Small compact 2-way speakers? Harbeth p3esr xd vs DALI Menuet SE ?

Denouement:

In case anybody is following along at home, i went with the DALI Menuet SEs and am very happy. Perfect size and the sound is really excellent for the room they’re in. (I put them IsoAcoustic little pucks.)

Managed through kindness and luck to get a pair new for $2,000, so it was hard to say no.

I had the Dali Menuet SE before the price increase and while they are nice and do well what they are supposed to do which is present a very holographic image with good note weight, they were too dark for my liking.  If one likes a smooth (I could still hear some sibilance BTW) speaker and somewhat darker presentation it may be a suitable choice but the huge price jump was notable.   I even sent the speakers back with a sizable restocking fee plus return shipping.

Aside from being a bit dark it was a pig for power and although my amps drove it, the lower powered one got pretty hot.  Also drove it with a Hegel just fine but didn't sound any better.   Perhaps a highly transparent and energetic amp would be more suitable?

Harbeth at least provides a couple of choices with their speakers with either a soft dome or metal for a bit different presentation and hearing an older type (don't recall model) it sounded nice especially with voice.   While these small speakers scale up with power, I do not think the Harbeth would be nearly as difficult to drive for good results.  Harbeth also seems to have better resale value from what I have seen.

In the end, I picked up a closeout NIB Dali Opticon 1 MK1 which I greatly prefer over the Menuet SE as it gives enough of what the SE did well without the dark presentation, so works better for me with music and movies as well as sounding good both in near field and further away,  The Menuet SE loses its charm beyond 5 feet from the listening position.  While the Harbeth was also intended for nearfield, I think the results from sitting further away are still good from what I have read from others' reports.

My choice would be the Harbeth and I almost did until I got the Opticon 1s which suffice for my needs.  At 4 ohms, it is still an easy drive for my small amp and sounds fantastic especially with a sub added.  

Honestly, in comparison at the time with an inexpensive Cambridge Minx XL against the SE, it kept up pretty close until you could hear what I thought was too subtle differences between them for the price disparity.  With the Opticon 1, any differences and improvements are immediately heard.  But add a nice finish, a Mundorf cap and exclusivity  and it seems to sell at a higher price and for some a higher perceived value I suppose.  Sometimes its true, sometimes not.

Take my experience for what it is, my opinion.  

Wow, the Dali Menuet SE is described as dark? When I purchased mine, initially, I considered them bright. In fact, I played then with the grilles on to help out with the slight brightness. Once I made some changes to the cabling, I was able to dial them in to my liking. I have never heard the Dalis described as dark, not even in the most critical reviews.

Ive auditioned  both of these fine speakers. IMO, it boils down to the best available synergy (or. lack of it …) with your upstream electronics., and personal bias of faves.

 I would generally pick the HARBETHs ….BUT …( and it’s a big “ but”….) their sonic signature and class leading midrange excel with beefy Euro (especially British  ) upstream electronics with their respective bespoke sonic signatures as stablemates to the HARBETHs .  . Think robust Class A or Class AB amps and source here.

WPC specs alone are meaningless…it’s the “grunt” evidenced by an abundance of high-current (amps)  that matters here. I would be very cautious and personally audition the HARBETHs first with their 6 ohm impedance and lowly 83db sensitivity / efficiency, …..and resist just blindly pairing them up to your NAD M2 class D amp with its comparative bespoke darker sonic signature.

System Synergy matters ….big time.

HARBETH P3ESR review 

https://youtu.be/vF1rWiEhEjY?si=fnswP9fohFuVULT5