Current or Previous Harbeth Owners…
For those of us that have had or currently have, are there other speakers you’ve listened to that you found sounded “better”? I’m eyeing stepping into a set of 40.2 or 40.3’s, but am also willing to step in a different direction. I realize “better” is subjective, but a speaker that does what Harbeth does, but better.
I have a set of Pass Labs XA100.5’s, FWIW.
@freediver copy that. Good excerpt. I really do love Harbeths and always wanted to try the babies in a small near field setup; I’ve discovered, however that for the overall genres of music I love, ATC SCM40 v2 have that juicy vibe and incredibly transparent midrange of the Beth’s I’ve tried, but to my ears do the music even more justice. Classical and big band scale super well and vocalists have that lit from within quality my ears 👂 adore. 🥰 cheers mates and enjoy the Holiday!
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Why are you presuming that I’m knocking HARBETHs. I never said nor implied any such thing , I am assuredly not knocking “thin wall” HARBETHs or any other BBC monitor design .,,, I love my HARBETH M30.2 XD’s on TonTraeger speaker stands as defo keepers long-term, full stop. . All I posted herein was a simple personal experiences opinion that (a);I prefer to keep my current speakers over the many contenders and pretenders at the 30.2 price-point strata , and up to double theirpricepoint strata.Adding ahigh-end ATC subwoofer to flesh out the bottom end for these standmounts provided me me with a peer speaker system to the higher model 40,2’s. (b) and yes ..Ive also auditioned other speaker brands (mostly at audio expos) that could sway me to change, BUT ONLY AT significant multiples ( ….plural ….) in 30.2 speaker pricepoint AND a matched significant multiple in price of upstream electronics to drive them. Intuitively unless I win a mega lottery, nuthin’ is gonna change for me, |
I can't speak to the 40.2's but I owned 30.2 XDs and now have 40.3 XDs. I drive them with a T+A PA 3100HV integrated and they sound great. I've had the T+A for about 7 months now and it never gets boring or fatiguing. (I had a BAT VK 3500 before the T+A it it was just OK with the 40's.) While I enjoyed several tube amps with the small Harbeth's, the 40's absolutely need big powerful SS amplification. I'm guessing your amps would drive them really nicely. My experience with other brands is limited but if your music preferences matches what Harbeth's are renowned for, I think you will be happy with them.
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I would add one more thing..I moved from M30.1 to the 30.2Xd...The 30.1 did indeed have a touch more "warmth"that could come off as slightly veiled or too dark with the wrong amplification..The 30.2Xd does not have that additional warmth,adding a bit more nuetrality through the upper bass,lower mid range..An email to Harbeth returned the info that the inside of the cabinets & crossover received a little tuning to bring this about... |
I recently sold a pair of Harbeth C7ES3XD speakers, the latest model, and they left a strong impression. Having owned more than 20 pairs of speakers, I can confidently say these stand out. They achieve a remarkable balance in the mid/upper frequencies, with zero harshness or fatigue that many other speakers in this range can cause. The imaging is fantastic when paired with sufficient power—I'd recommend at least 50 watts to get the best results, especially in a small to medium-sized room. The resonance argument is silly. It doesn't matter. I've encountered speakers that struggle with resonance, or have zero, but the Harbeths use it to their advantage somehow. I decided to part with these speakers mainly due to my challenging room layout, which required frequent repositioning for optimal performance. They also benefit from ample power, and while they worked beautifully with my Supernait 3 (for sale!), I generally prefer tube amplification. I paired them with a Leben amp as well, and the Supernait-Harbeth combination was particularly stunning. Although this was my first experience with Harbeth, I can see myself revisiting them in the future. While they benefit from a subwoofer for deeper bass, the C7ES3XD has a satisfying, full-bodied sound. Their box size—comparable to the upper torso of an average person—seems to contribute to their weighty, realistic presence. They won’t mimic the depth of a large-scale concert or rock the house with Pink Floyd, but they excel in drawing you into intimate, smaller-scale music venues. |
