Differences between Harbeth, Spendor, Graham, etc. ?

@helomech 

Noted!  Thanks for offering your impressions. 

Have been a fan and user of British speakers since late 60’s.  Unique Sonics that have always appealed to me.

i own Spendor ls3/5a, SP1, and Harbeth SLH5 plus, as well as 40.3 (endgame) for me.

Not sure I could group them by brand.  Each is unique, and totally wonderful.  Currently listening to SP1 at my summer home.  Had them since the 80’s.

Harbeth and classic Spendor, can be listened to for hours on end with no fatigue.  They just sound better and better with each session.  Is one brand better?  Again it really depends on the model.  But you can’t go wrong with any of them.

Each combines musicality with just enough detail for my aging ears.  Have never heard any brand that moves me more than these two.

The SLH5’s, are close to my SP1, and love them both.  Could live with either.  I’ll probably sell my SLH5 one day since the 40’s replaced them.

My suggestion would be to narrow down to 2 or 3 and audition before you buy…….

Try the Harbeth 30.1s. Wonderful sounding large 2-ways.

People rushed to the get the 30.2s, the the 30.2 XDs, but IMHO, the 30.1s are the keepers. Slightly warm & distinctly musical.

@yashu ​​@desktopguy :

Of those you've heard, which have the the most fleshed-out mids? 

I ask because for me, well fleshed-out upper bass/lower mids are critical for my emotional engagement.  

Hard to answer that. I only heard 2 Harbeths: one was the 40.2 (at an audio show in a fairly large room). I loved the sound of it, but you can’t fit that one.

My 30.1s are being used in a nearfield audio situation, which absolutely shouldn’t work, but does. They sound lovely. The mids and upper bass sound wonderful to me. None of that thin/parched/straining to sound good thing here.

Head-to-head I might think the 40.2s have a bit more meat in the mids/upper bass, but that’s because they’re quite a bit larger and are 3-way, not 2-way.

BTW, I pair my 30.1s with a sub, which some will tell you doesn’t work, but for me it works very well. A good sub (mine is JLAudio e110) will only enhance the entire bass range & lower midrange of any speakers, including this one. But I should note that I use a quality external/electronic crossover to match the sub to speakers (Marchand Audio XM66 with variable crossover points and 24 dB/octave slopes), which no doubt figures into the good sound I get with this combination.

FWIW, another pair of British speakers that please me to no end are the vintage KEF 102.3s. These are approximately the same size as the 30.1s and have the same driver compliment (8" woofer + 1" fabric dome tweeter). But the 103.2s are sealed/acoustic suspension, which makes the upper bass in particular sound even a big tighter and more dynamic.