Upgrade from Harbeth Compact 7

Without getting into a lot of detail, here is a ranking of the ones I tried, Compared to the prior speaker

Proac Studio 140 - Harsh upper midrange and lacking in detail compared to the other speakers.

Harbeth Compact 7 ES-3 - Very smooth, not very dynamic, easy to listen to without any listening fatigue, lacking in bass response.

Proac Response 2.5 - Smooth and dynamic, plenty of detail, bass response goes very low, but a little loose.

Proac Response D-40r - More inner detail and better imaging without harshness, bass response not quite as low, but better defined.

The Proac 2.5 is a great all around performer, getting a little long in the tooth, but a great price performer if you can find a pair used. It is inefficient, but worked well with Quicksilver V-4 amps.

The Proac D-30r, which I have heard many times, is another speaker you should consider at a lower price point than the D-40r. It may be hard to find used, but if you are interested my local dealer may have a demo pair for sale.

47ghibli, what about just adding a subwoofer to your C7's?….might be the most cost effective option and you retain the Harbeth midrange.

I owned the C7's for a couple of years before moving on to the Harbeth M30.1's - absolutely love them. Bottom octave extension is only about the same as the C7's, but IMO the 30.1's sound significantly more dynamic, robust and lively. Gorgeous treble quality too.

I tried a Rel Stadium with my Compact 7s before selling it to move to the larger Daedalus floorstanders. As good as the REL was, I always felt like I was listening to a subwoofer rather than a coherent sound source. Just my two cents....

"12-08-14: Murphythecat
people are funny. as if you need to spend more to get more.

audiophile world is insane.

get a amphion one18 and laugh at harbeth owners and the colored sound."

Yes, but people need to by people speakers. We don't hear the same way you do. I'm sure you love Fancy Feast, but you won't be talking any of us into eating that crap either.

Have you heard the amphions? From your response I would assume you have spent a great deal of time with them.