Bookshelf/Monitor suggestions.

Trebleclef, you say in another thread that you have P3's in a den driven by a little NAD amp. In this thread you say you have heard them in a used record store. Which is it?

Here's what a friend of mine who has heard both said over at AudioAsylum about the P3ES - S3/5 comparison:

"The Harbeth HLP3-ES may be hard to drive @ 83db/6 ohms (something like that I think), but if controlled properly, can produce one of the most natural midrange and would offer the wonderful level of transparency to your music.

The Spendor 3/5 is a friendlier speaker, in terms of load and also the sound. They will never fail to please. Sonically, the harbeth and spendors might sound very close, but over time, you'll notice that the spendors gives you an "extra" dollop of sweetness, while the harbeths continue to excel in the transparency and imaging."

The Harbeth needs and accepts more power. The Harbeth is probably the more accurate, closer to your Quad ideal and is probably more dynamic. The component parts of the Harbeth are more costly than the parts used in the Spendor. The Harbeth uses a metal dome tweeter, the Spendor a soft dome tweeter. Some people here will tell you soft is good and metal bad, but it really depends on the quality of the particular tweeters being compared.

When you email someone through Audiogon, it's a good idea to tell them your name and maybe where you live unless your email address identifies you.

Paulwp, Sorry if email was a disturbance. Yes I have a pair of P3's in my den system but they are not mine. The pair I heard at a used record store in Washington DC metro area are P3. What I'm trying to asceratain through this thread was more knowledge than what was available locally or on Harbeth's website. Specifically is the Harbeth P3 and P3ES one and the same. Apparently no. Since starting the thread I have come across an excellent article by Paul Seydor reviewing the Spendor S3/5 which is probably where I'll end up as there are a couple of good sources locally for these speakers. I rarely find much to get really excited aboutin audio these days so when I accidently find something extroidinary,it is indeed a welcome. One rarely finds good sound in a record store. Or good records in an audio store.I sent you an email as you seemed to know more about the speakers than others. Sorry if it was an intrusion. My email add has my first name (ed) and I live in MD along the Chesapeake Bay. As I said I'm interested in people's first hand experiences with these products, which is why I enjoy this disccussion group per se.

Not an intrusion, people email each other all the time. I do it. It's just that my email address tells you exactly who I am, including my last name.

The P3ES should sound very similar to the P3. They were both designed by the same person with the same objectives. But there are differences.

Paul