Differences between Harbeth, Spendor, Graham, etc. ?

Stuartk,

The Audio Note line is quite efficient, but not like horns or other very efficient speakers.  But, they are also easy to drive which makes them suitable for use with most low-powered tube amps.  My local dealer frequently uses a 6 warr/channel Audio Note amp on the AN-E speakers.  For the smaller models, he most often uses cheaper tube amps that put out 20-40 watts.  The Audio Note speakers also tend to be quite full and satisfying at low volume levels so less power is needed.  Because they are meant to be placed near the back wall, and in the corner (i.e., near the side walls as well), they do not deliver a great sense of depth to the stereo image, but the do image well side-to-side and can deliver good center fill.  Audio Note speakers may not sound extremely detailed and “fast” but they are musically satisfying, lively and engaging when coupled to my favorite kind of amps (low-powered tube amps).

@akg_ca +1

I've owned many different model Harbeths.  A sibilance problem is  a source problem not a speaker problem!

@larryi 

 I don’t know of any speaker that is perfect in every way, so I mentioned what I heard as a mild weak point.  It may be a matter of a tradeoff—if that slight peak is tamed, something might be lost in terms of sense of speed and dynamics, for example;

Yes. There are (at least with gear I can afford) always trade-offs. Personally, I'm wiling to sacrifice some detail for the sake of taming  potentially fatiguing frequencies.  

Thanks for the detailed info on the A. Note speakers. I'm not a good candidate, given what you've explained. 

@yogiboy 

FWIW, I've received many different suggestions regarding my sibilance issue, including speakers. 

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Perhaps, "sibilance" was not the right term to use.  At certain upper midrange frequencies there is a slight edge or hardness that will be most pronounced in recordings that have a tendency to be sibilant.  That slight edge also can make recordings sound more detailed and lively, so it is not necessarily a fault.  I hear this with many speakers I like because they are lively sounding speakers, such as Fyne speakers, for example.  As I said before, I like Harbeth speakers, and in particular, I like the 30.2 model.  

@larryi +1

We two hear the same.