Well I’m no monk but I recently put together a Harbeth and Naim system. I can say this combination did something in the ’feel’ sense that I’ve always read about. There was a certain veil that was lifted without the system being aggressive in any way. Typically when I’d put together a "musical" system by the standard agreement of many audiophiles (or higher percentage) I’d miss some of that bite or grunge when the music called for it. Also when I would look for a larger presentation than a system could offer (with such a small speaker) I would miss that scale.
So for me I got the "sense’ or "feel" that everything was good even though all recordings became listenable. Even though the scale was a bit smaller. So it was less compromise and more like, Yes, this system can do it really well! As far as Pace, rhythm and timing, maybe it has to do with a smaller, tighter speaker that relies a bit more cabinet for the presentation? Anyway, it led to some louder listening and lots of enjoyment. I did use a sub at times because they don’t dig deep. Even that was okay most of the time (not really missed much). So to me the prat was to make the experience all around musical without lacking any of the things that a lesser experience can frustrate us with (and there are many).
Hopefully this helps, and yes the toe tap was there. I’ve since parted with this system because I didn’t like where the monitors were positioned relative to traffic pattern in the room. I don’t like risking damage of nice gear being knocked over. I also just like to try new gear if I have the opportunity to do so with minimal loss. Glad I tried this.
