Electronics for Harbeths -- $5-10K

What model Harbeths are you using? I have owned many different Harbeths and they sing with tubes! If you are restricted to solid state LFD should fit the bill! Give Gene a call he has been selling Harbeths for many years !

Gene Rubin Audio

@yogiboy has a valid point.

LFD was my second choice after my REGA OSIRIS., so it is worth an audition 

yogiboy:

Hah -- you’re talking to the right guy! Not sure if I mentioned in this thread that I’ve been a lifelong tube-roller. For thirty years, my go-to system was a beautiful pair of Quad ELSs that I restored, and a variety of tube amps that I either rebuilt myself (like my heavily moded Dynaco boxes) or sent to the factory for refurbishing (e.g., my 1950s Class A Quad 2 monoblocks). I still lust for modern tube designs from the likes of ARC & CJ.

However, I have some physical constraints and there are also configuration issues that limit this purchase to solid-state. And smaller, lighter SS at that. I’ve never had a good experience with Class D, and that’s one reason why I’ve settled on the Ayre integrated -- 130wpc, 24 pounds, 3.5" high, very flexible connectivity, highly praised Class A/AB sonics. This will be something new for me, but I’ve really done a ton of homework on the topic -- so my hopes are high.

I’ve been told by everyone from the late, great Art Dudley to the guy who designed the Ayre integrated, to even Harbeth support, that Ayre and Harbeth are a great combination.

But I can understand your recommendation, too. In fact, Art, shortly before he passed, told me that he considered the Harbeths to be more "Quad-like" (I think he was speaking in terms of coherency and voicing) than any other dynamic-driver system at anywhere near the same price. So driving speakers like these with a great tube amp would be pretty exciting.  Nonetheless, I'll be heading in a different direction this time, so, as they say, fingers crossed, teeth clenched, here we go.

To answer your question, I have the mid-sized Compact 7-ES3, rolled off to a powered sub at around 50 Hz. I went with that model b/c of its reputation for being the most successful model in the Harbeth line -- at least according to Alan Shaw himself. In my moderate-sized room, and with an external powered sub, I didn’t need the extra volume levels and bass extension of the larger models.

yogiboy & akg_ca:

I’m embarrassed to admit that LFD slipped through the cracks for me. I’m not familiar at all with their products. But since both of you praise the company so highly, I’ll defintely take a look.

As I mentioned above, I don’t have the ability to audition any gear in person before buying, but I already see a couple of lengthy reviews online.

Thanks for the heads-up.

C

OK, I did look into LFD and, wow, you’re right, what over-the-top praise! Jaw-dropping!

But unfortunately (please don’t hate me), you can’t always select a piece of gear as a sole function of sonics. And before anybody brings out the garlic and crucifix, I’ll point out that if that wasn’t the case, we’d all be listening to Chronosonic/D’Agostino systems. (And half of us would be divorced!)

In my case, I need a fair amount of connectivity, but the LFD line doesn’t even seem to have outputs for a powered subwoofer or external headphone amp. Or even a remote. IN fact, I’m not sure how it could be used with smaller Harbeths that roll off at around 45-50Hz. Even my Quad ESL-57s benefited tremendously by adding a sub.

I guess I could front-end an LFD integrated with an exceptionally flexible DAC, like a higher-end HiFi Rose unit that would add much of the analog & digital connectivity I’m looking for. But I'd still be missing a few crucial connections.  And that would be a whole new research project.

What’s disappointing is how little info there online is about LFD's product line. I haven’t found a review that tabulates even the most basic specs, like size & weight, power rating, or even price.  And even Gene Rubin’s Web site doesn't tell you much. After an hour online, I still can’t figure out which models are in the current LFD product line, much less compare them. LFD itself doesn’t have a working Web site.

What I’m gathering is that LFD is a small boutique operation, something like George Merrill’s GEM. I’m a big fan of bespoke equipment -- my GEM turntable is aptly named! -- but the downside is that I’m not sure how to make an intelligent purchase decision.

Nonetheless, I’m tempted to pick up a used Mistral on eBay (used units start at around $2000) and hang onto it for a bit just to hear what everybody’s talking about.

Anyway, thanks for teaching this old dog a new trick. LFD has now definitely caught my attention.