.1. Once you have you understand and it is one of the few elements that is much more dependent on the speaker than anything other part of the chain, electronics can't get you all the way there.
The LS50 is not bad in this respect but not the same league as Harbeth. My LS50 have less than 100 hrs on them, but they do seem to fill out some with a little more volume. Way better than most monitors which can often sound thin and anemic and unbalanced at low volumes.
I took a chance on the LS50 mostly out of curiosity and the reviews and knowing that lineage of Kef and Harbeth share much common ground and that I imagine Kef gunning for a sound similar to Harbeth (without admitting it)
I think the LS50 gets you 90% there at a fraction of the cost and also does some things possibly better including the illusion of a point source with wonderful imaging. Mine are placed near ear level seated and they sound really good at that height. They are much closer to the sound I am used to with Harbeth for considerably less cost hence my desire to share in the post.