Dynaudio, Harbeth, Penaudio or Sonus Faber

I have only heard the Harbeths and Auditors (I own the original non M version). Harbeths do sound very good, warm and inviting. If you are just lounging around enjoying a cup of coffee the Harbeths will produce great music. At the end of the day, I felt it sounded a bit too colored and overly warm for my tastes. They were paired up with tube amps though. The Auditors sounded more transparent with just a touch of warmth I was looking for. I also felt the Auditors imaged better, with more precise placement of musicians. And frankly, I loved the way they looked compared to the Harbeths.

Having had the latest Penaudio Rebel (3), I think you should definitely try the Cenya. The Rebels, although quite a bit less expensive than the Cenya, were capable of creating a very pleasant and believable soundstage, presenting the music in a highly detailed but non-fatigueing manner.

Egoben -- thank you for the detailed comparison. I have the P3ESRs, which I got just to see what all the fuss is about, They have completely won me over, such that I've barely listened to my much larger Dunlavys in months. My room is 17 x 23 and I am driving the Harbeths with a Sanders Magtech, a very high-powered amp I doubt anyone would think to recommend for these little speakers. The combination is magnificent!

Stil, of course, I want more. Based on your description, it's not clear to me that the 30.1 would definitely be better for my tastes, but I do need to hear the two models in comparison, which I plan to do soon, perhaps starting at the upcoming Newport show.

I know exactly what you mean about the clarity of the bass line on the little ones and that could be a hard thing to give up, even in exchange for more heft and extension. As for the mids, if they are more forward (you didn't say that, but I wonder about it), that might be a problem for me.

Surprised that you did not comment on any differences in the treble since, if I understand correctly, the 30.1 uses a different and presumably better, more expensive tweeter. What puzzles me is why the 30.1 costs nearly 3x what the P3ESR does. Larger RADIAL driver, better tweeter, larger cabinet -- sure, but that would not seem to equate to 3x the price.

Anyway, thanks again.

Thanks everyone for your interesting insights. I will now audition the two noted Harbeth speakers. I understand that Penaudio has lost its distributor in the U.S. which is a shame. One point that no responded to. Do you think the Oppo 105 player will do justice to the system I am considering or should I be prepared to spend the $3-4k on the cd player?

I have now tried to add a 2x250 watt class D power amplifer to my tube pre amplifier, to see how the speakers, Harbeth 30.1, react. And as I thought, the bass becomes much more clear. Some midrange lushness and richness might get lost, but not that much. The whole soundstage sounds a little bit thinner and clearer. I like it quite a lot for a change. It's fun playing around with different electronics to speakers and especially the Harbeth's.