Differences between Harbeth, Spendor, Graham, etc. ?

I usually stay away from these types of comparisons that often turn into pissing matches. But, given some of the negative opinions expressed about Harbeth speakers, I want to share my experiences having owned several Harbeth speakers over the years, including P3esr, M30.1, SHL5+, and M40.2.

First of all, you have to acknowledge the fact that when a company sticks around for this long and has a huge fanbase, they have to be doing something right. The opinions of the usual suspects who trash speaker brand A in favor of brand B which they happen to own should be taken with a grain of salt. Just because you don’t like a speaker doesn’t mean it’s overpriced crap.

In my audio journey, I have gone away from Harbeth several times, only to dearly miss the sound characteristics and buy them again. A couple of years ago, I replaced my Harbeth SHL5+ with Joseph Audio Perspective2 Graphene speakers. The Perspectives were an amazing speaker and did most things right. But I still missed that unique Harbeth midrange magic. Sure, the bass on the Perspectives was tighter and more visceral. They had a very modern, crisp sound ... but at the end of the day, while they wowed me they did not engage me emotionally. So last year, I replaced them with Harbeth M40.2.

For my tastes, in my room, with my equipment, there’s simply no contest. While the 40.2 don’t have the visceral and impactful bass (which is phenomenal on the JA Perspectives), what they do have is very natural, tuneful and textured bass which I enjoy considerably more than the Perspectives. These speakers need a hefty amp to wake them up though. I suspect most people who were ultimately disappointed in Harbeth 40.x (especially when it comes to playing pop, rock, EDM) did not give them enough current. For me, after owning several pairs of speakers ranging from $2000 - 25,000, the 40.2s have given me the most listening pleasure to date. The bass is good enough that it prompted me to sell my pair of REL S/510s. The vocal reproduction is outstanding. The midrange is so seductive that it makes you forget about the equipment and just get drawn (drown?) into the music. Unlike some other speakers, the Harbeths are not going to make your jaw drop at first listen. No, they’re not that type of speaker. What they do bring to the table is a sense of ’substance’, naturalness, and balance across the frequency range. I listen to all types of music with the exception of metal, rap, and hip hop. The 40.2s just deliver what I desire.

This does not mean the Perspectives are an inferior speaker. I’m sure some folks would prefer them over anything Harbeth. But what I can tell you is that if you keep aside the usual allegations (old technology, cheap parts, etc.) to insinuate that these are overpriced speakers, and only focus on sound ... then IMO the 40.2 are absolutely worthy of their asking price. Also, just because they do vocals exceedingly well doesn’t mean they’re a one trick pony or not worthy of being considered as all-rounders. They do lots of things very right. Maybe it’s not your cup of tea and that’s quite alright. But let’s not write them off because someone thinks they’re not worth the asking price.

@arafiq

 ...but at the end of the day, while they wowed me they did not engage me emotionally. 

Emotional and physical engagement are topmost priorities for me.  Have you owned any of the smaller Harbeths?   

Hmmm….the only time I’ve heard Harbeth do vocals “exceedingly well” was when I hadn’t yet experienced lower distortion, higher resolution speakers. In more recent years I simply fail to hear what all the fuss is about with regard to their purported midrange and vocal ability. Not only are they readily matched, and in some cases exceeded, by competing BBC derivatives, they are significantly lacking in resolution, realism and tactility relative to brands employing true high end drivers. To my ears, speakers like Joseph Audio, Rockport and Borresen do pretty much everything better, while sounding more realistic and less fatiguing in the process But one must consider some of those are like 4X the price of SHL5s.

The M40.2s are unquestionably the best Harbeths in my opinion, but for their price, I simply don’t understand the appeal. Some other options around the $25k mark are in entirely different leagues to my ears.

@stuartk 

Emotional and physical engagement are topmost priorities for me.  Have you owned any of the smaller Harbeths?   

Sorry just saw your post. I don't know why I'm not getting notification emails from audiogon anymore. To date, I have owned Harbeth P3esr (in home office), M30.1, SHL5+, and M40.2 (still own). For me, the engagement factor with these speakers is very high. There's a level of realism -- especially vocals, that is quite addictive. I understand these speakers are not for everyone, but they are world class when it comes to tone, timbre, and emotional engagement. They're also a very forgiving speaker in that it makes bad recordings tolerable.

On the negative side, they're not the most dynamic sounding, and they don't disappear as well as some other speakers. 

@helomech

The M40.2s are unquestionably the best Harbeths in my opinion, but for their price, I simply don’t understand the appeal. 

The 40.2s retailed for a smidge under $20k, but I don't think anyone paid that amount for them. Mostly they were selling for around $16-18K. I see that the 40.3s are now touching $25K retail, and I would tend to agree with you that they're definitely not worth that much. Same for P3esr's -- too expensive given the competition nowadays.

However, I would add that Harbeth is one brand that has to be experienced in your own system to understand what it's trying to do. Simply listening to it at an audio show never reveals the special sauce. As I mentioned, I owned the Joseph Audio Perspective2 Graphenes and loved them. But the Harbeth still gives me better timber, tone, and midrange. The Jospeh Audio are certainly a more modern, crisp sounding speaker, and I can completely understand why some people might prefer it.