Harbeth 40.3's. Should I buy them?

I own Harbeth and they are not, in my humble opinion, rocking-out speakers - Just as @rsf507 mentioned. For Classical, Jazz, musicians such as Dire Straits, Taylor Swift, Pink Floyd, any Blues, Female voice is wonderful, and any acoustic they are amazing.

@jjss49 is correct.

AC-DC/Ghost/Black Sabbath not so much. A sub does help, but they are not JBL's or other speakers known for in your face sound. I listen to everything (including Ghost, Hot Tuna, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC) and I don't mind they are bit "polite" for very hard rock. I never get tired of listening, which some "in your face" speakers can cause you to turn them off. No offence to JBL, I had them in college. I hear the new ones are better balanced, but have not heard them.

I think the 40.2 with a sub, will be a good balance......Hope this helps.

I don't know if this will help, but I used to have the smaller C7es  along with two subs.My amp is an AricAudio Transcend that was 60+watts with KT150s and half that single ended. I measured it at 90db in my 16 x 17 room.It was great with rock music but not as dynamic as a more sensitive speaker would be,which made it forgiving of harsher recordings. I really enjoyed them for a couple of years then sold them for a pair of easier to drive speakers. 

Nothing wrong with those big Harbeths especially if you listen to all kinds of music. Vocals are a particular strength and that means a lot!

Is placement/WAF part of the problem? The big Harbeths I have heard were enchanting placed well out from the rear wall. I could learn to live with that. Whereas Audionote is designed for corners. That’s a big difference. The solution is to get speakers that work well for you in your room. YMMV.

that's a new car price territory, I would definitely try before buying

@desalvo55 

I own that same Allnic amp and love it.  We have fairly similar tastes in music and after looking at my options I ordered a pair of Coherent Audio 18's.  Frank at Coherent and Gary at True Audiophile have both been great to work with.   

I can't say how they sound as they have not yet arrived.  They are being custom built to order with some special veneers that Frank found and upgraded internals.  They are sending over photos at various stages of the build process and they will look fantastic.  They are rated at 102 dB sensitivity and the Allnic should have no issue with those 18 inch drivers (down to 25 Hz and -3dB at 22 Hz).  I am hoping they end up being a final purchase, but history tells me otherwise.

I had the same experience as @rsf507 with Harbeth.  I tried out two or three models (including the 40.3XD) at my local dealer and never really found them to suit my taste in music even when driven with really nice amplification (Luxman, AR. D'Agostino to name a few). 

Good luck and let us know where you wind up!