Harbeth M40.1 vs. M40.2 vs. M40.2 Anniversary Edition vs. M40.3XD

i have had every iteration

if you are coming from wilson audio sashas, i suggest you go for the xd’s/40 annos (which are sonically identical)

Ha! Every iteration! @jjss49 , you are a treasure of knowledge on these forums! After your recent thread listing your highly impressive number or past and present dacs it only comes natural that you've had (not just heard, but actually owned!) every iteration of the famous top of the line Harbeth M40.x! Of course! I cannot stop smiling...

Would you kindly share your impressions on the differences between the M40.1, M40.2 and XD / 40 anno, respectively? I have recently compared the 40.2 Anniversary to my beloved Spendor 2/3R2 and, apart from the size related differences, the Harbeth had a bit better detail and more controlled bass but their tweeter was a bit too forward and "white-ish", for lack of a better word, and the overall sound, as the OP aptly put it, was (comparatively) a bit on the analytical side. Do the previous versions have the warmer and I'd say more natural midrange that I love in my Spendors?

Appologies if this is derailling the thread a bit!

@audio_bidder : my impression is that if you want to listen at 90dB+ and are expecting good impact the big Harbeths will need and appropriate (in size and treatment) room and especially an amplifier with an iron grip in the bass. My Accuphase E470, while truly great in several ways, was only ok in the bass, while the owner's Parasound controlled the bass better and had more punch / impact. I have no idea where your ARC amplifier stands in this regard. On the other hand, I think it also depends on what kind of bass reproduction you need - the requirement above is more important for bass driven rhythmic music such as rock and less for, say orchestral music in which the force comes from scale, extension and weight, not necessarily so much from punch (a bit less tight bass could still be ok). All IMO, YMMV etc.

@jjss49 You don't think I'll be put off by the upper frequencies of the Anniversary & XD editions? That's the primary reason I want move away from the Sasha, I've tried, with some success, to tame the top end. Tube amps, room treatment, R2R DAC have all helped to varying degrees. They're just too fatiguing and I do NOT want to spend $10k on Transparent cables just to roll off high frequencies.

@donquichotte Not sure if the ARC amps are the best match, but I have found some folks in forums that love the combo. Also some claiming you need high power solid state to make Harbeth sound the best. We will see. Great questions regarding different M40 versions that I was also curious about.

@audio_bidder : your question is not addressed to me; nevertheless, I’ll try to add my 2 cents. I’ve heard the M40.2 Ann. twice and, more importantly, I’ve owned the smaller M30.2 Anniversary for about an year. The tweeter is not at all fatiguing in my experience, it’s obviously refined sounding, somewhat soft (not as in rolled-off, it’s decently extended, but in a soft dome kind of way, lacking the ultimate aggressive rendering of cymbals, trumpet edge etc.) and at the same time quite present. So neutral or even a little bit more forward than neutral, while at the same time not sharp or piercing at all. If this is going to verge on the fatiguing side for you... I cannot tell but if I had to guess I’d say "probably not".

By the way, the above mentioned softness is probably a huge blessing for any loud listening sessions.