Harbeth P3ESR vs Fritz Rev 5 vs DeVore Gibbon 3XL

Alexander 717,I have owned both Spendors and Harbeths. Both are great little speakers.The Spendors are a little laid back compared to the Harbeths.The Spendor was on Sterophiles recommended list for years. You can google them for reviews and info.

No_regrets -- I've just not had a lot of success with Harbeth in my room. They always sound great to me at shows but somehow disappointing at home. I'm stuck in a purgatory of wanting their rich warmth and also wanting clarity, edge definition and transparency to the source. I completely understand the people that scratch their heads about Harbeths (see the 10Audio review) and I also completely understand those who love them.

The P3ESR's are not my primary speaker, which is a much larger Dunlavy, but I bought them because I kept hear such great things about them from sources I trust. This is the first of the latest-generation Harbeths I have owned and it may be that the magic is a result of Alan Shaw's most recent crossover efforts.He would probably deny that, I don't know. I also tend to like sealed boxes and this is the only such Harbeth, though I did once have the earlier version of this model. (But this one has the RADIAL driver, which is key.) In the midrage, they just serve up a tactile "humanity" that really floats my boat. No guarantee it will do the same for you.

Should work fine in your small room although I don't know what issues your room's square dimension might introduce. In my room (17 x 23) they do present a comparatively miniature perspective, but (1) I have not optimized their placement at all and (2) I'm fine with that anyway. I think the other Harbeth models go bigger in this respect (from memory), but as I say, these are my favorites.

Where are you located?

Dan

Sorry, I see you already indicated where you are. How far is Bloomington, IN?

Hello Drubin,

Thank you again for your reply. I don't know if you had noticed in my system link, but my reference speakers are Dunlavy SCIV Signatures (used in my larger dedicated room). It seems as though we may have similar tastes in sound reproduction. Which Dunlavys are you using?

Do you find that you prefer the midrange of the P3ESR to that of your Dunlavys?

I'm about 7.5 hours each way to Bloomington, IN.

Drubin, I'm sorry...I forgot to ask. Have you had an opportunity to hear the new 30.1 yet? If so, how do you feel it compares to the P3ESR?